UEFA Champions League: Manchester United v Chelsea 2008 final

In 2008, Manchester United and Chelsea had established themselves as England's top dogs, and the pair would meet in the first all-English UEFA Champions League final.

2008 UEFA Champions League final date, time and venue

The 2008 UEFA Champions League final took place on 21st May 2008 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. Kick-off was at 19:45 BST.

2008 UEFA Champions League final teams

Manchester United: Edwin van der Sar, Wes Brown (Anderson 120+5'), Rio Ferdinand (c), Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Owen Hargreaves, Paul Scholes (Ryan Giggs 87'), Michael Carrick, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney (Nani 101'), Carlos Tevez.

Substitutes: Tomasz Kuszczak, John O'Shea, Mikael Silvestre, Anderson, Ryan Giggs, Nani, Darren Fletcher.

Chelsea: Petr Cech, Michael Essien, Ricardo Carvalho, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Claude Makelele (Juliano Belletti 120+4'), Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole (Nicolas Anelka 99'), Florent Malouda, Salomon Kalou 92'), Didier Drogba.

Substitutes: Carlo Cudicini, Alex, Juliano Belletti, John Obi Mikel, Andriy Shevchenko, Salomon Kalou, Nicolas Anelka.

Attendance: 67,310

Referee: Lubos Michel (Slovakia)

2008 UEFA Champions League final score and goalscorers

The 2008 UEFA Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea finished 1-1 after extra time with Manchester United winning on penalties. Cristiano Ronaldo scored for Manchester United with Frank Lampard equalising for Chelsea.

Manchester United v Chelsea story of the final

Although Arsenal and Liverpool had played in more recent UEFA Champions League finals in 2006 and 2007 respectively - with Liverpool winning it in 2005 - by 2008, Manchester United and Chelsea were the best teams in England.

Arsenal were actually in pole position domestically until Eduardo's leg break coincided with an alarming drop in form, while Liverpool were in the middle of their Rafael Benitez-led rebuild.

Jose Mourinho had made a shock departure earlier in the season with tensions growing between himself and owner Roman Abramovic, as Avram Grant - the recently appointed director of football - took charge.

Two successive titles under Mourinho saw Chelsea look to establish a stranglehold on English football, but with Manchester United recapturing the crown the previous season, the Blues appeared to be going backwards under the Portuguese, with a deflating 1-1 draw at home to Rosenborg serving as Mourinho's final match at Stamford Bridge.

The struggles of Andriy Shevchenko - part of the reason behind Mourinho's departure - would lead to Chelsea signing Nicolas Anelka in the winter transfer window to bolster their front line, and while his second season would see him win the Premier League Golden Boot, his first six months were much more underwhelming.

Manchester United had made the final with a nail-biting 1-0 aggregate win over Barcelona; a missed penalty by Cristiano Ronaldo in the first leg meant the sides would draw 0-0 before a Paul Scholes thunderbolt gave United the advantage in the second leg. And despite the Catalans throwing the kitchen sink at the Red Devils, knowing an away goal would send them to the final, Ferguson's men held firm.

Chelsea would make it to Moscow in similarly thrilling fashion; after a pair of 1-1 draws, their tie with Liverpool went to extra-time, with Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba goals enough to seal a place in the final.

Ferguson tweaked his line-up as he did increasingly in bigger games in the 2007/08 season, with Ronaldo alternating between a more familiar left-wing position and a centre forward, with Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez expected to provide the legs in deeper roles. Owen Hargreaves was deployed on the right-hand side to provide more defensive stability, while Paul Scholes, who missed out on the final in 1999, was the first name on the team sheet.

Grant countered Ferguson with a fearsome midfield trio of Claude Makelele, Michael Ballack and Lampard, with Essien at right-back to deal with the threat posed by Ronaldo.

Wes Brown, who'd never been more than a squad member in a decade at Old Trafford, found himself as the first-choice right-back in 2007/08 following an injury to Gary Neville, and after an excellent campaign, found himself playing a crucial role in the final.

Smartly exchanging passes with Scholes, Brown stood a ball up with his weaker left foot, finding the soon-to-be-Ballon-d'Or-winner Ronaldo, whose header was powered past Petr Cech into the bottom corner.

The goal provoked a response from Chelsea. Drogba would head a raking Lampard pass into the six-yard box, and under pressure from Ballack, Rio Ferdinand forced his own goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar into a smart save.

Van der Sar's opposite number would then be called into action as Rooney found Ronaldo with a tremendous cross-field ball. The Portuguese's cross was met by Tevez who stooped to head at goal with Cech getting down quickly. John Terry's half clearance then fell to Michael Carrick on the edge of the area who forced an even better stop by Cech.

Tevez would again go close to doubling United's lead as a low cross from Rooney just evaded the Argentinian, and the Red Devils would be punished for their wastefulness. With half-time approaching, an effort from the better part of 35 yards from Essien was deflected off Nemanja Vidic and then Ferdinand, falling perfectly to Lampard who capitalised on a slip by Van der Sar to equalise.

With the two sides back out for the second half it was Chelsea threatening again. A long-range effort from Ballack flew harmlessly wide before Drogba, with minimal back-lift, struck the post from outside the area.

A cagier second half brought about few opportunities for either side as extra-time beckoned.

United were saved twice by the woodwork in the 1999 final against Bayern Munich, and would be saved twice in Moscow as Lampard swivelled in the area to poke an effort at goal, only to see it rebound off the crossbar.

After Chelsea went close at one end, United went close at the other as Patrice Evra burst through the Blues defence, cutting back to Giggs in space, whose effort was remarkably turned behind by the head of Terry.

Tempers then boiled over with a number of Chelsea players aggrieved by Tevez; players from both sides got involved with Ballack being booked when, out of nowhere, the referee brandished a red card in the direction of Drogba. Replays showed Drogba had slapped Vidic, the Ivorian rightly given his marching orders.

Just like the previous four UEFA Champions League finals that went to extra-time, this one would need penalties, too.

Tevez was first up for United, slotting home. Ballack was up for Chelsea with the German duly obliging. Carrick for the Reds, Juliano Belletti for the Blues. And then... Ronaldo. A kiss of the ball before placing it on its spot, a stutter in the run-up... and a save by Cech. The best player in the world, scorer of the opening goal of the final, denied in the shoot-out. As Clive Tyldesley put it: "Some things are just meant to be."

Lampard was up next to give Chelsea the lead, and despite Van der Sar getting a hand to it, Chelsea did indeed lead; 2-3, two penalties left. Hargreaves was next for United, and rather predictably, the midfielder who'd spent his entire career in Germany prior to that season, rifled his spot kick into the roof of the net. Van der Sar got a big hand to Ashley Cole's subsequent penalty but couldn't keep it out, and Chelsea were on the brink.

Nani, just 21 years old and signed at the start of the season had to score to keep United alive. This time Cech got a hand to it, but Nani's effort squeezed through.

So, to Terry, to win the UEFA Champions League for Chelsea. Adjusting his armband as he stepped forward, it was all on the captain. On a sodden Moscow pitch, Terry slipped as he planted his left foot, his right foot unable to do anything but send the penalty onto the post. Manchester United, saved twice by the woodwork in 1999 and twice more in 2008, were given yet another reprieve in the shoot-out.

To sudden death they went. Anderson, who'd just turned 20 a month earlier, was up for United, smashing his effort down the middle as hard as possible, and suddenly it was the English champions who were a kick away.

Kalou coolly put his effort away, with Giggs, who overtook Sir Bobby Charlton as the club's record appearance maker that night, sending Cech the wrong way.

Anelka was next - last - for Chelsea, but Van der Sar was equal to it.

As they were in 1968 and 1999, Manchester United were champions of Europe again.

• Manchester United's UEFA Champions League history and finals

Manchester United v Chelsea stats

	Manchester United	Chelsea
Goals	1	1
Shots	12	24
Shots on target	5	3
Possession	58%	42%
Corners	5	8
Fouls	22	25
Offsides	1	2
Yellow cards	4	4
Red cards	0	1

Manchester United v Chelsea Man of the Match

Edwin van der Sar was named UEFA Man of the Match after his penalty shoot-out heroics, while Cristiano Ronaldo was named the Fans' Man of the Match.

Check out the bet365 betting hub for all the latest UEFA Champions League betting odds.