43 seconds: the Di Matteo strike that opened a new era

Half the crowd had barely found their seats. Saturday 17 May 1997, the FA Cup final at Wembley, Chelsea v Middlesbrough. Dennis Wise gives the ball to Roberto Di Matteo in his own half. The Italian looks up and sees something remarkable: nobody is coming to close him down. He keeps going, the defenders keep backing off — and from around 30 yards out (the club's estimate) he lets fly.

Up, down, in

The ball climbs, clears goalkeeper Ben Roberts and dips into the net. 43 seconds have gone. Di Matteo races down the touchline, leaving his team-mates trailing. Afterwards he explained it with typical calm: he thought maybe he'd shoot, so he did — and the ball, as he put it, went up and then came down behind the keeper.

From there Chelsea were largely in control. Middlesbrough's Fabrizio Ravanelli limped off after 21 minutes, a Gianluca Festa goal was ruled out for offside late in the first half, and on 83 minutes Eddie Newton steered home after a clever flick from Gianfranco Zola. Final score 2–0, in front of 79,160.

The record — with the right small print

Di Matteo's goal was at the time the fastest in an FA Cup final at Wembley, beating the 45-second header by Newcastle's Jackie Milburn in the 1955 final.

Two clarifications, because the small print matters here:

• It was not the fastest FA Cup final goal ever. Before the Wembley era, Aston Villa's Bob Chatt scored after about 30 seconds of the 1895 final.
• The Wembley record lasted 12 years. In the 2009 final at the new Wembley, Everton's Louis Saha scored after 25 seconds — against Chelsea, of all teams. Chelsea came back to win that day 2–1. The fastest FA Cup final goal now belongs to Manchester City's İlkay Gündoğan (2023).

Why it matters

For Chelsea, that strike was far more than a record. It brought the club's second FA Cup (the first came in 1970) and its first major trophy in 26 years. Ruud Gullit's side, with its Italian spine, announced that Chelsea were becoming a team that won things again.

And Di Matteo? Fifteen years later, as manager, he led Chelsea to their first Champions League in Munich. But it all started with 43 seconds of nerve at Wembley.

---

Sources and credit: This story comes from Rick Glanvill, The Chelsea FC Miscellany (The History Press, 2012), paraphrased in our own words. Independently checked against: Chelsea FC – Di Matteo recalls that Wembley goal, Chelsea FC – FA Cup final memories 1997, Wikipedia – 1997 FA Cup final, Wikipedia – 2009 FA Cup final, Newcastle United – Jackie Milburn.