2010 FA Cup final

Background

Up to the 2010 final, Chelsea had reached the FA Cup Final nine times, winning five of them, while Portsmouth had won two of their four finals. Portsmouth were the latest side to reach the final of the FA Cup in the same season as being relegated from Premier League; the last team to do the same was Middlesbrough in 1997 who, coincidentally, were also beaten by Chelsea.

Chelsea won both of the games between the two sides in the 2009–10 Premier League, winning 2–1 at Stamford Bridge and 5–0 at Fratton Park. Chelsea and Portsmouth had been drawn together in the FA Cup twice before, each winning one tie; their first FA Cup encounter came in the Fifth Round in 1928–29, when Portsmouth won 1–0 in a replay at Fratton Park after they had drawn 1–1 at Stamford Bridge; Portsmouth went on to reach the final. Their next meeting was 68 years later, in the Sixth Round of the 1996–97 competition; Chelsea won the match 4–1 and went on to win the trophy.

Because Chelsea won the 2009–10 Premier League, and Portsmouth's appeal for a UEFA licence was rejected by the FA, their 2010–11 UEFA Europa League berth went to the team that finished in seventh place in the league, Liverpool.

Route to the final

[PL] = Premier League, [C] = Championship, [L1] = League One

Pre-match

Match ball

The match ball for the 2010 FA Cup Final was the Umbro NeoPro. The ball has an irregular 14-panel configuration, and the panels are cut using lasers, which Umbro claim cause the ball to have a smoother flight through the air. The ball will be used for all matches in the 2010–11 FA Cup from the Second Round onwards.

Officials

Merseyside-based referee Chris Foy was named as the referee for the 2010 FA Cup Final on 13 April 2010. Foy's previous assignments as the primary referee at Wembley Stadium included the 2007 FA Trophy Final and the 2009 FA Community Shield. He was also the fourth official for the 2008 FA Cup Final.

His assistants for the 2010 final were John Flynn, representing the Royal Air Force Football Association, Shaun Procter-Green of the Lincolnshire Football Association, with Andre Marriner of the Birmingham County Football Association as the fourth official. The reserve match official was the Northamptonshire Football Association's Stuart Burt.

Kits

Since both sides' first-choice kits are blue, the toss of a coin was used to decide which team had choice of kit. Chelsea won the toss and wore their new blue home kit, while Portsmouth wore a new white change kit with burgundy and salmon pink trim.

Opening ceremony

Throughout the 2009–10 FA Cup season, the Football Association took the FA Cup trophy on a nationwide tour covering 30 venues. The tour began at AFC Bournemouth's Dean Court stadium on 12 November 2009 and culminated at Trafalgar Square on 13 May 2010, two days before the final. At the events, fans were able to have photos taken with the trophy as well as take part in other interactive activities.

Immediately before the match kicked off, there was a short opening ceremony in which the traditional FA Cup anthem, Abide with Me, was sung by 14-year-old Faryl Smith. The trophy was then placed on a plinth at the mouth of the players' tunnel before the players emerged and lined up along a red carpet. The players were then introduced to the final's chief guest and the official party, after which the national anthem was sung.

Match

Details

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Statistics

Source: BBC Sport

Reactions

Criticism of pitch

The much-maligned Wembley pitch came in for criticism from Chelsea captain John Terry following the match. He said, "The pitch ruined the final. It's probably the worst pitch we've played on all year. It was not good enough for a Wembley pitch."

References

References

1. (13 April 2010). "FA Cup Final for Foy". The Football Association.
2. "FA Cup Round Dates". The Football Association.
3. Deans, Jason. (15 May 2010). "TV ratings: FA Cup final nets 5.6m viewers". Guardian News and Media.
4. Bandini, Nicky. (18 April 2010). "Portsmouth v Aston Villa – as it happened". Guardian News and Media.
5. Barber, David. (12 April 2010). "One win apiece". The Football Association.
6. (22 April 2010). "Portsmouth Europa League appeal rejected by FA". British Broadcasting Corporation.
7. (10 May 2010). "A True Story: The Neo Ball". Umbro.
8. (15 April 2010). "Blue is the Colour". Chelsea FC.
9. "New Kappa Kit For Wembley". Portsmouth FC.
10. (10 May 2010). "Trafalgar Square to welcome The FA Cup". The Football Association.
11. (11 May 2010). "The FA Cup Final". The Football Association.
12. McNulty, Phil. (15 May 2010). "Chelsea; FA Cup Winners 2010". British Broadcasting Corporation.
13. (15 May 2010). "John Terry: Wembley pitch ruined the final". Times Newspapers.