News--Squad--Results--Fixtures--Opinion--Standings--Links--Club Info
Reek of the Week--Guestbook--Multimedia--Noarlunga United--Interview
 

Match Report

Wembly Woes

                 Newcastle United                        1
                                         Lee '66

                                     Chelsea                                    2
                                          Poyet '16, '70

                                            GUSTAVO POYET left the Toon Army doubled up in Wembley
                                            agony for the third season in a row as he struck a pair of
                                            killer blows to put Chelsea through to their sixth FA Cup
                                           Final.

                                           Poyet's two goals keep boss Gianluca Vialli's multi-national
                                           heroes still fighting on three fronts for glory this season. The
                                           powerful Uruguayan, left out of Chelsea's Champions
                                           League spectacular against Barcelona on Wednesday and
                                           one of five changes at Wembley in Vialli's ever-rolling
                                           rotation system, chipped a sparkling 16th minute opener.

                                           Then, after the rare but splendidly deserved event of a Rob
                                           Lee equaliser midway through the second half, notched the
                                           winner with a towering header. It was the Uruguay star's 15th
                                           goal of the campaign and just enough to edge Chelsea
                                           home in a genuine thriller.

                                           But you had to feel for Bobby Robson's battling Magpies and
                                           their marvellous fans. They tried all they could to give
                                           themselves another crack at Cup Final glory next month
                                           after dismal defeats by Double-winning Arsenal and
                                           Manchester United in the last two years. And for long spells,
                                           their belligerent, lung-bursting style was more than a match
                                           for Chelsea's more sophisticated technique.

                                           Alan Shearer, to whom Wembley has been such a citadel in
                                           an England shirt but without reward now in six appearances
                                           for his club, was left with that sinking feeling again - but how
                                           he battled to try to turn it around. It was his magnificent
                                           cross which gave Lee, the man humiliated by former
                                           Newcastle boss Ruud Gullit - who would not even award him a
                                           squad number at the start of the season - the chance to
                                           score his first goal nearly two years and tie up the match with
                                           24 minutes to go.

                                           And if Poyet's equally memorable winner - just six minutes
                                           later - had not arrived so soon afterwards it was perfectly
                                           possible to envisage Robson's resurgent side sweeping
                                           home.

                                           Right to the death they kept coming and in stoppage time,
                                           Chelsea's wonderful goalkeeper Ed de Goey had to stretch
                                          out a leg to deny Kieron Dyer's low drive. But in the end it
                                           was yet another Blue Day for both these sides who produced
                                           a vibrant contest, containing bags of combative muscle as
                                           well as skill yet only one booking, for Didier Deschamps, to
                                           shame last week's turgid semi-final between Aston Villa and
                                           Bolton.

                                           On this evidence, Chelsea will be firm favourites to turn over
                                           John Gregory's Midlands side back at Wembley next month,
                                           but the neutrals in the 73,876 crowd would not have minded
                                           the Magpies having the chance instead. Typical semi-final
                                           nerves surfaced in the opening minutes with Deschamps
                                           giving the ball away for Speed to test de Goey's solidarity
                                            from 25 yards and then Lee being caught in possession
                                           deep in his own half by George Weah.

                                           The Liberian burst through on a return ball from Chris Sutton
                                           and when he slipped the ball through Given's legs Newcastle
                                           were relieved to see an offside flag raised.
                                           But although Newcastle then took a grip and Nolberto Solano
                                           had to be denied by desperate tackles as he twice cut
                                           menacingly into the Chelsea box, Vialli's men collected
                                           themselves again to make the breakthrough 10 minutes
                                           later.

                                           Street-wise skipper Dennis Wise's quick free-kick, after
                                           Shearer fouled him, found Poyet who laid off smartly to
                                           Weah and continued his run into the box where he superbly
                                           clipped the return ball over Shay Given's head and into the
                                           top corner.

                                           It was a stunning blow for Newcastle who had produced more
                                           early energy than in the entirety of their two previous
                                           humiliating Wembley visits. And although they lost one half
                                           of their fearsome aerial force when the much-injured Duncan
                                           Ferguson again had to call it a day - this time with seven
                                           minutes of the first half still to go - they kept winning the
                                           midfield possession and plugging their direct route towards
                                           the indefatigable Shearer.

                                           Sutton, who with Weah dropped back dutifully to help repel
                                           the missiles that were being launched into Chelsea's box,
                                           splendidly robbed Shearer, his old Blackburn team-mate,
                                           when the England captain looked as if he was about to score.
                                           And Frank Leboeuf made a marvellous intervention when
                                           Solano again skipped past Jon Harley down Chelsea's left.

                                           But it was the nippy little Peruvian who wasted a golden
                                           equalising chance in the 42nd minute after Shearer, with his
                                           chest, again executed the perfect set-up from substitute
                                           Didier Domi's long ball in. With time and space to spare
                                           Solano half-volleyed wildly over the bar from 14 yards.

                                           But Newcastle had found enough encouragement to pick up
                                           the pace again at the start of the second half when de Goey
                                           performed wonders keeping out a thundering half-volley
                                           from the industrious Dyer after Shearer got his head to
                                           Warren Barton's cross. Then the Dutch keeper plunged
                                            fearlessly at the feet Nikos Dabizas when the Greek
                                           centre-back tried to score at the second attempt even
                                           though it was later confirmed that Gary Speed's initial
                                           through ball had found him marginally offside.

                                           But even de Goey was powerless to prevent Lee's magic
                                           moment in the 66th minute, with Shearer again the architect.
                                           The England captain turned himself into a winger, skipping
                                           past Leboeuf from Barton's pass down the right and putting
                                           over a magnificent cross for Lee, arriving late, to bullet
                                           home with a thrust of his neck muscles, his first goal since
                                           May 1998 - against Chelsea.

                                           Vialli had taken off £10million Sutton at half-time and
                                           replaced him with Tore Andre Flo, the midweek two-goal hero
                                           against Barcelona, but the Norwegian was not in position to
                                           stop Lee's thunderbolt.

                                           But parity lasted just six minutes before Poyet completed his
                                           double with a header just as impressive, looping it beyond
                                           Given's despairing reach after Harley, given space by Weah's
                                           inviting knock-back, chipped the ball into the area.

                                           And Chelsea had enough experience and guile not to let a
                                           precious advantage slip for a second time.
 

                                           TEAMS

                                           Newcastle: Given, Barton, Hughes, Howey, Dabizas, Solano,
                                           Speed, Lee, Dyer, Shearer, Ferguson. Subs: Domi, Goma,
                                           Gavilan, Ketsbaia, Harper.

                                           Chelsea: De Goey, Ferrer, Leboeuf, Desailly, Harley, Di
                                           Matteo, Deschamps, Wise, Poyet, Sutton, Weah. Subs:
                                           Petrescu, Hogh, Zola, Flo, Cudicini.

                                           Referee: D Gallagher (Banbury)