Stoke City fans celebrate their team winning at the final whistle during the FA Cup sponsored by E.ON semi final match between Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City at Wembley Stadium on April 17, 2011 in London, England.Jamie McDonald
Stoke City reached the FA Cup final for the first time when three goals in the first 30 minutes paved the way to a stunning 5-0 win over Bolton Wanderers at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
Stoke, who first entered the FA Cup in 1883 and had never got beyond the semi-finals, will now face Manchester City in the final at Wembley on May 14. They also have the chance of securing a place in next season's Europa League depending on where City finish in the Premier League.
Goals from Matthew Etherington after 11 minutes, Robert Huth six minutes later and Kenwyne Jones after 30 minutes had Stoke manager Tony Pulis leaping for joy on the touchline as the match virtually ended as a contest, with Bolton's hopes of a first final appearance since 1958 totally dashed.
Jon Walters made it 4-0 in the 68th minute and he then made it five in the 81st to complete a comprehensive win and end Bolton's hopes of a first final appearance since 1958.
"Everyone wrote us off before the game ... people were saying Bolton would get to the final. We proved them all wrong -- 5-0," Walters told ESPN television.
As in Saturday's semi-final between Manchester City and Manchester United, one team dominated the opening stages, but unlike Manchester United who let City off the hook on Saturday, Stoke made their superiority count with three clinical strikes.
Etherington, who scored a superb goal against Tottenham Hotspur last week, grabbed the first with another stunner, picking his spot wide of Jussi Jaaskelainen with a well struck 20-metre left-foot shot after a bad mistake by Paul Robinson.
Six minutes later Huth doubled the lead, finding the same corner of the net with a long-range right-foot shot after a Gary Cahill header fell straight to him, leaving Bolton reeling.
Stoke though were in no mood to let them off the ropes and went 3-0 ahead with only 30 minutes played after a storming run through the gaping holes in Bolton's midfield by Jermaine Pennant who took the ball off Martin Petrov and scampered away.
His final, superbly weighted ball went straight to Jones who placed his angled right-foot shot wide of Jaaskelainen who had no chance of saving.
Two goals from Walters then put the result beyond doubt as he first cracked a long-range shot into the bottom corner and then steered another effort into the far corner to complete the rout.
Bolton had had the first scoring chances in the Wembley sunshine with Gary Cahill going close twice in the opening seven minutes but whatever game plan manager Owen Coyle might have demanded of his men was then totally decimated.
Stoke now have the chance of becoming the first "new" winners of the Cup since Wimbledon in 1988.