Fans salute FA Cup heroes

Chelsea parade the FA Cup through west London

Thousands of fans braved the rain to line the streets of west London as jubilant Chelsea paraded the FA Cup.

A goal from Roberto di Matteo at Wembley on Saturday was enough to overcome Aston Villa and spark a night of celebration in the blue corner of the capital.

Di Matteo scores the winning goal

The party continued on Sunday when the squad arrived back in Fulham, close to their Stamford Bridge home.

Players and management took an open-topped bus from Fulham Road to Fulham Town Hall, where they were guests at a civic reception.

Captain Dennis Wise was in good form, smiling broadly as they made their way along the streets at a snail's pace.

Despite the weather, the fans were in high spirits, with their club lifting the cup for the second time in three years.

Some of the players were armed with cameras so they could capture the magic of the occasion.

The top deck was jammed full of people and there was one embarrassing moment in the crush for manager Gianluca Vialli.

Bad case of the claret and blues for Villa

Carrying the trophy, he was horrified to see the lid come off and bounce down onto the street.

It would have made a wonderful souvenir for one fan but luckily for the Italian boss the lid was retrieved and handed back to him.

The incident didn't stop Vialli taking the trophy to some of the fans as the bus approached the town hall.

That led to the players going on an impromptu walkabout, signing autographs, posing for pictures and shaking hands.

The sun came out briefly but that didn't stop the Chelsea squad from breaking into a rendition of 'Singing In Rain' on the town hall balcony before adjourning for a champagne reception.

Thousands of Aston Villa fans also turned up for a civic reception and parade through the centre of Birmingham to honour their defeated side.