By winning the FA Cup at Wembley this afternoon, Chelsea have secured the first ever Double in the club's history.

A narrow victory at the national stadium, thanks to Didier Drogba's second-half free-kick, follows up last weekend's Premier League win to make us only the seventh club in history to win both league and Cup.

The scoreline was close, but on the day the men from Stamford Bridge dominated our opponents, striking the woodwork five times in a goalless yet frantic first half, while at the other end Petr Cech produced a magnificent save to keep the scores level, before making a penalty save in the second period after sub Juliano Belletti had brought down Aruna Dindane.

In a game that had everything, it fell to Drogba, the Chelsea Player of the Year, to wrap up the victory with a breathtaking 25-yard strike just before the hour.

Frank Lampard could have doubled the margin with another penalty in the final five minutes, but shot his penalty wide. It was not to matter though, as Carlo Ancelotti marks his first year in England with the most brilliant of achievements.

On a bright afternoon in north-west London, this was a matchup between the two previous winners of this famous competition, Chelsea looking to defend the title while Portsmouth lifted it two years ago.

This though was a very different Portsmouth side to that which triumphed over Cardiff in 2008, financial problems leading to a mass exodus of players, and of that starting 11, only David James began today's game, though John Utaka and Kanu were both on the bench.

Their main team news was that Jamie O' Hara, on loan from Spurs, and Kevin-Prince Boateng were both passed fit to play, Chelsea old boy Tal Ben-Haim was among the subs for Avram Grant's men.

For Chelsea, the midweek scare over John Terry's metatarsals was forgotten, and Branislav Ivanovic was okay despite a minor knee injury in the week, meaning the Blues were unchanged from the side that put eight past Wigan six days earlier.

That performance had tied up one half of the Double, now it was time for the other, but Portsmouth, so used to adversity and battling against the odds would not make it easy. They set up in a 4-5-1 formation, looking to attack almost exclusively on the break and allowing Chelsea the lion's share of possession.

This is a Chelsea side that loves to pass sides off the park though, and it was just three minutes before our first chance, Lampard and Nicolas Anelka combining before the Englishman shot just wide.

Inside the next 10, Lampard had hit a post with a stunning 30-yard drive, and then Anelka was denied low at his near post by James.

Another passing move across the Portsmouth area involving Ivanovic, Salomon Kalou and Lampard presented Drogba with two great chances, but he found defender Aaron Mokoena in inspired form, the South African twice blocking his goalbound efforts.

If there had been any doubts about Portsmouth's motivation, and surely there hadn't, they had now been answered.

The south coasters did break forward once, just after the 20-minute mark, and should have taken the lead with the clearest chance yet.

Aruna Dindane's pull-back picked out Boateng whose mishit volley cannoned off Frederic Piquionne two yards out and towards goal, but Petr Cech somehow reacted quickly enough to palm it away before it went over his shoulder.

It was probably the best save Wembley has seen, since its refurbishment was completed three years ago.

At the time Piquionne's mishit could have been the worst miss this new stadium had witnessed, but that label quickly went to Kalou's effort that followed it.

Florent Malouda had expertly spotted Ashley Cole's run down the left, the full-back chesting it past his man and squaring into the six-yard box, where Kalou needed only to tap it home, yet somehow the Ivorian contrived to send it skywards onto the crossbar.

Three minutes later Chelsea hit the woodwork again, Malouda's cross finding Terry, whose looping header had James beaten but not the bar, and the ball bounced to safety.

Thirty-five minutes had now passed, and there followed a lengthy pause after Michael Ballack was clattered into by Boateng, who earned a yellow card while the Chelsea man was treated. Ballack was soon replaced by Juliano Belletti.

From the free-kick, Drogba shot, the ball swerved this way and that, James got fingertips to it and again the crossbar rattled, the ball bouncing straight down onto the line and away to safety.

Could it be one of those days? After all their troubles, was Portsmouth's name already on the trophy? Their goal certainly appeared to have more lives than a fresh litter of kittens.

Just to prove the point, Drogba fired against the post again after 41 minutes, taking the woodwork count to five, and then a combination of Mokoena and James denied Ivanovic and Kalou just before half-time.

Ancelotti must not have had much to say at the break, other than to explain the importance of taking chances when they fall.

It was a message Grant might have wished he had given Boateng five minutes into the second half, when a deep free-kick fell to the midfielder to the left of the Chelsea goal. He brought the ball down expertly, but lashed his half-volley over when he should have hit the target.

Five minutes later he had the perfect chance to make up for it, Belletti brought down Dindane inside the area and referee Chris Foy said penalty.

Cech though was inspired, and he saved the Ghanaian's poorly struck spot kick with his feet, and Chelsea survived.

If that was good, it quickly got better as Drogba sent the west end of Wembley into rapture.

The 32-year-old lined up a free-kick 25 yards from goal, and sent it crashing into the net off the post to give Chelsea the lead.

It was the type of strike we have seen already this season, against Hull, against Arsenal, and it was his 37th goal of an already record-breaking season.

Having suffered such a sucker punch so soon after the penalty, and having spent most of the game on the back foot, Portsmouth would now need to muster something special to get back into it, but it did not look like happening.

Drogba could have scored a second but shot straight at James, and then substitute Joe Cole, on for Kalou, mishit his shot, both chances that could have wrapped it up for the boys in blue.

Pompey made two changes as the minutes ticked away, and immediately replacement Nadir Belhadj nearly produced an equaliser with his low cross, which Terry just managed to touch away from the onrushing DIndane.

Into the final five minutes it was still Chelsea looking the more likely to score, and when Lampard fell under a challenge from Michael Brown, the ref's decision was simple - penalty.

Lampard stepped up himself, normally so reliable, but on a crazy day like this anything can happen, and sure enough, he dragged it a foot wide.

With only three minutes plus injury time remaining, it was not to matter.

A late Portsmouth flurry saw sub Kanu send the ball into the penalty area, but Cech was assured as he had been all day and took it calmly in his hands.

Taking his time, he launched the ball upfield, and that was the final action of the game. Cue mass celebrations from the Chelsea players, and a place in history that is very much deserved.

By Andy Jones

Chelsea (4-3-3):Cech; Ivanovic, Alex, Terry (c), A Cole; Lampard, Ballack (Belletti 43), Malouda; Anelka (Sturridge 90), J Drogba, Kalou (J Cole 70).
Scorers Drogba 58

Portsmouth (4-4-1-1): James (c); Finnan, Mokoena, Rocha, Mullins (Belhadj 81); Dindane, Diop (Kanu 80), Brown, Boateng (Utaka 73); O'Hara; Piquionne.
Booked Boateng 35

See the full 90 minutes from 6pm Sunday on Chelsea TV.