In two weeks' time the Blues will take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League final, but today the attention was on Wembley and Chelsea took control with goals from Ramires and Drogba.

The Ivorian became the first player to score in four FA Cup finals, and he maintained his record of having won every one, although Andy Carroll ensured a tense finish.

After the 2-1 victory, Drogba told ITV: "Liverpool are a difficult team to play. Today we achieved a great result because, after losing the game against Newcastle, it was very difficult for us. I'm glad we won today. It's the first step."

The main talking point of the game came late on when Carroll powered in a header from a Luis Suarez cross that the Liverpool players thought had crossed the line before Petr Cech clawed it out.

But the goal was not given, and Cech was adamant that was the right decision.

He told ITV: "I don't think it was over the line. If the ball was behind the line I couldn't have kept it out. I'm 100% sure it was not in, and I felt that from the first moment."

Unsurprisingly, Carroll argued the opposite view, and said his own fine performance was of little consolation.

The much-maligned striker said: "I thought it was over the line. I thought it hit the other side of the bar. We were unlucky. We had a few chances but we couldn't put them away. It wasn't to be."

Chelsea captain John Terry felt the victory was a perfect response to the Blues' critics at the end of a season of highs and lows.

The defender told ITV: "This is what we live for. It was a great performance. At times people have slated us, saying we're too old, past it, not together. But when the chips are down we come together and we've done that superbly."

It was also another big feather in the cap of interim manager Roberto Di Matteo, who has turned the club's season around since taking over from Andre Villas-Boas in March.

Regarding the Italian's hopes of landing the job on a permanent basis, Terry added: "We've done Robbie the world of good, we've put in a fantastic performance for him and it can't do him any harm."