Carling Cup Final 25 Feb - Chelsea v Arsenal
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John Terry knocked out in cup final
CARDIFF (Reuters) - England and Chelsea captain John Terry was carried off the pitch at the League Cup final on Sunday after being knocked unconscious when he was accidentally kicked in the face by Arsenal's Abou Diaby.
With the scores 1-1 in the 56th minute the central defender stooped to get his head to a loose ball in the Arsenal area and his face took the full force of Diaby's attempted clearance. He appeared to fall awkwardly, landing flat on his face. He was motionless for several minutes while medical staff from both sides treated him.
Terry, who played in the final after a surprise recovery from a twisted ankle suffered in Wednesday's Champions League 1-1 draw with Porto, was fitted with a neck brace and oxygen mask and carried carefully from the Millennium Stadium pitch. BBC radio reported Terry had regained consciousness, though he was confused and was being taken to hospital in the Welsh capital.
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Originally posted by zocoss:
Lol. wad a kick frm diaby. shud have kicked harder.
[b]John Terry knocked out in cup final
CARDIFF (Reuters) - England and Chelsea captain John Terry was carried off the pitch at the League Cup final on Sunday after being knocked unconscious when he was accidentally kicked in the face by Arsenal's Abou Diaby.
With the scores 1-1 in the 56th minute the central defender stooped to get his head to a loose ball in the Arsenal area and his face took the full force of Diaby's attempted clearance. He appeared to fall awkwardly, landing flat on his face. He was motionless for several minutes while medical staff from both sides treated him.
Terry, who played in the final after a surprise recovery from a twisted ankle suffered in Wednesday's Champions League 1-1 draw with Porto, was fitted with a neck brace and oxygen mask and carried carefully from the Millennium Stadium pitch. BBC radio reported Terry had regained consciousness, though he was confused and was being taken to hospital in the Welsh capital.
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sad...
but it was a gd win frm chelsea.
dey deserved it.
although i support arsenal more....
good game. -
Points gain for 25 Feb Carling cup match...
4 pts a-Lost-9uY,
2 pts lpx88
1 pts used,
0 pts ^tamago^, anhydrouscoppersulphate, T.Ryousuke, zocoss, stevenliew, pervertboi, -
Injured Terry returns to celebrate with team
Jose Mourinho admitted his immediate thoughts flashed back to Petr Cech's skull fracture when he saw skipper John Terry go down after suffering a sickening blow to the head at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Terry was knocked unconscious and needed oxygen as he left the field an hour into Chelsea's Carling Cup final win over Arsenal after he was caught flush in the face by Abou Diaby's boot as the pair challenged for a loose ball in the Gunners' box.
Happily, the Blues captain was able to return to the stadium after a hospital check-up to join in the victory celebrations.
He showed no ill effects from the earlier incident as he hugged Arsenal and England physio Gary Lewin, who was first on the scene.
However, for a worrying moment, Mourinho admitted thoughts of the horror injury Cech suffered at Reading, on the same day reserve goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini was also knocked out, instantly sprang to mind as medical teams from both clubs rushed to treat the stricken England captain.
'Sometimes in football, dramatic things happen,' he said.
'This season we have already had the situations with Petr Cech and Carlo Cudicini and the negative thoughts come directly to your mind.
'The first point is 'Is he safe? Is the man fine?'
'John's wife, his little babies are here, so the most important thing is that the man is safe. Once we know he is okay, then we can think about the football.'
Ironically, Terry was only playing because he had shrugged off an ankle injury suffered at Porto on Wednesday which was supposed to rule him out for at least a week.
Although Mourinho did not see what happened, he apportioned no blame to Diaby, who was in tears as Terry was put on a stretcher, having kicked the defender with such force he jarred an ankle and was eventually substituted himself.
'John risked himself and the Arsenal player was trying to protect his goal,' said Mourinho. 'I have no criticism about that.
'I was with the fourth official, who was in direct communication with (referee) Howard Webb, so I knew everything.
'The Arsenal medical department was already there because they had been treating an injury close to the situation, so by the time our people got there, everything was under control.'
Mourinho will now wait to discover whether Terry will be able to play in next Saturday's crucial Premiership encounter with Portsmouth at Fratton Park.
If not, it seems certain Michael Essien will once again be asked to step into central defence, as he did for the remainder of this afternoon's contest as Chelsea's season-long injury curse continued.
'It is terrible the things that have happened to us this season,' he said.
'We are getting used to it. When you are sitting on the bench, you are waiting for something to happen.
'This morning, when the doctor didn't wake me up knocking on my room door, I was very happy. Normally he wakes me up to tell me someone is injured or ill.
'At the moment, Michael Essien cannot play 90 minutes in midfield. He has to either start in central defence or something happens during the game and he has to go there.' -
arsenal werent interested in this cup isnt it?
so it is ok that they lost.
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A late header from Didier Drogba brought an unhappy end to Arsenal's Carling Cup adventure after an intoxicating Final at the Millennium Stadium.
Theo Walcott chose the perfect stage to break his duck for Arsenal, slotting past Petr Cech after 12 minutes. It was no more than Arsène Wenger's side deserved after a blistering start to the match. Drogba equalised eight minutes later and then landed the cruellest of blows with six minutes remaining.
Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor were dismissed in stoppage time after a clash between Toure and Jon Obi Mikel. Hopefully the quality of this contest, rather than the red cards, will hog the headlines.
Ultimately, the result was harsh on the young Gunners, who showed their class once more and held the upper hand for much of the game. But after seeing off West Brom, Everton, Liverpool and Tottenham, this was a bridge too far for Wenger's new generation.
The Arsenal manager had pledged to keep faith with the players who carried Arsenal to their first League Cup Final for 14 years and the Frenchman was true to his word. Once again he opted for a mix of first-teamers, fringe players and talented teenagers.
Justin Hoyte was passed fit after shrugging off a hamstring problem but Gael Clichy (foot) was ruled out. Emmanuel Eboue, who only returned to full training on Friday after a persistent ankle injury, was named among the substitutes. With Thierry Henry and Gilberto absent, Toure had the honour of leading Arsenal out.
The average age of Arsenal's outfield players was just under 21. This would be the ultimate test for Wenger's fledglings against Chelsea's expensively-assembled collection of superstars.
As you'd expect this game was a sell-out but it kicked off with plenty of vacant seats around the Millennium Stadium. Severe train delays had left many supporters stranded miles outside the Welsh capital. The latecomers missed a magnificent start by Arsenal.
The youngest Gunners could have been forgiven a few nerves on the biggest day of their careers but it certainly didn't show. From the off Wenger's team popped the ball around with confidence and panache. Chelsea were chasing shadows for the first 20 minutes.
Cech was called into action as early as the fifth minute. Walcott's attempted one-two with Abou Diaby was cut out but the ball was only cleared as far as Cesc Fabregas on the edge of the box. The Spaniard's first-time shot warmed the hands of Chelsea's keeper.
The signs looked good. Arsenal looked assured, Walcott looked lively, Diaby and Denilson were bossing the midfield alongside Fabregas and Baptista was in the mood. 'The Beast' brushed aside two muscular challenges in the opening stages and linked play well in his deep-lying striker's role.
Baptista almost broke the deadlock himself in the seventh minute, collecting Denilson's pass on the edge of the box and turning his opponent before scuffing a left-foot shot across the box. Jeremie Aliadiere was inches away from converting the loose ball.
Shortly afterwards Baptista's stinging shot was tipped past the post by Cech. In stark contrast, Manuel Almunia was a spectator at the other end. An Arsenal goal looked very much on the cards and it duly arrived after 12 minutes.
Walcott started and finished the move. Collecting a half-cleared corner, the 17-year-old found Diaby. The Frenchman evaded a challenge and slipped the ball towards Baptista. He smuggled it past his marker and Walcott slammed a shot into the corner. Walcott talked this week about how he doesn't feel pressure. His finish underlined that - what a way for the former Chelsea ballboy to open his account for Arsenal.
Chelsea just weren't at the races. Three minutes after his goal Walcott raced down the right and cut the ball back for Baptista inside the box. The Brazilian got there first and then tumbled under a challenge. Referee Howard Webb waved away Arsenal's penalty appeals.
It could have been two or even three-nil at that point. Then, in a flash, it was all square. A minute or so after Philippe Senderos brilliantly blocked Frank Lampard's shot in Chelsea's first attack of note, Drogba latched onto Ballack's lofted pass in the right channel. The Ivorian looked suspiciously offside but his nonchalent finish was all Chelsea cared about.
Arsenal were rocked. Chelsea, sensing their opportunity, pushed forward. Toure made two vital interceptions as Lassana Diarra and Michael Essien made inroads on the right flank. Clearly Chelsea were looking to exploit Armand Traore's inexperience at left back but the Frenchman gave as good as he got. Traore even got forward to pose problems of his own, bundling past two challenges before shooting weakly at Cech after Fabregas had found him with a return pass on the half-hour mark.
After weathering that brief Chelsea storm, Arsenal regrouped. Denilson's outstanding turn left Lampard for dead and a perfect pass set Aliadiere free down the right. Baptista and Diaby raced into the box screaming for a pass but Aliadiere was denied by Ricardo Carvalho as he tried to jink past the Portuguese defender.
The second half was just as pulsating and just as open. Arsenal, as they did in the first half, started strongly. Cech made a tremendous save to deny Diaby after Baptista's pass inside the full back had sent the Frenchman through on goal. Then Fabregas flashed a shot across goal which missed Cech's far post by a matter of inches.
The ebb and flow was halted for six minutes after a sickening injury to John Terry. The England captain stooped for a header inside the Arsenal six-yard box and took a boot in the face. A worried hush descended on the Millennium Stadium but, thankfully, Terry's condition did not seem too grave as he was stretchered from the pitch.
Drogba forced a smart stop from Almunia when play restarted and Wenger made his first change - Eboue for Traore. Shortly afterwards Alexander Hleb replaced Diaby. The two subs changed the game when they emerged from the bench at Tottenham in the first leg of the Semi-Final. Sadly, they didn't have the same impact on this occasion.
As the clocked ticked down, the game tightened up. Lampard almost gave Chelsea the edge with a thunderous drive which cannoned off the crossbar with 18 minutes left. Then Fabregas picked out Toure from a corner but the Arsenal captain misdirected his header.
With 10 minutes left Wenger played his final card - Adebayor. But it was another centre forward who stole the show as Drogba nodded Robben's left-wing cross firmly past Almunia. Andrei Shevchenko rattled the bar shortly afterwards as Arsenal went for broke.
Seven minutes of injury time were added on, courtesy of Terry's injury and, with time running out, a huge melee broke out after a Mikel's foul on Toure. Red cards followed for Mikel, Adebayor and Toure himself. It shouldn't be allowed to tarnish the memory of a fabulous Cup Final.
And so Arsenal's final visit to the Millennium Stadium ends in defeat - their fourth in 10 trips to Cardiff. With Wembley poised to open its doors, this trip represents the end of an era. But in a losing cause, Wenger's young stars proved that this is also a new dawn. -
Scoreboard after Feb 24/25 EPL matches & 25 Feb Carling cup match:
1. a-Lost-9uY 35pts
2. T.Ryousuke 30pts
3. stevenliew 27pts
4. anhydrouscoppersulphate 22pts
5. zocoss 22pts
6. used 20pts
7. turbo_drift 14pts
8. lpx88 15pts
9. pervertboi 12pts
10. felirox 9pts
11. finoq 8pts
==========Relegation Zone==========
12. stan 5pts
13. sand king 4pts
14. ^tamago^ 1pts
Last matches of the month: FA Cup Replay: Reading v Man Utd / Blackburn vs Arsenal 10 points up for grabs... Only top 3 are in with a realistic chance to win Feb top spot.
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unlucky dat the young guns nvr win...
but nonetheless congrats the chelsea for doing well in the game. -
Adebayor bewildered by final red card
Emmanuel Adebayor could not understand his red card following an ugly melee during the closing minutes of this afternoon's Carling Cup final at the Millennium Stadium.
The Togo striker, a second-half substitute, had not been on the pitch for long when players and coaches from both sides became embroiled in a mass brawl following a tussle between Kolo Toure and Mikel John Obi.
When calm was eventually restored, both men were sent off - along with Adebayor. Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard and Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas were cautioned. Referee Howard Webb consulted with his assistant before showing Adebayor a red card, apparently for clashing with Blues full-back Wayne Bridge.
The 21-year-old, however, protested his innocence. Adebayor said: 'I had just come on, we were 2-1 down and I remember that Kolo had the ball, and someone was pushing him - he fell down. 'He was getting really angry and wanted to exchange words with the player.
'I just ran over there to breakdown everything, trying to stop Kolo and also [Emmanuel] Eboue. 'I think [Wayne] Bridge came on to me. I cannot remember if I pushed him or not. 'At that moment, you have a lot of things in your head. 'If you see one Chelsea player behind you, you think he is going to maybe hit you. 'The referee said I hit somebody, but I cannot remember that. 'I was just trying to stop everything and I got the red card. It is not fair, but that is football.'
Adebayor was eventually escorted from the pitch by Arsenal physio Gary Lewin after appearing to refuse to leave the field of play. He now looks set for a three-match ban.
'As a footballer, in a big final like this, I do not want to leave my team-mates,' the striker said. 'I want to fight to the end of the game and, when I saw the red card, of course I was nervous [agitated]. 'My reaction after the card did not mean I wanted to hit the referee - I just wanted to know why he gave me the red card.
'I was just trying to tell him that, when I came there, it was not for fighting, it was for breaking down people getting angry with each other. 'People told me I had to go, and I said I just want to ask the referee why he gave me a red card.
'I do not think I did anything wrong.' The incident marred what had otherwise been an excellent final in Cardiff. 'We played some amazing football,' said Adebayor. 'In the first half, we had a lot of chances, which we did not take. -
Wenger admits young Gunners lost nerve
Arsene Wenger admitted his young side lost their nerve as the Carling Cup final descended into a mass brawl.
Arsenal captain Kolo Toure and striker Emmanuel Adebayor were sent off along with Chelsea's Mikel Jon Obi as things turned ugly.
Both clubs are likely to face further sanctions from the Football Association after Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and Wenger both raced on to the Millennium stadium pitch to try to quell the fracas, which began when Mikel kicked the ball away at a free-kick after pulling back Kolo Toure with Arsenal searching for an equaliser.
Wenger admitted: 'We lost our nerve with seven minutes to go.
'You must always keep your nerve. And instead of losing it we should have taken the free-kick. It was the best way to come back.
'I'm very disappointed because I don't think it reflected the quality of the game.
'Both teams went for it in a fair way and I know the media will speak more about that (the brawl) than the quality of the game.
'There were a few punches exchanged, not only from our side, but I know people will keep a piece of the game in their mind.'
Asked if he felt the pre-match verbal battle between the two managers contributed to the punch-up, Wenger said: 'I feel responsible for everything.
'If I am guilty I will take it but I feel it was just tense. Both teams wanted to win. Kolo was pulled back, the guy kicks the ball away.
'If we had kept our calm we had enough energy and mental resources to come back and it would have been very close. It killed our last chance to come back to 2-2.'
Wenger admitted he was 'worried' the FA would take further action against the players when they viewed the tape, saying: 'I'm sure they will be punished once or twice.'
And while the Frenchman said he had never before had to come on to the pitch as a manager he defended his actions.
He added: 'I wanted to calm things down. To make sure nothing major happened.
'Basically I'm not strong enough to do that. Maybe I overestimated my power a bit.'
Mourinho, who saw his side lift the first trophy of the season with a 2-1 triumph, put the fisticuffs down to frustration.
He said: 'What happened in the last part of the game was a pity.
'Maybe it was a consequence of some frustration and some players losing emotion.
'Hopefully we can forget these things. Sometimes players lose their emotions. We shouldn't kill them for that, we should try to educate them and that's what I will do with Mikel.
'Adebayor was sent off but some of my players are saying Emmanuel Eboue was more responsible.
'Overall the game was a good game without a problem. It was a game of fair play.
'I went on the pitch because I was afraid it could go far. I was there trying to stop Chelsea. Arsene Wenger was there also. It helped control the emotions of the players. That is what we do.'
Mourinho admitted he also expected players to face FA punishment.
He said: 'They have to learn through experience. For Arsenal the last 10 minutes were emotional in the wrong way. It was 10 against nine. It was finished.'
Wenger, however, saw some possible long-term benefits in the late rumpus.
He said: 'Until now we were more lamb than wolves. I feel this is a young squad with a high aggression level in a positive way but, of course, you want to keep it under control and not lose your nerve.
'We will learn from today and next time we'll know that until the last minute we have to keep calm.
'My only regrets are that number one we had the chances to kill the game in the first half and we didn't do it.
'We had three or four key opportunities and at half-time the game should have been beyond Chelsea.
'My further regret is that the referee (Howard Webb) had some very bad decisions today, vitally important decisions.
'The first Chelsea goal was offside. We feel that Adebayor was clean through without being offside.
'For me they were obvious decisions. I am very happy with our performance but very disappointed we didn't win the trophy.' -
This cup mean alot to the youndsters hard work but to Chelsea players is their face problem. If Toure got 3 match ban Gallas need to fill his place.
Arsenal always like to fight and end up kana fine, can't they just take the free kick fast and move on? For the kick on Terry , Diaby should had get a yellow for that and panelty to Chelsea. The referee is the worse by making mistake.
Why referee never kana anything for making mistake? Same goes to the linesman. -
Who was the man of the match??
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we seem to have a few matches where the added on time was more than 10 mins this season!!
denilson looks like another fiberglass -
JOHN TERRY thanked Arsenal physio Gary Lewin for saving his life after his Carling Cup horror. JT shook hands with Lewin in an emotional meeting and told him: “Thank you mate, I owe you one.”
It was LewinÂ’s swift reactions which helped to avert a tragedy when the Chelsea skipper was accidentally kicked in the face by Abou Diaby in SundayÂ’s Cardiff final.
Terry was knocked unconscious and was convulsing after swallowing his tongue. But Lewin was already on the spot after treating an Arsenal player seconds earlier and sprang into action to help Terry.
Lewin, who doubles up as England physio, helped revive Terry and made sure he had regained consciousness. And Terry, 26, made a point of seeking out the Arsenal medic when he returned to the Millennium Stadium after leaving hospital to join in the Chelsea celebrations on Sunday night.
But, while Terry partied, Arsenal star Diaby was limping in pain. He damaged an ankle in the incident and faces two weeks out. -
swallowed the tongue?wth
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how do you swallow your own tongue -
Chew on it first.Originally posted by used:
how do you swallow your own tongue -
I would disagree on Terry - Diaby incident.Originally posted by T.Ryousuke:This cup mean alot to the youndsters hard work but to Chelsea players is their face problem. If Toure got 3 match ban Gallas need to fill his place.
Arsenal always like to fight and end up kana fine, can't they just take the free kick fast and move on? For the kick on Terry , Diaby should had get a yellow for that and panelty to Chelsea. The referee is the worse by making mistake.
Why referee never kana anything for making mistake? Same goes to the linesman.
The challenge was clearly accidental, hence both managers didn't speak up on foul in this matter.
Free kick - yes
Yellow Card - no
Penalty - no.
I agree that refree made lots of mistakes. He should be replaced.