He turned, passed the ball to Frank Lampard and bounced onwards to collect the midfielder's excellent return ball. With Rio Ferdinand in no man's land, and Edwin Van Der Sar somewhere similar, Drogba flicked the ball over the United keeper and into the net to win the FA Cup for Chelsea. The Chelsea supporters behind his goal went wild went delight. There was no way back for United.

The reason you'd feel sorry for Alex Ferguson's side is because they had much the better of the game, particularly in the second-half when Wayne Rooney was on fire.

But despite playing the more entertaining football and deserving a shot at penalties, Chelsea discipline kept them in touch, allowing Jose Mourinho's side to win their very own double, even if it was of the yellow pack variety. Their celebrations afterwards, though, belied that sentiment.

The police advice was to get to Wembley early but there was never any worry of anybody doing anything but on the day that the FA Cup returned to North London.

Everybody seemed in awe of the new stadium, it's the kind of that just dregs up quite irrational emotions in people. The fact that it took �750 million and a good six-and-half years to build might account for some of the wonder, but there's a little more to it than that.

Skinner and Baddiel wrote a song about it a few years back, but this really was football coming home.

It's the little things make this place, and indeed this occasion, stand apart. Before the game, key participants from Wembley's FA Cup finals of the past were paraded in front of the 90,000 or so at the stadium. The oldies, often from the great, and not so great, rivals of either of yesterday's teams, were treated to a reasonably dignified round of applause. It wouldn't happen anywhere else.

Or the scene from midday onwards on Wembley Way, where Chelsea and United fans mingled good naturedly until kick-off. When one visits the other's ground during the season they need the help of an SAS unit to get them in and out in one piece. The only thing irking both supporters was the price of items inside the stadium. Five pounds ( 7.50) for a burger, �4.50 for a pint ( 6.75) and �10 ( 15) for a programme is enough to test anyone's manners.

After the first half an hour they'd have had cause to complain about the ticket prices, too. Both sides took testing each other out to the limit. If this was FA Cup final foreplay, it was certainly of the tantric variety as Chelsea packed the midfield area to suffocation point, rendering the roving United menaces of Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo almost impotent. There wasn't a tackle of any note until Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes got down and dirty on 13 minutes and the first shot that could be classified as anyway threatening, a Didier Drogba effort from a good 35 yards, flew a few yards further wide of Edwin Van Der Sar's righthand post than most thought on first viewing. Admittedly, things did open up a little from there but only marginally so.

The odd thing about it all was that Chelsea, by far the more defensively orientated side of the two, created by far the better opportunities.

Lampard had two shots on goal, one saved easily by Van Der Sar, the other dipping viciously over from long-range, while Shaun Wright-Phillips also struck an effort just over.

All United could offer was a shot on the turn by Ronaldo on 35 minutes that didn't bother Petr Cech one bit. It summed up their timid first-half effort and if they were given the famous Alex Ferguson hairdryer treatment at half-time, Rooney was the player who took it most serious.

Straight after the break he rasped a shot from outside the box that Petr Cech batted away impressively, and minutes later a 60-yard run from inside his own half was just halted by a last-ditch Chelsea challenge. When he tried the same kind of mazy dribble from an outside-left position soon after, Cech had to pounce at the striker's feet to deny him. The game had now swung United's way and Scholes teed up Giggs with a sumptuous cross-field ball.

The winger, though, volleyed over from eight yards.

That was as good as it got in terms of second-half entertainment as both teams tensed up a little as the clock ticked onwards and for the third time in as many years, the Cup Final headed into extra-time. Giggs might have won it for United in the first period of extra-time had he either tapped Rooney's excellent cross in from two yards out, or, had referee Steve Bennett spotted that the ball was carried over the line by Cech after he saved at the winger's feet. Kalou could have done similar for Chelsea had he put a bit more bend on his 113th minute shot but Drogba then did the business and the Cup was Chelsea's.