The occasion apart, the first FA Cup final at the new Wembley will not linger long in the memory of the vast majority of its global audience, but for Chelsea aesthetic considerations are of secondary importance to their completion of a knockout double and their delight in denying United the classic League and Cup one. Undistinguished and unremarkable over 90 minutes, the final only took off in extra-time, when Ryan Giggs had a goal correctly disallowed for a foul on Petr Cech, and Didier Drogba won it for Chelsea by lifting the ball expertly over Edwin van der Sar after a neat exchange of passes with Frank Lampard.

The big Ivorian was a worthy match-winner, the goal his 33rd of a season in which he has carried the Chelsea attack. Jose Mourinho being the bizarre extrovert he is, he raced straight down the tunnel at the final whistle, Drogba having to chase after him to bring him back. The Chelsea manager does like to be noticed.

The final was anything but a classic and was always going to be settled by whoever scored first. The parade of legends was the highlight of the endless preliminaries, the hype and hullaballoo of which was reminiscent of the American Super Bowl. By the time Prince William declared the stadium open (wasn’t it for that under21 game?) and opera’s Lesley Garrett and Russell Watson had let rip, those of us who had come for the football found it something of a relief when the final got under way.

After so much hot air from Mourinho about his injuries the Chelsea team had a familiarly formidable look about it. The only absentee of major significance was the central defender Ricardo Carvaldo. Ashley Cole was not fit enough to start, but his stand-in was another England left-back, Wayne Bridge. Also at left-back, United preferred Gabriel Heinze to Patrice Evra, whose comparative lack of stature was deemed a potential weakness against opponents blessed with the biggest, most powerful striker in the game.

The two other positions in question saw Wes Brown preferred to John O’Shea at right-back and Darren Fletcher to Alan Smith in midfield. United deployed in a continental-style 4-2-3-1 formation, with Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes shielding the back four, Fletcher and Cristiano Ronaldo to the right and left respectively, and Ryan Giggs floating behind the solitary striker, Wayne Rooney. Such a system depends on the two wide men getting a regular supply of the ball, but for a long time that didn’t happen.

Chelsea looked to Shaun Wright-Phillips and Joe Cole to provide the service to Drogba from the flanks. That didn’t happen, either, and not for the first time this season, the Ivorian was left unaided to challenge for hit-and-hope long balls against two centre-halves.

To the surprise of nobody bar those romantic optimists who still travel in expectation, it was the cagiest of first halves, with assiduous marking taking priority over spontaneity. The first opening of consequence came in the 15th minute, when Michael Essien’s careless concession of possession in midfield let in Rooney, who shot narrowly wide from the 18-yard line before the referee’s assistant flagged him offside. More meaningful was Drogba’s self-made chance midway through the first half, when his bristling 25-yarder was tantalisingly wide of Van der Sar’s right-hand post.

With half an hour gone, Paulo Ferreira’s surge on the right created a half-chance for Lampard, but the angle was tight and the shot, from seven yards, easily saved. For United, a lovely long pass from Scholes found Ronaldo, but again time and space was at a premium, and the shot hurried, and wide. Lampard, set up by Bridge’s pass inside, was just over from distance, then Bridge did his duty at the other end, making a vital last ditch-clearance from Carrick. John Terry was called upon in similar fashion when Ronaldo outpaced Ferreria before crossing from the left, but it was all too predictable and prosaic.

Chelsea sent on one allegedly half-fit winger, Arjen Robben, in place of another, Joe Cole, for the second half, and the Dutchman looked anything but a convalescent. Brown, struggling to cope, ought to have been booked for going over the top on his tormentor after 67 minutes.

United made a tactical adjustment of their own, switching Giggs to his preferred station, on the left wing, moving Ronaldo to the right and withdrawing Fletcher into a conventional centre midfield slot. The reshuffle produced encouraging signs of improvement when Rooney fastened on to Claude Makelele’s misplaced pass and made good ground before letting fly with a rasping 25-yarder that Cech could only beat out. Giggs was first to the loose ball, but the keeper was quickly back on his feet to complete a notable double save.

The best chance of the match came in the 57th minute, when Scholes picked out Giggs, only for the United captain to blaze over from seven yards. By way of reply, Drogba struck the base of Van der Sar’s left-hand post with a 25-yard free-kick. It had opened up at long last, and Rooney went past Essien and evaded Terry on a run deep into the penalty area that was halted by Cech’s well timed advance.

Giggs, through on the left and looking to find Rooney, was dispossessed by Essien’s top-notch tackle, and in the last minute of normal time, the Ghanaian did it again after Rooney had muscled his way past Ferreira near the byline. Nemanja Vidic similarly distinguished himself, nudging the ball away from Drogba in front of goal.

And so to extra-time. Thirteen minutes into the added period United thought they had won it when Rooney’s centre from the right was met by Cech and Giggs together at point-blank range. The keeper, sprawling, collected the ball, but was then forced over the line by the United captain’s challenge. The ball did cross the line, but no goal was clearly the correct decision. Rooney, chasing a long ball from Rio Ferdinand, got in behind the Chelsea defence, but was thwarted in the act of shooting by another reminder of Cech’s expertise.

Salomon Kalou could have won it for Chelsea with a curling shot, just before Drogba did so, beating Van der Sar to the ball and touching it home after a defence-splitting exchange with Lampard.

It’s Chelsea again

- Chelsea were the last side to win an FA Cup fi nal at Wembley, Roberto Di Matteo scoring against Aston Villa

- Chelsea become the third side to do the domestic cup double after Arsenal (1993) and Liverpool (2001)

- The FA Cup completed Jose Mourinho’s tally of domestic trophies

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