We were barely on the pitch when Louis Saha put Everton a goal up on 25 seconds, with the fastest ever FA Cup final goal. Not ideal but we responded well once we were over the shock, whilst Everton soaked up the pressure, sitting back on their lead.
We stuck at it though, pushing forward, and a goal was always going to come, it was just a question of who and when. The answer was Didier Drogba in the 21st minute. Game on.
Read the view from Goodison Park
Malouda was a threat throughout the first half, definitely a new player under Guus Hiddink’s reign. Likewise Steven Pienaar for Everton, who made a right nuisance of himself and linking up with Saha, looked as if the opening goal he’d set up wasn’t the only damage he’d planned to inflict on us.
We looked the better side on the ball and constantly exploited the weakness down Everton’s right-hand side. But Hibbert aside, Everton looked organized, composed, and certainly not overawed by either the occasion or their opposition and 1-1 was a fair reflection of the game at half-time.
Second half was still as solid from us, if a little frustrating, with Phil Neville doing far too good a job of keeping Lampard quiet. But as ever this season, it was the Chelsea midfielder who made the difference, losing Neville for just long enough to bang in one of his trademark goals off the fingertips of the diving Tim Howard.
Malouda nearly put the final out of Everton’s reach in style soon after, smashing the ball from distance only to see it come off the bar – and as replays showed – cross the line. Another one of ‘those days’ perhaps?
Fortunately decisions didn’t cost us as much in this game and the FA Cup – quite rightly is back at Stamford Bridge.
Denise Fensom
Read more from Denise at www.thechelseablog.org
