Avoid more red card misery, Chelsea stars told

LONDON: Antonio Conte has warned his Chelsea stars to keep their cool as they bid to avoid more red card misery against Arsenal.

Conte’s side have lost their past two meetings with Arsenal in the FA Cup final and the Community Shield after having a player sent off in each encounter.

Victor Moses was dismissed in the 2-1 FA Cup final defeat last season after the Chelsea wing-back earned a second booking for diving.

Blues winger Pedro saw red in the Community Shield in August after a lunge on Arsenal’s Mohamed Elneny and Chelsea were eventually beaten on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

Conte disagreed with both decisions but he knows the red cards had a significant influence on Chelsea’s defeats against their London rivals.

Keen to avoid another damaging dismissal at Stamford Bridge this weekend, the Chelsea boss told his players to focus on keeping their emotions in check, while also placing the spotlight on referee Michael Oliver.

“I hope to finish the game with 11 players – in the last two games, the FA Cup final and the Community Shield, we finished with 10 men – then during the game the best team will win,” Conte told reporters on Friday.

“For sure when you start the game, you try to keep always the right discipline. But in both situations you have to see very well if there was a red card or not.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea have released a statement urging fans travelling to Stamford Bridge to take extra precautions in the aftermath of Friday’s terrorism incident in London, as Parsons Green is near the club’s stadium.

A home-made bomb on a packed rush-hour commuter train engulfed a carriage in flames and injured at least 22 people, despite apparently failing to fully explode.

The statement seeks to reassure worried supporters, with the club insisting safety is of “paramount importance”.

Chelsea also urged fans to remain vigilant and if they see anything they are ”unhappy with” then they should report it to a steward or member of staff as quickly as possible. —

I hope to finish the game with 11 players.

Antonio Conte