1997 FA Cup Final 1997 FA Cup Final The 1997 FA Cup Final was the 116th final of the FA Cup. It took place on 17 May 1997 at Wembley Stadium and was contested by Chelsea and Middlesbrough, the North East club appearing in its first FA Cup Final. Chelsea won 2–0 to win the FA Cup for the second time, the first having come in 1970. Their Dutch manager, Ruud Gullit, thus became the first foreign or non-white manager to win a major trophy with an English club. It was the first major honour in the career of most Chelsea's player, but for
1871–72 in English football 1871–72 in English football The world's first national-level football competition the Football Association Challenge Cup (now better known as the FA Cup), was played for the first time in 1871–72. As such, this marks 1871-72 as the first 'season' of English football, although the use of the term is an anachronism. Furthermore at that time, with no other football associations operating, the FA Cup attracted entrants from all over the UK; it was not for many years that both the FA and the FA Cup came to be solely English institutions. The first FA Cup final was won 1–0 by