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Last Result

Chelsea fans hailed John Terry the Cockney hero and goalscorer as we reached our fourth FA Cup final in eight years with a committed but rarely controlled performance. Arsenal’s win today and top five finish also guarantees European football at the Bridge next season.

If possession was nine-tenths of the law in football, Fulham’s notoriously litigious chairman would already have sued the opposition for points to stave off relegation. Today presented the same case: plenty of good passing, not enough penetration. And in a second half which offered them tantalising chances, they lacked a match-winning ‘fox in the box’ – to quote another Frenchman who we will face in the Final.

JT added to his collection of cup-tie winners, having done for West Ham earlier in this campaign. Putting his off-field troubles behind him, he showed what the England camp will miss this summer with a towering performance in defence. On the downside, the returning Graeme Le Saux was stretchered off after a few minutes.

Ferrer quickly slotted in at left-back. Luckily Fulham didn’t have a winger like Blackburn’s midweek tormentor Gillespie; Legwinski was asked to push up on him though. In a measure of his commitment to the cause, Berge emerged 20 minutes later on crutches to take his place on the bench.

Symbolically, the Doug Ellis stand was three-quarters empty of Fulham fans as the club had sent 4,000 tickets back, making a mockery of the FA’s decision to stage the tie here for reasons of space and fairness. 36,147 were here. Highbury holds 38,000.

As expected this was a tight West London with the pride of SW6 at stake. Fulham looked the more nervous and Jepser Gronkjaer bore down regularly on Rufus Brevett without initially making enough of the positions he found himself in..

Despite the surprising tactic of launching the ball long, Fulham’s brightest moments were coming from Chelsea mistakes: Gronkjaer caught in possession in the middle, bailed out by a chasing and covering John Terry; Mario Melchiot’s forays forward breaking down. Only Legwinski’s weaving run led to a clear chance just before the half hour brought a clear chance. Carlo palmed away superbly.

And it was Chelsea who carved out the best opportunities, with Eidur, Jesper and Mario Stanic, full of the tricks he last displayed against Leeds, using the Villa Park width (there had to be something positive about coming up here) to fine effect.

Van der Sar, although alert to any ball slipped behind his pedestrian centre halves, always looked unhappy on crosses and Jimmy’s inswinging corners. One flapped effort eventually fell to JT, luring on the corner of the six yard area. It may not have been Van Basten but his right-foot volley showed great technique and the Dutchman had to save well.

Another excellent deep ball eluded the Fulham keeper and Mario Stanic’s smart header back across the goal was not converted.

The goal came ten minutes before half-time from a corner won by Stanic with a brilliant turn and run past two defenders.

After the break Chelsea began accident prone and unable to pass to a blue shirt, and only fitfully shook themselves out of that mood. Fulham gained in confidence and began to probe. Soon some good footwork from Collins led to a Malbranque shot. He should have done better than firing over from ten yards.

Then a long Davis ball was controlled and struck on the turn by Marlet. But the excellent Marcel was with him all the way. Nevertheless this was good Fulham pressure. Chelsea were content to defend deep and let time roll by.

The game changed just past the hour with the substitution of Collins for Boa Morte, a runner, not a playmaker. With Fulham pressing Jesper and Eidur found space on the break again, the Dane setting up Manu Petit who missed poorly with his right foot with Fulham split.

An audacious arrowed shot from Eidur left Van der Sar gawping and struck the post. Jesper and Eidur both went close again, the Icelander guilty of two uncharacteristic mis-hits with the goal at his mercy.

The energetic Bolo Zenden replaced a tiring Stanic, who had taken a knock. Slavisa Jokanovic relieved Jimmy, who’d battled to little effect. Chelsea closed up but had no measure of control. Terry and Marcel, though, were fearless and fantastic.
And Carlo was twice called on to gather neatly at Fulham strikers’ feet. Hayles was brought on for Legwinski as Jean Tigana rolled his last dice.

It was to no avail. Referee Graham Poll’s whistle brought a by now familiar sound: the tumult of Chelsea fans celebrating a cup final appearance.

Arsenal await. It will take a better performance than this to win that one.