Hiddink Leaves On A High

Guus Hiddink finished his stint as Chelsea's temporary manager with an excellent victory over Everton in the FA Cup Final, where a Chelsea team full of class and experience dealt with the big-game situation better than an Everton side that lacked ideas on a warm day in London.

I must say that like many neutrals, I was gutted that Everton were not victorious, and they were given the perfect start after 25 seconds when Louis Saha's exquisite shot found the back of the net to provide Everton with a 1-0 lead and the record of the quickest goal in an FA Cup final...ever.

One must pay respect to Guus Hiddink's side in the resilience that they showed in coming back to equalise through a powerful header from the effervescent Didier Drogba before the half-hour mark. Everton's attacking influence was nullified by a combination of the strong Chelsea midfield and the weather conditions which made it extremely dificult for the two sides to play at a high-tempo.

Chelsea were always on top in the match and Everton never really got going, and so Chelsea's second goal, that came courtesy of Frank Lampard, came as no real surprise.
Lampard finished with aplomb but Tim Howard will probably be a bit annoyed with himself that he failed to get a better touch on the shot to tip the ball beyond the far post. Florent Malouda's blast looked to have crossed the line but you can't blame the assistant for not awarding the goal, because you can never be sure with those kind of shots.

Louis Saha had one final chance to take the game to extra time with a header but as the ball went north of the goal, Everton's chances of victory went south. Chelsea ran out winners and Everton can have no complaints.
David Moyes put on a brave face after the game but it was obvious that he, like many of the playing squad, were simply gutted at the result.
For Chelsea, the victory was all the more sweeter as it was the first victory since the enigmatic Jose Mourinho left the club for good, and the players dedicated the victory to the exiting manager Hiddink, who has been praised constantly throughout the season for his professional approach.

Everton missed out on their big chance to get their first piece of silverware, but something tells me that with David Moyes in charge, they will get a fair few more chances in the future.