THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION has confirmed that the FA Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea will kick off at 5.15pm on Saturday, May 5th.
The final will be the first to be played under floodlights since the 1993 replay between Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday, and this is also the first time the game has been moved away from its traditional 3pm kick-off time since Wembley reopened its doors in 2007.
Liverpool booked their place in the final with a 2-1 win over local rivals Everton on Saturday, with Chelsea’s 5-1 demolition of Tottenham securing their passage on Sunday.
The FA were criticised by Blues manager Roberto Di Matteo for scheduling Sunday’s game for a 6pm kick-off, seeing as Chelsea are facing Barcelona for a place in the Champions League final on Wednesday.
This will be the first time that Liverpool and Chelsea will have met in the FA Cup Final, despite the fact that the two sides have a combined 43 semi-final appearances between them.
Liverpool last won the FA Cup in 2006, when they beat West Ham in the final at the Millennium Stadium, while Chelsea have won the competition three times since its return to Wembley – in 2007, 2008 and 2010.
