1997 FA Cup final
The 1997 FA Cup final was the 116th final of the FA Cup. It took place on 17 May 1997 at Wembley Stadium and was contested by Chelsea and Middlesbrough, the North East club appearing in its first FA Cup Final.
Match programme | |||||||
| Event | 1996–97 FA Cup | ||||||
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| Date | 17 May 1997 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Roberto Di Matteo | ||||||
| Referee | Stephen Lodge (South Yorkshire) | ||||||
| Attendance | 79,160 | ||||||
Chelsea won 2–0 to win the FA Cup for the second time, the first having come in 1970. It was also the club's first major trophy in 26 years.
It was the first major honour in the career of most Chelsea's players, but for Mark Hughes, it was the fourth time that he had featured in an FA Cup winning side (having played on the winning Manchester United teams of 1985, 1990 and 1994). For Middlesbrough, it was a second final defeat of the 1996–97 season (having lost the League Cup Final to Leicester City the previous month), to go with their controversial relegation from the Premier League.