Humble Drogba proud as FA Cup history is made

Didier Drogba scored what turned out to be the winning goal in Chelsea FC's 2-1 FA Cup final victory against Liverpool FC on Saturday to become the only player to have scored in four separate FA Cup finals – but he was not the only one to make history on a day when records were also set by John Terry and Ashley Cole.

The Ivorian forward has tasted success every time he has scored in the showpiece and added to his goals in the triumphs against Manchester United FC in 2007, Everton FC in 2009 and Portsmouth FC in 2010. Drogba received the ball from Frank Lampard and squeezed it through the legs of Martin Škrtel to put his side 2-0 up in the second half, but afterwards he played down the significance of his personal landmark.

"It's great and I am very proud of it [the record], but I have to thank all my team-mates," said the 34-year-old. "I am very happy and they always put me in the position to score, but it is the team who made history, not me. The result is great for us in my fourth FA Cup final and a fourth win – it is a fantastic feeling."

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo echoed his striker's sentiments on a day when he became the 16th coach to win the cup as both a player and a manger. "It is an incredible achievement [by Drogba] and I am pleased he has scored, but we have to emphasise the team performance," said Di Matteo, who won the FA Cup as a Chelsea player in 1997 and 2000.

"I feel quite honoured to be given the opportunity to win it as a player and as a coach. We have a history in the FA Cup and we seem to enjoy playing at Wembley as well. We hope this tradition in the competition will continue."

Chelsea captain John Terry was also quick to acknowledge Drogba's potency in front of goal in crucial matches. "You just have to look at his record – big players like him and Lampard always step up to the mark on the big occasion and he's done it once again which is incredible," said Terry, who broke another record by becoming the first player to lift the FA Cup four times with one club. "It's an incredible achievement. It's a great club that I am very fortunate to be captain of. In the modern era, our record in this competition is virtually untouchable."

There was one other record broken on a memorable day for the west London side as Ashley Cole became the first player to win seven FA Cups – four with Chelsea and three during his time at Arsenal FC. However, man of the match Juan Mata knows they must not rest on their laurels with the UEFA Champions League final just around the corner.

"We have won the first final and we will have a chance to win another title, the most important in Europe, and we are all looking forward to it," he said. The Blues take on FC Bayern München in Munich on 19 May.