1998 Football League Cup final

Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Short descriptionTemplate:Template other The 1998 Football League Cup Final was a football match played between Chelsea and Middlesbrough on 29 March 1998 at Wembley Stadium. Chelsea, under new manager Gianluca Vialli, won with two extra time goals and won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup later that season. Middlesbrough's second consecutive defeat in the final was followed by promotion back to the Premier League after just one season.

Both teams were restricted to shots from distance. This all changed in extra time when Chelsea took control. 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. Di Matteo had come back to haunt Middlesbrough as he had scored the opening goal when the same sides met in the 1997 FA Cup final the previous season. Once again Chelsea had won 2–0.

Road to Wembley

Chelsea     Round 3: Chelsea 1–1 Blackburn Rovers (Chelsea won 4–1 on penalties) Round 4: Chelsea 2–1 Southampton Quarter-final: Ipswich Town 2–2 Chelsea (Chelsea won 4–1 on penalties) Semi-final, 1st leg: Arsenal 2–1 Chelsea Semi-final, 2nd leg: Chelsea 3–1 Arsenal

Middlesbrough Round 2, 1st leg: Middlesbrough 1–0 Barnet Round 2, 2nd leg: Barnet 0–2 Middlesbrough Round 3: Middlesbrough 2–0 Sunderland   Round 4: Middlesbrough 2–1 Bolton Wanderers a.e.t. Quarter-final: Reading 0–1 Middlesbrough   Semi-final, 1st leg: Liverpool 2–1 Middlesbrough Semi-final, 2nd leg: Middlesbrough 2–0 Liverpool

Match facts

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File:Kit left arm.svg File:Kit body.svg File:Kit right arm.svg File:Kit shorts.svg File:Kit socks long.svg Middlesbrough Template:Preview warningTemplate:Preview warningTemplate:Preview warningTemplate:Preview warningTemplate:Preview warning

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

GK 1 Template:Flagicon Mark Schwarzer RB 2 Template:Flagicon Gianluca Festa CB 4 Template:Flagicon Steve Vickers CB 5 Template:Flagicon Nigel Pearson (c) LB 3 Template:Flagicon Vladimír Kinder RM 10 Template:Flagicon Paul Merson CM 6 Template:Flagicon Robbie Mustoe CM 7 Template:Flagicon Neil Maddison downward-facing red arrow 102' LM 11 Template:Flagicon Andy Townsend Template:Yel CF 8 Template:Flagicon Hamilton Ricard downward-facing red arrow 65' CF 9 Template:Flagicon Marco Branca Substitutes: DF 12 Template:Flagicon Curtis Fleming FW 13 Template:Flagicon Mikkel Beck upward-facing green arrow 102' MF 14 Template:Flagicon Paul Gascoigne Template:Yel upward-facing green arrow 65' Manager: Template:Flagicon Bryan Robson