1998 Football League Cup Final

1998 Football League Cup Final
Event 1997–98 Football League Cup
Chelsea Middlesbrough
2 0
After extra time
Date 29 March 1998
Venue Wembley Stadium, London
Man of the Match Dennis Wise (Chelsea)
Referee Peter Jones (Leicestershire)
Attendance 77,698

The 1998 Football League Cup Final was a football match played between Chelsea and Middlesbrough on 29 March 1998 at Wembley Stadium. Chelsea, under new manager Gianluca Vialli, won with two extra time goals and won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup later that season. Middlesbrough's second consecutive defeat in the final was followed by promotion back to the Premier League after just one season.

Both teams were restricted to shots from distance. This all changed in extra time when Chelsea took control. Frank Sinclair, a villain in the 1994 FA Cup Final defeat when conceding a penalty and slipping to allow Mark Hughes to score, became the hero in this match. He started the move that ended with his header finding the corner of the Middlesbrough net to open the scoring. Chelsea's second goal came from Roberto Di Matteo. A corner played into the near post was not cleared by the Boro defence and Di Matteo was able to side foot the ball into the net on the half-volley. Di Matteo had come back to haunt Middlesbrough as he had scored the opening goal when the same sides met in the 1997 FA Cup Final the previous season. Once again Chelsea had won 2–0.

Road to Wembley

Chelsea

 
 

Round 3: Chelsea 1–1 Blackburn Rovers

(Chelsea won 4–1 on penalties)

Round 4: Chelsea 2–1 Southampton

Quarter-final: Ipswich Town 2–2 Chelsea

(Chelsea won 4–1 on penalties)

Semi-final, 1st leg: Arsenal 2–1 Chelsea

Semi-final, 2nd leg: Chelsea 3–1 Arsenal

Middlesbrough

Round 2, 1st leg: Middlesbrough 1–0 Barnet

Round 2, 2nd leg: Barnet 0–2 Middlesbrough

Round 3: Middlesbrough 2–0 Sunderland

 

Round 4: Middlesbrough 1–1 Bolton Wanderers

Quarter-final: Reading 0–1 Middlesbrough

 

Semi-final, 1st leg: Liverpool 2–1 Middlesbrough

Semi-final, 2nd leg: Middlesbrough 2–0 Liverpool

Match facts

Chelsea 2–0
(a.e.t.)		 Middlesbrough
Sinclair  95'
Di Matteo  107'		 Report
Attendance: 77,698
Chelsea
Middlesbrough
GK1Netherlands Ed de Goey
RWB2Romania Dan Petrescu 75'
CB5France Frank LeboeufYellow card
CB12England Michael Duberry
CB20Jamaica Frank Sinclair
LWB14England Graeme Le SauxYellow card
CM16Italy Roberto Di Matteo
CM11England Dennis Wise (c)Yellow card
CM24England Eddie Newton
CF25Italy Gianfranco Zola
CF10Wales Mark HughesYellow card 83'
Substitutes:
GK13England Kevin Hitchcock
DF6Scotland Steve Clarke 75'
FW19Norway Tore André Flo 83'
Manager:
Italy Gianluca Vialli
GK1Australia Mark Schwarzer
RB2Italy Gianluca Festa
CB4England Steve Vickers
CB5England Nigel Pearson (c)
LB3Slovakia Vladimír Kinder
RM10England Paul Merson
CM6England Robbie Mustoe
CM7England Neil Maddison 102'
LM11England Andy TownsendYellow card
CF8Colombia Hamilton Ricard 65'
CF9Italy Marco Branca
Substitutes:
DF12England Curtis Fleming
FW13Denmark Mikkel Beck 102'
MF14England Paul GascoigneYellow card 65'
Manager:
England Bryan Robson
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