Chelsea's Diego Costa (centre) attempts a shot during the Emirates FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, London.Chelsea were terrible, Arsenal unrecognisable. The FA Cup went to north London instead of west and then dream of the Chelsea Double evaporated as Arsenal defeated the Premier League champions 2-1 at a packed Wembley Stadium this evening.
The Blues went behind in dubious circumstances after just five minutes when Alexis Sanchez stroked the ball past Thibaut Courtois. Claims of offside by Aaron Ramsey, which he was, was wiped out by referee Anthony Taylor, who, after consulting with his linesman who awarded the offside pointed to the centre spot to give the goal.
Worse followed in the second half where Victor Moses was red carded for a second bookable offence, this time for diving.
Arsenal’s Rob Holding (left) helps up Chelsea’s Diego Costa during the Emirates FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, London.
But a ray of hope came from the boot of Diego Costa, only for a lapse in defence allowed Aaron Ramsey to head home three minutes after the equaliser.
Chelsea were a pale shadow of the side who won the league title and looked like a side who were already on the beach.
But Arsenal had purpose and the tactical nous to cancel out Chelsea best players and the better side won.
Arsenal had the ball in the net after five minutes in controversial circumstances.
After a opening period of possession from the north London side, the ball fell to in-running Alexis Sanchez who stroked the ball home from close range.
But Aaron Ramsey, was in an offside position in front of the Thibaut Courtois. The linesman flagged for offside but the Arsenal players protested. Referee Anthony Taylor consulted within the lineman and pointed to the centre spot.
A 25-harder from live wire Sanchez only just skimmed over Courtois’s crossbar as Arsenal’s total dominance almost double their lead.
The Blues did have a half-chance on 15 minutes but Diego Costa’s snatched shot just inside the area was block.
Seconds later and Gary Cahill had to clear off the line as Mesut Ozil’s near post clipped ball over Courtois was inches away from a goal.
Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois makes a save
Danny Welbeck was just a goal post width away from number two for Arsenal, meeting a Ozil corner with the perfect header the ball rebounded off the post only for Ramsey to nod it against the same upright and out for a goals-kick.
Chelsea eventually got some traction in the game and Costa was unlucky to see his goal-bound effort from Coast bounce off David Ospina’s body for a corner.
Courtois and Cahill produced two more saves to thwart Welbeck as the game see-sawed between both goals.
Next up, on 30 minutes was Granit Xhaka’s left-footed volley from 20-yards which Courtois did well to parry away for a corner.
There was no change in personnel at half-time from either side.
Chelsea started the second period on the front foot, excellent possession in and around the Arsenal penalty area.
N’Golo Kante had a deflected shot, on target, but it looped straight into Ospina’s hands.
Ospina was quick to react to a Moses drive on 52 minutes as the Blues went in search of the equaliser.
Pedro had a shot which inched past the Arsenal right post after good set-up play by Moses on the right.
Antonio Conte made his first bold substitution, replacing Matic with Fabregas on 61 minutes.
Hector Bellerin tried his arm as a quick break saw the Spain defender running in, but his first time shot was a well saved by Courtois.
Footballing disaster struck the Premier League champions on 69 minutes when Moses was adjudged to have dived in the penalty area. Taylor brandished the yellow card, which added to his first foul a could meant he was sent off.
Conte then replaced Pedro for Willian as the clock ticked down to seeming defeat.
Then out of the blue – Chelsea equalised with 14 minutes left.
The ball was dropped nicely to Costa, in the penalty area. He chested the ball down and volleyed home a scuffed shot beyond Ospina.
But the lead lasted three minutes as Oxlade-Chamberlain cut a byline cross into the grateful path of in-running Ramsey, who had the easiest of chances to head home to restore the Arsenal lead.
David Luiz’s extravagant diving header from an acute angle from a Willian free-kick was the best Chelsea could muster, while Costa perhaps should have scored with four minutes on the clock but his left footed volleyed was straight at Ospina.
Ozil smacked Courtois’s left post but in thirty it was all over by then.
Costa was then taken off to be replaced by Michy Batshuayi with nothing coming from the Belgium striker to take the final into extra-time.
Chelsea: Courtois, Alonso, Kante, Hazard, Pedro, Moses, Matic, Cahill, Costa, Azpilicueta, Luiz
Subs: Begovic, Fabregas, Zouma, Ake, Willian, Batshuayi, Terry
Arsenal: Ospina, Mertesacker, Sanchez, Ramsey, Ozil, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Hiolding, Montreal, Welbeck, Bellerin, Xhaka
Subs
Cech, Perez, Giroud, Walcott, Iwobi, Coquelin, Eleney
Referee Anthony Taylor