- Title: Conte says Arsenal opener should have been disallowed
- Date: 27th May 2017
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (MAY 27, 2017) (REUTERS) CHELSEA MANAGER, ANTONIO CONTE, ENTERS NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA MANAGER, ANTONIO CONTE, SAYING: "I think our start, for sure wasn't good, wasn't good enough. Arsenal started the game better than us. Honestly, I think the goal in three minutes in this way and I think this goal was disallowed because there is a clear handball." NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA MANAGER, ANTONIO CONTE, SAYING: "It's very difficult to tell because I saw contact with (Victor) Moses and the defender but I don't know if there is a contact for the penalty or not. But, for sure, the second yellow card was one of the key moments in this game in the same way like the first goal, yep." NEWS CONFERENCE CONTE ONSCREEN (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA MANAGER, ANTONIO CONTE, SAYING: "We have to improve. We have to improve like number in the squad and also in the quality. It's very important this because we must be very cold to analyse the situation, to understand that this season we did something great with the players. It's very important this." CONTE LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 10th June 2017 22:15
- Keywords: Chelsea Antonio Conte FA Cup
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA0016IM6DKV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Chelsea coach Antonio Conte rued his side's slow start to Saturday's (May 27) FA Cup final, and a controversial decision by the referee that set Arsenal on their way to victory, dashing his hopes of a league championship and FA Cup double in his first season in England.
Arsenal took a 1-0 lead in the third minute when striker Alexis Sanchez seemed to catch the ball with his arm, deflecting it over the Chelsea defence and allowing him to nip in to score, even as a linesman had his flag raised for another Arsenal player standing in an offside position.
Referee Anthony Taylor consulted with the linesman before awarding the goal to Arsenal.
Conte said the second-half sending off of wing-back Victor Moses, after he received a second yellow card from Taylor for diving, was another turning point in the match although he did not know whether there had been contact between Moses and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Conte, who led Juventus to three straight Serie A titles before coaching the Italian national side and then moving to London last year, heaped praise on his players for their dominance of the English league this season after a miserable 2015/16 campaign when they finished 10th.
But the Italian made it clear he saw the need to bring in reinforcements over the summer to improve the squad for next season, when Chelsea will contest the Champions League. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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