Drogba shoots down Gunners

Guus Hiddink enhanced his reputation as the Midas man of management by leading Chelsea to the FA Cup final after a nervy 2-1 victory over Arsenal on Saturday.

The Dutchman, appointed on an interim basis at Stamford Bridge following Luiz Felipe Scolari’s sacking in February, will now stay in west London until at least 30 May thanks to Didier Drogba’s late goal which decided a hard-fought semi-final at Wembley.

Hiddink has injected belief and resolve into a side which was sliding towards mediocrity on his arrival, and it displayed those two qualities in abundance here.

Chelsea fought back superbly from Theo Walcott’s early goal, with Florent Malouda levelling before half-time and Drogba capitalising on defensive uncertainty to net an 84th-minute winner.

That comeback ensured a miserable first visit to Wembley for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman saw his worst fears about the English national stadium’s pitch realised – it cut up badly from the first whistle – but of more concern will be the impact this defeat has on a side which had been flooded with confidence following progress to the Champions League semi-finals and a long unbeaten league run.

His defence, too, will give him cause for sleepless nights. Already stripped bare by injuries to five players, Wenger was spared another reshuffle after Kieran Gibbs passed a fitness test on a groin problem. That allowed Mikael Silvestre to stay at centre-back, although in the event it was of dubious consolation, as the Frenchman endured a torrid afternoon.

Arsenal gave an early indication of their uncertainty in the fourth minute when goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski dismally failed to reach John Terry’s upfield punt and Drogba’s header towards the unguarded net was hacked off the line by Gibbs.

No wonder Wenger had suggested that attack would be Arsenal’s best form of defence, and they confirmed as much by taking the lead with their first concerted forward foray.

After Emmanuel Adebayor had set Gibbs clear down the left flank, the defender chipped to the back post. Walcott’s first-time, side-footed shot lacked power, but it still beat the wrong-footed Petr Cech, after flicking off Ashley Cole’s hand.

Yet Arsenal remained vulnerable. Malouda exposed both Eboue and Fabianski’s lack of authority by whipping a cross-shot fractionally wide, but he was not to be denied 11 minutes later.

After being picked out by Frank Lampard’s pass, the French winger cut inside Eboue and drilled in a low, right-footed shot at the near post, posing more questions of Fabianski.

Suddenly, it was Chelsea who had the game by the throat. Moments later, more shoddy defending from Denilson and then Diaby allowed Anelka to snaffle possession and clump the post with a curling shot.

Arsenal were ruffled, but the interval seemed to restore their composure. They began to press higher up the pitch, with Walcott the main beneficiary. He was twice set clear down the right but his fizzed crosses just evaded the onrushing Persie and Diaby.

Not that Arsenal had it all their own way. Chelsea played some neat football of their own and almost forged ahead when Lampard’s one-two with Drogba ended with the midfielder volleying wide.

As the seconds ticked away, so the tension increased. Chelsea were livid in the 69th minute when Silvestre appeared to handle in the area during a tussle with Drogba, only for referee Martin Atkinson to wave play on, while the striker then wasted a glorious chance by running the ball off the field after he wriggled free of Eboue.

It always looked likely that a mistake would settle matters, and it duly arrived with six minutes to play. There seemed little danger when Lampard chipped a ball over Arsenal’s back four, but Drogba showed strength to shrug off Silvestre’s challenge, speed to reach the ball just ahead of Fabianski and ice-cool composure to round the goalkeeper and slot into the corner.