Drogba makes the difference

Yesterday, Didier Drogba pounced four minutes from the end of extra-time to see off Manchester United and ensure a repeat victory for the London club by the same score.

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It was salvation to Chelsea's season, having been beaten to the Premiership title by United, and a personal and collective riposte that denies their biggest rivals the Double. In scoring his 33rd goal of the season, it was reward and consolation for Drogba, having missed out on all the Player of the Year awards to United's Cristiano Ronaldo, for whom it was a quiet afternoon.

Indeed, it was a quiet afternoon for many with a long, demanding and draining season taking its toll on the teams, who were not helped by a slow, cloying pitch.

It was only the third time in 126 finals that the top two in the English league had won through — Liverpool beating Everton the last time, 21 years ago — and as such we expected a fitting confrontation to showcase the rebuilt stadium for a worldwide audience. Its billing, though, belied concerns that both had been playing poorly of late.

After losing heavily in Milan in the Champions League semi-final, United laboured to a 1-0 win at neighbours City before being conceded the title by Chelsea's failure to win at Arsenal.

From then on, United limped to the end of the Premiership season, Chelsea even more wounded and weary. We duly endured an opening that told of two teams being asked to peak again having already given so much.

While Chelsea's injury problems had been the talking point for Jose Mourinho during the week, with Ricardo Carvalho, Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack out, it was United who looked the weaker, especially up front where Wayne Rooney was expected to play furthest forward and Ryan Giggs just off him.

Chelsea, meanwhile, were back to the manager's preferred formation of 4-3-3, with Drogba the sort of spearhead United, missing the still injured Louis Saha, could have done with.

The champions, indeed, barely mustered a shot on goal in the first 45 minutes, Paul Scholes' long ball to Ronaldo, which the Portuguese controlled before shooting wide, being an exception.

Back more to the formation and personnel, if not the condition, that won them the title last season, Chelsea looked the more dangerous side.

Drogba shot wide from 25 yards, Frank Lampard had another deflected over the bar. In the best move of the opening half, John Obi Mikel found Paulo Ferreira for a neat ball to Lampard that ended with Edwin van der Sar saving the shot on the turn.

You can always be sure that Sir Alex Ferguson will stir his team at half-time, however, and United re-emerged with new intent. Rooney saw his shot well saved by Petr Cech and Giggs volleyed over the bar after being found by a perceptive chip from Scholes. Gradually they got Rooney on the ball, too, in more dangerous areas. After a powerful run from inside his own half, stopped only by a last-ditch covering tackle by Wayne Bridge, it took Cech, diving at his feet, to deny him.

Michael Essien, with another powerful tackle, prevented Chelsea falling behind when he closed down a dithering Giggs, beautifully sent through on the left by Michael Carrick, as Rooney waited for the ball in the middle.

Chelsea had made a change at the interval, with Arjen Robben replacing Joe Cole, but he barely looked fit.

They were betraying more their enfeebled condition, though Drogba did have a shout for a penalty when Nemanja Vidic cut across him.

It was an isolated threat, as United looked more likely to win in normal time.

Essien again denied Rooney on the byline with a good tackle, while Carrick mistimed a header that flew over the bar from Giggs' inswinging free-kick.

Extra-time it was. Finally, Sir Alex brought on a substitute, Alan Smith replacing the ineffective — though he was by no means alone — Darren Fletcher. United, the game indeed, certainly needed a lift.

At least the game opened up, even if due largely to tiredness. United might have won it when Rooney played in a low cross that Giggs diverted goalwards only for a scrambling Cech to save.

The goalkeeper did carry the ball over the line but Giggs had fouled him, even if referee Steve Bennett — one of several omissions — waved play on. The enduringly brave Cech also saved at Rooney's feet.

Chelsea scented their chance. Drogba headed a cross by Robben into the side-netting. Salomon Kalou curled a shot wide.

Then came the moment. Drogba clipped the ball to Lampard, who played a neat wall-pass, and the striker clipped the ball over Van der Sar as the goalkeeper came off his line.

You could only admire Chelsea's durability as they added to the Carling Cup won already this season. It meant that Mourinho now had a clean sweep of domestic trophies in his three-year tenure as manager.

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Teams

Chelsea: Cech, Ferreira, Essien, Terry, Bridge, Mikel, Makelele, Lampard, Wright-Phillips, Drogba, Joe Cole. Subs: Cudicini, Ashley Cole, Robben, Kalou, Diarra.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Heinze, Fletcher, Scholes, Carrick, Ronaldo, Rooney, Giggs. Subs: Kuszczak, Evra, Smith, Solskjaer, O'Shea.

Referee: S Bennett (Kent)