Chelsea 2-0 Middlesbrough (1997-98 League Cup Final)

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1998 Coca Cola Cup Final
0Scoreline	Chelsea 2-0 Middlesbrough
0Date	29th March 1998
0Competition	League Cup
0Referee	Peter Jones
0Stadium	Wembley Stadium
0Attendance	77,698

The 1998 League Cup Final between Chelsea and Middlesbrough took place on 29 March 1998 at Wembley Stadium. It was Chelsea's third appearance in the final and their second victory. Chelsea won 2-0 after the match had gone into extra time. It was Middlesbrough's second consecutive defeat in the final, and both sides had met in the previous season's FA Cup Final, which Chelsea won by the same scoreline. In all this was the third occasion upon which Chelsea had defeated Middlesbrough in a Wembley cup final, the sides having also met in the 1990 Full Members Cup Final.

This would be the first of two major trophies for Chelsea during the 1997-98 season, the Blues going on to win the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup later in the campaign.

Contents 1 Match review 2 Match details 3 Road to the Final 4 Images

Match review

In a tight game of few chances, both teams were restricted to shots from distance before the match went into extra time. Chelsea then took control of the game, and 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; the Italian coming back to haunt Boro after also scoring in the 1997 FA Cup Final.

Match details

29 March 1998 15.00	Chelsea	2 - 0	Middlesbrough	Venue: Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 77,698 Referee: Peter Jones
	Sinclair 95' Di Matteo 107'	aet

CHELSEA: GK 1 Ed de Goey RWB 2 Dan Petrescu 75' CB 5 Frank Leboeuf CB 12 Michael Duberry CB 20 Frank Sinclair LWB 14 Graeme Le Saux CM 16 Roberto Di Matteo CM 11 Dennis Wise (c) CM 24 Eddie Newton CF 25 Gianfranco Zola CF 10 Mark Hughes 83' Substitutes: GK 13 Kevin Hitchcock DF 6 Steve Clarke 75' CF 19 Tore André Flo 83' Manager: Gianluca Vialli

MIDDLESBROUGH: GK 1 Mark Schwarzer RB 18 Gianluca Festa CB 5 Nigel Pearson CB 4 Steve Vickers LB 17 Vladimír Kinder MF 7 Robbie Mustoe MF 10 Paul Merson MF 15 Neil Maddison 102' MF 14 Andy Townsend CF 19 Hamilton Ricard 65' CF 9 Marco Branca Substitutes: DF 2 Curtis Fleming MF 8 Paul Gascoigne 65' CF 12 Mikkel Beck 102' Manager: Bryan Robson

Road to the Final

Season	Day	D	M	Year	Round	Opposition	Venue	Result	Score	Additional information
1997-98	Wed	15	Oct	1997	3rd Round	Blackburn Rovers	Home	Won	1-1*	*Chelsea won 4-1 on penalties
1997-98	Wed	19	Nov	1997	4th Round	Southampton	Home	Won	2-1
1997-98	Wed	7	Jan	1998	5th Round	Ipswich Town	Away	Won	2-2*	*Chelsea won 4-1 on penalties
1997-98	Wed	28	Jan	1998	Semi Final 1st Leg	Arsenal	Away	Lost	1-2
1997-98	Wed	18	Feb	1998	Semi Final 2nd Leg	Arsenal	Home	Won	3-1	(4-3 aggregate)

Images

Match ticket

Match programme

Di Matteo scores the second goal

Sinclair, Wise and Di Matteo with the trophy

League Cup

Seasons:01960–61 • 1961–62 • 1962–63 • 1963–64 • 1964–65 • 1965–66 • 1966–67 • 1967–68 • 1968–69 • 1969–70 • 1970–71 • 1971–72 • 1972–73 • 1973–74 • 1974–75 • 1975–76 • 1976–77 • 1977–78 • 1978–79 • 1979–80 • 1980–81 • 1981–82 • 1982–83 • 1983–84 • 1984–85 • 1985–86 • 1986–87 • 1987–88 • 1988–89 • 1989–90 • 1990–91 • 1991–92 • 1992–93 • 1993–94 • 1994–95 • 1995–96 • 1996–97 • 1997–98 • 1998–99 • 1999–00 • 2000–01 • 2001–02 • 2002–03 • 2003–04 • 2004–05 • 2005–06 • 2006–07 • 2007–08 • 2008–09 • 2009–10 • 2010–11 • 2011–12 • 2012–13 • 2013–14 • 2014–15 • 2015–16 • 2016–17 • 2017–18 • 2018–19 • 2019–20 • 2020-21

Finals: 1965 (1st leg • 2nd leg) • 1972 • 1998 • 2005 • 2007 • 2008 • 2015

1997-98 season

Premier League:

Coventry (A) • Barnsley (A) • Wimbledon (A) • Southampton (H) • Crystal Palace (A) • Arsenal (H) • Man Utd (A) Newcastle (H) • Liverpool (A) • Leicester (H) • Bolton (A) • Aston Villa (A) • West Ham (H) • Blackburn (A) • Everton (H) Derby (H) • Tottenham (A) • Leeds Utd (H) • Sheff Wed (A) • Wimbledon (H) • Southampton (A) • Coventry (H) • Everton (A) Barnsley (H) • Arsenal (A) • Leicester (A) • Man Utd (H) • Aston Villa (H) • Crystal Palace (H) • West Ham (A) • Derby (A) Leeds Utd (A) • Tottenham (H) • Sheff Wed (H) • Liverpool (H) • Blackburn (H) • Newcastle (A) • Bolton (H) •

FA Cup:

3rd round: Man Utd

League Cup:

3rd round: Blackburn | 4th round: Southampton | 5th round: Ipswich | SF: Arsenal: 1st Leg • 2nd Leg | Final: Middlesbrough

Cup Winners' Cup:

1st Round: Slovan Bratislava: 1st Leg • 2nd Leg | 2nd Round: Tromsø: 1st Leg • 2nd Leg | QF: Real Betis: 1st Leg • 2nd Leg SF: Vicenza: 1st Leg • 2nd Leg | Final: Stuttgart