Poison pens for Chelsea as Pedro red card proves gift to Gunners
Courtois but cannoned back off the post. However, Arsenal were forced into a change when Per Mertesacker, at the start of his final season as a player, was elbowed in the face by Gary Cahill.
It looked an accident but Mertesacker needed lengthy treatment for a cut before coming off to be replaced by Kolasinac.
Antonio Conte was fuming when Willian then went into referee Bobby Madley’s book for diving in the box. It was a dive by Moses that got him sent off as Chelsea lost the final, and though Willian’s looked more like he had tripped, he didn’t escape a caution.
Redemption came for Moses when he finally opened the scoring just after half-time when Granit Xhaka twice failed to clear a Willian corner. The second time proved fatal as Cahill beat him in the air and Moses pounced to slam home from close range for his first Chelsea goal in 27 games.
With Wenger looking angrier by the minute, Xhaka finally forced Cech into another save with a stunner from 30 yards.
But the game didn’t turn until Chelsea were reduced to 10 men when Pedro got his marching orders for a late, studs-up challenge on the back of Elneny’s lower leg.
Xhaka made him pay, floating in the freekick for Kolasinac to evade substitute Antonio Rudiger and score with a header.
Theo Walcott looked like he might win it at the death, only for Cahill to deny him with a superb block tackle.
But when the penalties came, Courtois and Morata were the only ones to miss, sending Wenger and his side back up the famous steps to lift the Shield. Cech 6; Holding 6, Mertesacker 5 (Kolasinac 32, 6), Monreal 6; Bellerin 6, Elneny 6, Xhaka 5, OxladeChamberlain 6; Welbeck 6 (Nelson 87), LACAZETTE 7 (Giroud 66, 6), Iwobi 6 (Walcott 67, 6). Ospina, Maitland-Niles, Willock. Leicester (h), Premier League, Friday. Courtois 6; Azpilicueta 6, Luiz 6, CAHILL 8; Moses 7, Fabregas 6, Kante 6, Alonso 6 (Rudiger 79); Willian 7 (Musonda 82), Batshuayi 5 (Morata 74), Pedro 4. Caballero, Christensen, Scott, Boga. Burnley (h), Premier League, Saturday. Bobby Madley 6.