Thu, 22nd May 2008
There was a feeling Chelsea had been here before - blue shirted-players watching Man United collect a coveted trophy in the pouring rain; excellent supporters leaving a stadium cursing their luck, their team having struck woodwork with the opposition firmly on the back foot.
However in 1994 at Wembley after the FA Cup Final, despite a valiant display, the defeat was a heavy one and in their hearts, Chelsea supporters knew their side back then was some way short.
This time it was different, with only the continuation of a decade-long disappointment in penalty shoot-outs separating the two sides.
Avram Grant's final post-match thoughts of his first Chelsea season reflected that.
'It is very hard to lose on penalties, especially when after the first 30 minutes we dominated the game.
'We hit the post, we hit the bar, we had many more shots than them and even in the shoot-out, we came to the last penalty and it was in our legs,' Grant said, using his own appropriate twist on the standard 'in our hands'.
Sadly and with much misfortune, John Terry slipped on the sodden surface on making contact with the potentially decisive kick.
So the sudden death began, to be ended by a save from NicolasAnelka. Terry's distress at the outcome was there for all to see.
'John didn't say anything afterwards. He was very sad, he cried, but he is the main reason we were here in this Final,' insisted the Chelsea manager.
'It was not a normal season. We had many problems at the beginning and he took responsibility, as he did today to take the last penalty - but unfortunately it has happened.
'But John is still a great player and a great captain - and he was fantastic again today, the reason why they didn't create many chances.'
Grant also had words for Anelka.
'Nicolas was good for us this season when we needed him most - and with penalties, even Ronaldo who is Man United's best penalty taker missed.'
One connection between now and 1994 is coach Steve Clarke, a Chelsea player that day at Wembley. Another is the Manchester United manager.
Alex Ferguson in his moment of triumph took time to commend the work of Avram Grant.
'When he came to Chelsea from Portsmouth, I think that was to help José Mourinho. I don't think they foresaw that José was going to leave as suddenly as he did.
'When a manager with success leaves a club suddenly, he takes the loyalty of certain players, and Avram has had to overcome that and that is not easy.
'The remarkable job is he has maintained a consistency equal to José Mourinho.
'In the first half we were fanatastic and could have been 3-0 up,' said Ferguson, moving onto the game.
'Chelsea got a lucky break just before half-time, and I felt that gave them an impetus for the second-half. They had more power than us and I was quite glad to get to extra time but I thought in extra time we were the better team.
'John Terry's slip with the penalty let us back in and after that I thought we'd win it.
'There were two well-balanced teams and it was always going to be tight.'
Ferguson exchanged brief words with Grant after the whistle, shortly before the Chelsea boss spoke to all his players in a huddle.
'He said to me afterwards that there are no easy things to say,' Grant revealed. 'I want to congratulate him, he is a great manager.
'I am very proud with the way we played the Final. The spirit of the team was great, the quality was good.
'All the season, what we have done together, we can be very proud - but because we don't have another game now, it will take a long time to get over the pain.'
