Adebayor: I was the peacemaker
The Togo striker, a second-half substitute, had not been on the pitch for long when players and coaches from both sides became embroiled in a mass brawl following a tussle between Kolo Toure and Mikel John Obi.
When calm was eventually restored, both men were sent off – along with Adebayor.
Referee Howard Webb consulted with his assistant before showing Adebayor a red card, apparently for clashing with Wayne Bridge.
The 21-year-old, however, protested his innocence. Adebayor said: “I had just come on, we were 2-1 down and I remember that Kolo had the ball, and someone was pushing him – he fell down. He was getting really angry and wanted to exchange words with the player.
“I just ran over there to breakdown everything, trying to stop Kolo and also (Emmanuel) Eboue. I think (Wayne) Bridge came on to me. I cannot remember if I pushed him or not. At that moment, you have a lot of things in your head.
“If you see one Chelsea player behind you, you think he is going to maybe hit you. The referee said I hit somebody, but I cannot remember that. I was just trying to stop everything and I got the red card. It is not fair, but that is football.”
Adebayor was eventually escorted from the pitch by Arsenal physio Gary Lewin after appearing to refuse to leave the field of play. He now looks set for a three-match ban.
“As a footballer, in a big final like this, I do not want to leave my team-mates,” the striker said. “People told me I had to go, and I said I just want to ask the referee why he gave me a red card.”
The incident marred what had otherwise been an excellent final in Cardiff.
“We played some amazing football,” said Adebayor. “In the first half, we had a lot of chances, which we did not take.
“Chelsea did very well and (Didier) Drogba showed he is one of the biggest players in the Premiership.”
Meanwhile Jose Mourinho admitted his immediate thoughts flashed back to Petr Cech’s skull fracture when he saw skipper John Terry go down after suffering a sickening blow to the head at the Millennium Stadium.
“The first point is ‘Is he safe? Is the man fine?’ John’s wife, his little babies are here, so the most important thing is that the man is safe. Once we know he is okay, then we can think about the football.”
Although Mourinho did not see what happened, he apportioned no blame to Diaby, who was in tears as Terry was put on a stretcher, having kicked the defender with such force he jarred an ankle and was eventually substituted himself.
“John risked himself and the Arsenal player was trying to protect his goal,” said Mourinho. “I have no criticism about that.
“The Arsenal medical team was already there because they had been treating an injury close to the situation, so by the time our people got there, everything was under control.”
Mourinho waved five celebratory fingers into the air after Chelsea’s Carling Cup triumph but pointedly refused to confirm his gesture was aimed at owner Roman Abramovich.
“I wasn’t waving at anyone,” said the Blues boss, who joined the club in the summer of 2004. “It was five fingers for five trophies we have won in two-and-a-half years; Premiership, Premiership, Carling Cup, Carling Cup and Community Shield.”
He added: “The fans are fantastic to me. They know the happy moments we are living together. The players are fantastic too,” he said.
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