"We know that Arsenal play counter-attack and in that second I thought it better to foul him rather than allow him to play quickly so they get a goal.
"For the second Vieira has been clever. He's seen that I was a bit late and has pushed the ball and jumped over me like I've touched him.
"I didn't at all. You can see on TV that he just jumps over my leg. But for me that's not really important because unlike my first foul, this is part of the game."
It is not the first time that Desailly has been sent off in a major game- he also saw red in the 1998 World Cup final!