It was almost inevitable that he would face the wrath or Abramovich as the Russian billionaire had made it clear that his preferred target was former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola.
However, there has still been a feeling of shock amongst all involved in the game.
Former Chelsea boss Ruud Gullit: "OMG just found out that #robbiedimatteo has been sacked. That hurts me. What next at this club. Unbelievable."
Di Matteo has become the first Premier League manager of the season to get sacked and Newcastle boss Alan Pardew was quick to vocalise his feelings that it was an unfair dismissal.
Alan Pardew: "It just goes to show you how precarious we are as Premier League managers, and you can't take anything for granted.
"The shock that should be there for the fans and the media should sound something to the owner of that football club because I don't know if that's the ninth manager or whatever it is in so many short years.
"It's just not fair. As far as I am concerned, he has done absolutely nothing wrong.
"His philosophy was to perhaps change the look of the team, which he has tried to do - that doesn't happen overnight - and he's won two competitions in less than a year, so it's unbelievable.
"He should walk straight into another job - probably at someone else's misfortune, unfortunately."
Former Toon striker Louis Saha: "Can't believe Roberto di Matteo has been sack after such a good record. Especially when I think he had 2cope with Terry scandals. #harsh"
Toon hero Tony Cascarino - who (*while with Gillingham) sent the Mackems to the Third Division - is an ex-Chelsea player: "Rafa Benitez will get the Chelsea job.
"That was nearly the case last time around. It won't appease most Chelsea fans, but he is hugely respected in football.
"His first job is to sort out the back four and stop the team conceding goals."
* Not wanting to pass up an opportunity to teach the gospel to our younger Toon readers on how to "Pull The Piss Out Of The Mackems" ...
Gillingham Glory 1986/7
Gary Bennett may well have experienced quite a number of disappointments during his Sunderland career, but he has no hesitation in recalling his lowest point of his eleven year stay at the club - that heartbreaking defeat against Gillingham back in May 1987 which consigned the once great club to the ignominy Third Division football for the first time in its history.
“There’s no question, that was the worst moment of my entire career,” says Gary, “In fact, everyone at the club was completely devastated and for weeks the whole place was in a state of total shock. Even Lawrie McMenemy, who’d left the club some weeks earlier, had been deeply upset that he was leaving the club on the brink of relegation.
“I remember a few days before he resigned, he called me into his office and said, ‘Listen Gary, regardless of what happens to me, you must do everything in your power to save this club from the drop.’ The media may have portrayed Lawrie as a mercenary, uncaring character but there was another side to the man. From day one he’d been desperate to succeed and when things didn’t work out, he was as devastated as anyone.
“Supporters still talk to me about that Gillingham game and the affect it had on the whole town but, in reality, we should never have ended up in the play-offs. A victory in our final game of the season against Barnsley at Roker Park would have kept us up and when we’d raced into a two goal lead we appeared to be home and dry. But the game changed soon after the break when Mark Proctor missed from the penalty-spot. They came back to beat us 3-2.
“Even then we were confident we could beat Gillingham in the play-offs but, having lost the first leg 3-2 at their place, we knew we had a game on our hands back at Roker. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the events of that afternoon. They took the lead after only three minutes, then two goals from Eric Gates turned the game in our favour. We had the chance to go even further ahead when a Dave Swindlehurst header was handled on the line, but poor Mark Proctor failed from the spot again.
“At half-time Bob Stokoe, who had taken over as caretaker-manager, decided to change things around by moving me up front with Dave Swindlehurst dropping back to central defence. It was a bold move but we desperately needed to score to avoid the tie going into extra-time.
“Our task was made even harder shortly after the interval when Ian Hesford up-ended one of their forwards inside the box. He managed to save the spot-kick but, in the scramble that followed, Tony Cascarino was able to force the ball over the line from close-range.
“For almost all of the second-half we hammered away at the Fulwell End goal then, just when we thought it was going to be one of those days, the ball was crossed into the penalty area and I managed to get up and send in a floating header which beat their keeper just under the bar. Right at the death, we’d given ourselves a life-line.
“That goal swung the tie in our favour but, in the first period of extra time they hit us with an early goal which left us chasing the game. Keith Bertschin gave us hope towards the end with a brilliant diving header but, for all we ran out 4-3 winners on the day, we ended up being relegated on the away-goals rule.”