Bittersweet CUP WIN FOR Chelsea
as Guus Hiddink DEPARTS CHELSEA 2-1 EVERTON
By Duncan White at Wembley, The Sunday Telegraph, May 30, 2009
E
ven in triumph, following a 2-1 victory against Everton, he was modest, dignified. Having climbed the 107 steps, Guus Hiddink seemed almost reluctant to lift the Cup trophy, but ushered on by Ray Wilkins he took the adulation of the Chelsea support, a flourish that brought to a glorious end a whirlwind affair between the Dutchman and this club. Once he got going though, amid the champagne spray, the emotions poured out and the wise man of world football celebrated with childish enthusiasm. “He’s a great manager and a great man,” said Frank Lampard, who scored the spectacular winning goal. “It’s a great sendoff for him and we’re delighted to give him a trophy.” As ever, Lampard was exceptional. He has played with metronomic excellence in a season when Chelsea have often lacked stability and it was fitting that he scored such a fine winning goal, his 21st of another productive campaign. Didier Drogba again scored in a big game at Wembley – he scored here in the semi-final against Arsenal and when Chelsea won the Cup in 2007 – but it was Lampard who was the difference today, with his expertly
judged passes releasing the rampant pair of Ashley Cole and Florent Malouda on the Chelsea left. “He wins big games,” was David Moyes’ pithy assessment. There was no doubt that this was a big game for Everton. This was supposed to have been a dull, attritional game, but Everton soon saw to it that this would be an open, compelling final. Stephen Pienaar picked up the ball on the left and sent in an in-swinging cross that John Obi Mikel failed to properly clear. Marouane Fellaini got his head to the follow-up and, with John Terry having let Louis Saha pull away from him, there was a chance. With Mikel closing, Saha set himself and, whipped a volley in at the near post, with Petr Cech unable to see the ball after his vision was blocked by his defenders. Chelsea’s response to that stunning setback was emphatic. Malouda managed to get in behind Tony Hibbert on seven minutes and the Everton full-back tripped him. Howard Webb produced the yellow card. Whether he feared being sent off, was carrying an injury or was just plain overwhelmed by the occasion, Hibbert’s game went to pieces. Malouda and Cole surged down the Chelsea left at will and, with Hibbert being given negligible protection by Leon Osman in front of him, chance followed chance.
Tim Howard managed to make a key intervention with Cole pushing into the box, and Malouda sent in a couple of ominous crosses. So thoroughly did Malouda have the beating of Hibbert that he even tried the old playground favourite of pushing the ball to one side of the full-back and scooting round the other. It was humiliating for Hibbert that it nearly came off. No surprise then that the equaliser came down the Chelsea left. Nicolas Anelka drifted in from the right, leaving the ball for Lampard who chipped it delicately to Malouda out wide. Hibbert and Osman stood rooted, giving Malouda all the time he needed to steady himself. The France winger’s cross was met by Drogba, leaping above Joleon Lescott, and his powerful header was simply unsaveable. It was a superbly-executed piece of centreforward play: Drogba had tracked across the box, just out of Lescott’s eye-line before cutting back across. It didn’t get any better for Hibbert. When Fellaini’s tackle looped off Malouda, he was caught on his heels, with Cole sprinting in behind him. The Chelsea full-back was wild with his attempt to finish, though. Moyes feared Fellaini would get sent off and replaced him with Lars Jacobsen at half-time. It was from excellent work by Leighton Baines that