page_title: 2012 FA Cup Final
section_title: Post-match
hierarchical_section_title: 2012 FA Cup Final / Post-match
caption_attribution_description: English: Roberto Di Matteo, Stamford Bridge, Chelsea September 2012
context_page_description: The 2012 FA Cup Final was a football match between Chelsea and Liverpool on 5 May 2012. It was the final match of the 2011–12 FA Cup, the 131st season of the world's oldest football knockout competition, the FA Cup. Chelsea were participating in their eleventh final, they had previously won six and lost four. Liverpool were appearing in their fourteenth final, they had won seven times and lost six. Scheduled to provide a clear four-week period between the end of the English season and the start of UEFA Euro 2012, the date of the final clashed with Premier League fixtures. To avoid having the final played at the same time as league games, the match kicked off at the later time of 5:15 p.m., rather than the usual 3:00 p.m., by which time the other fixtures had ended.
  As both teams were in the highest tier of English football, the Premier League, they entered the competition in the Third Round. Matches up to the semi-final were contested on a one-off basis, with a replay taking place if the match ended in a draw. Chelsea's matches ranged from comfortable victories to close affairs.
context_section_description: Chelsea's victory meant they won the FA Cup for the seventh time. Caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo was relaxed about his prospects of securing the full-term following their victory: "The boss [ Roman Abramovich ] will make a decision at the end of the season. I'm very relaxed about it and the players will be fine, I am a very fortunate person so it is not an issue." Di Matteo was delighted with his players, as they survived Liverpool's attacks in the final minutes to secure victory: "I am very pleased for the players," said Di Matteo. "We have had a difficult season with a lot of criticism but they have responded to all the adversity we have faced. I'm very pleased and satisfied with our performance today." Chelsea captain John Terry was equally pleased with the performance, but turned his attention to the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final, where they would face Bayern Munich: "It's fantastic, it's what we live for. We've still got a massive trophy, the Champions League - that's the target for the owner from day dot. We've done Robbie the world of good and it can do him no harm."
  Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish was adamant that his players would improve following the defeat: "They've been in two cup finals in this season – they'll have enjoyed the first one more than the second, the lads will benefit from the experience. You can't give a team like Chelsea a two-goal head start." When asked about his future as manager of the club Dalglish stated: "We'll assess the season at the end of the season." Captain Steven Gerrard echoed Dalglish's sentiments: "With the players we have in that dressing room, we could have done better. But we are Liverpool. We will bounce back. We will strengthen in the summer and come back fighting again. That's what Liverpool Football Club does." Striker Andy Carroll, who scored one goal and had another disallowed, thought the ball had crossed the line: "I thought it was over the line and you know better than me but I thought it was. I thought it hit the other side of the bar but I haven't seen it back."
  The two sides met in the Premier League three days after the final, a match that Liverpool won 4–1. Liverpool finished the season in eighth place and Dalglish was subsequently sacked and replaced by Swansea City manager Brendan Rodgers. Chelsea would finish the season in sixth place; however, they won the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League, beating Bayern Munich 4–3 in a penalty shoot-out after the final finished 1–1 after extra time. Chelsea's victory in the FA Cup final set up a Community Shield match against Manchester City, the winners of the 2011–12 Premier League.
  The match was broadcast live in the United Kingdom, in HD on ITV1 and also on ESPN. A peak of 11.2 million saw the climax of the game on ITV1 with 8.9 million viewers on average watching the live match coverage. It was the highest-rated final since the 2007 final. ESPN had 397,000 viewers for its coverage of the final.
caption: Interim Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo hoped the win would earn him the position on a permanent basis.
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