Watching the Arsenal-Chelsea Carling Cup Final on Sunday was one of my top priorities for the weekend, and for 56 minutes of action, it was a scorcher. Unfortunately, after that it was all a moot point.


Chelsea had a corner with the game tied at 1-1, the ball swerved to the front of the goal area as John Terry attempted to score with a diving header. At the same time Arsenal’s Abou Diaby was following the ball’s path, unaware of the diving Terry he attempted to kick the ball far away from the area. What ensued was one of the most horrific moments I have seen on a football field.

Diaby’s kick attempt landed full strength on Terry’s jaw, knocking the Chelsea captain immediately unconscious. He fell to the ground and laid there totally motionless. Having seen the many replays of the events I think Diaby did not realize what had happened even as Terry fell to the ground. Once he and all the players saw that the defender was not moving everyone recognized just what had happened and how serious the situation was.

To put a positive spin on a terrible incident, both teams forgot all about this being a Cup Final, forgot all about the heated rivalry between them, and immediately signalled for the medical staffs of both teams to render aid for the stricken player. It was good to see both sets of players put aside their differences and hold their breath collectively for John Terry.

Thankfully, no matter how dreadful the moment, it was also good to see him return from hospital after examination in time to allow him to celebrate with his teammates at the end of the match.


I believe that this event put a stamp on the rest of the match, as it became obvious that Arsenal’s much publicised young guns were clearly more affected by the incident. Up until that 56th minute Chelsea had no business being tied in the game, as they owed a great amount of gratitude to the Gunners for missing many promising chances, and to Didier Drogba for his sheer brilliance and killer instinct which led to the equalizing goal. It has to be said that other than Chelsea fans, most people I’ve talked to who watched the game all confirmed that Drogba was offside.

The incident involving Terry however seemed to have fuelled this veteran Chelsea team. From then on it became a match which neither team deserved to lose. Drogba’s second goal put Chelsea one to the good, and at this point I was ready to deem this the best Carling Cup final that I have had the privilege of seeing. Fate yet again, had a way of ruining the experience.

The Terry incident understandably meant extra stoppage time, and the referee quite rightly added seven minutes at the end of normal time. In the fifth of those extra minutes all hell broke loose as players and touchline staff got involved in one of the most amazing free-for-alls ever seen at a showpiece game.

It all began with Kolo Touré and John Obi Mikel locking their horns. It seemed like a standard tussle seen many times on a football pitch, but the tension and the rivalry between the clubs saw it escalate into something completely different.

I must admit I probably blinked for a second because I only caught Touré and Mikel getting it on at one second, and then Wayne Bridge, Emmanuel Eboue, Frank Lampard, Cesc Fabregas all being involved the next. It almost turned into an all out war, but thanks in no small part to the swift and decisive actions of the referees with the calming help of both managers an ugly situation was not allowed to become a devastating one.


Both team’s players lost their cool and it was the nearest we have seen to an all-out full-action brawl for a long time. The end result was three red cards (Touré, Mikel, and Emmanuel Adebayor) and two yellows for Cesc Fabregas and Frank Lampard. No camera shot I saw showed what Adebayor had done to deserve his red card and I would be grateful if anyone can offer an explanation in the comments.

But when the final whistle did eventually sound, everyone once again threw all ill-will and rivalry out the window as the players hugged and congratulated each other. But that is unlikely to prevent both clubs being in boiling water with the game's disciplinary hierarchy.

So who was to blame for the punch-up? We would like to hear your views at Sportingo.