1998 Football League Cup Final

1998 Football League Cup Final
Event 1997–98 Football League Cup
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

29 March 1998
15:00
Chelsea 2–0
(a.e.t.)
Middlesbrough
Sinclair  95'
Di Matteo  107'
Report
Wembley Stadium, London
Attendance: 77,698
Referee: Peter Jones (Leicestershire)
Chelsea
Middlesbrough
GK 1 Netherlands Ed de Goey
RWB2 Romania Dan Petrescu  75'
CB 5 France Frank Leboeuf
CB 12England Michael Duberry
CB 20Jamaica Frank Sinclair
LWB14England Graeme Le Saux
CM 16Italy Roberto Di Matteo
CM 11England Dennis Wise
CM 24England Eddie Newton
CF 25Italy Gianfranco Zola
CF 10Wales Mark Hughes  83'
Substitutes:
GK 13England Kevin Hitchcock
DF 6 Scotland Steve Clarke  75'
FW 19Norway Tore André Flo  83'
Manager:
Italy Gianluca Vialli
GK 1 Australia Mark Schwarzer
RB 2 Italy Gianluca Festa
CB 4 England Steve Vickers
CB 5 England Nigel Pearson
LB 3 Slovakia Vladimír Kinder
RM 10England Paul Merson
CM 6 England Robbie Mustoe
CM 7 England Neil Maddison  102'
LM 11England Andy Townsend
CF 8 Colombia Hamilton Ricard  65'
CF 9 Italy Marco Branca
Substitutes:
DF 12England Curtis Fleming
FW 13Denmark Mikkel Beck  102'
MF 14England Paul Gascoigne  65'
Manager:
England Bryan Robson
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