Welcome to Nigerianeye's live text coverage of the FA Cup final showdown between Arsenal and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.
The Blues head into the match on a real high after winning a second Premier League title in three years, accruing the second-highest ever points tally in the process. It has not been such a positive campaign for the Gunners so far, however, with this their last hope of salvaging a season that has seen questions continue to mount over the future of under-fire boss Arsene Wenger. Follow all of the action as it unfolds in the 136th edition of the final with our extensive updates below.
OFFICIAL LINE-UPS
ARSENAL: Ospina; Holding, Mertesacker, Monreal; Bellerin, Ramsey, Xhaka, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Ozil, Sanchez; Welbeck
CHELSEA: Courtois; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill; Moses, Kante, Matic, Alonso; Pedro, Costa, Hazard
Referee Anthony Taylor blows his whistle for full time - what a superb game. For the neutral, at least, because those Chelsea fans in attendance will be hugely disappointing, seeing their side come so close to history but falling short at the last. Arsenal were the better side overall and deserved winners, albeit doing it the hard way after being pegged back by their 10-man opponents. Thanks for joining our live coverage of the match! Until next time!
90+4 min FULL TIME: ARSENAL 2-1 CHELSEA
90+2 min Gripping right to the end. Chelsea will not give up, knowing that they require just one chance to take this to extra time. Arsenal now just two minutes of added time away from their record 13th FA Cup triumph - enough to salvage their season.
90 min OFF THE POST! Ozil has squandered a great chance to seal things. He initially did well to get the beating of his man, cutting inside but instead picking out the post from eight yards. Batshuayi is on for Costa.
88 min SAVE! We are into the final two minutes of normal time at Wembley Stadium, where Arsenal just need to see things through. They are trying their best to throw it away - Costa is through but his shot is superbly kept out by Ospina. What a match!
86 min CLOSE! Bellerin charges forward, clearly with plenty more energy still left in him, but drags wide of goal with his shot at the end of it. Arsenal not making the same mistake as before, instead attacking rather than sitting back.
84 min YELLOW CARD! Coquelin is on for Oxlade-Chamberlain to help see out the closing stages. His first contribution, less than a minute after being introduced, is to give away a free kick and receive a yellow card.
82 min YELLOW CARD! Xhaka cautioned for a foul, but further punishment nearly followed. Luiz got on the end of the free kick, sending his header narrowly wide of the target. Chelsea refusing to give up at Wembley!
80 min Absolutely incredible! After working hard to somehow get themselves level, despite the man disadvantage, Chelsea have thrown the game away just a couple of minutes later. Giroud sent a cross into the box and Ramsey was the man most advanced, nodding it past Courtois.
79 min GOAL! ARSENAL 2-1 CHELSEA (AARON RAMSEY)
78 min Right on cue, Arsenal are made to pay for failing to make much of their dominance count. Willian chipped the ball into the box and Costa was able to bring it under control, setting himself and then placing the ball out of Ospina's reach.
77 min GOAL! ARSENAL 1-1 CHELSEA (DIEGO COSTA)
76 min Chelsea no closer to breaching Ospina's goal since going a man down, understandably. As long as there is one goal in this match it is not over, though, setting up a potentially tense finale in the English capital.
74 min Wenger still yet to turn to his bench, happy with what he is seeing from his 11 starters. If it does go to extra time then the teams will have an additional sub available to make, which will be particularly handy for Chelsea.
70 min Chelsea were just about the team in the ascendancy, with Willian about to be brought on, but that has all changed. Arsenal going in search of a killer second, but Oxlade-Chamberlain sent a curler over the bar rather than picking out a teammate.
68 min RED CARD! Anthony Taylor has made another massive call. Moses went down in the box, with Oxlade-Chamberlain the closest player to him, but was rightly shown a yellow for diving. Is that a game-changing moment?
66 min A couple of wayward attempts from the Blues in what is a very open second half. Willian has been sent to warm up and seems like the obvious next choice for Conte to turn to, likely in place of Pedro. That said, Hazard has not done a great deal.
64 min SAVE! Arsenal back to looking the brighter side now, as the ball is played through to spare man Bellerin. The wing-back's shot was hit well and on target, but Courtois did very well to keep it out down to his right.
62 min CHELSEA SUB! The change that many expected Conte to make, turning to former Arsenal player Fabregas in place of Matic. The Spaniard made over 300 appearances for the Gunners but is now very much a Blues player.
60 min SHOT! Not far wide at all from Pedro, who was picked out in acres of space by Moses around 20 yards from goal. Ball was sent wide of Ospina's goal in the end, as Kante is shown yellow for a tackle on Ramsey.
58 min YELLOW CARD! Good communication from Arsenal's defensive duo, as Mertesacker leaves Azpilicueta's dangerous cross for Holding to head over for a corner. The hour mark approaching at Wembley Stadium - which manager will blink first? Moses booked for hauling down Welbeck.
56 min Arsenal counter but Bellerin sends a poor cross into the box, with Courtois able to collect and spring a break for his side. End-to-end stuff all of a sudden, as Chelsea all of a sudden begin to look more like their title-winning selves.
54 min YELLOW CARD! Second caution of the contest, again shown to an Arsenal player. Holding barges over Costa near the box and enters Anthony Taylor's book. Hazard clips it in and Mertesacker - who else? - is there to head behind.
52 min SAVE! Mertesacker has been superb this evening, as has Ospina whenever he has been called upon. Moses was played through and drove the ball towards the bottom corner, but Ospina got a big hand to it. Costa then wrong penalised in the box.
50 min SAVE! As expected, the Blues looking far better after a real poor first-half showing at Wembley Stadium. Pedro again involved, laying it off for Kante to blast down the middle. Rather simple save for Ospina in the end.
48 min Chelsea the brighter of the two teams in the opening stages of the second half. Pedro's initial shot was well blocked by Mertesacker, who is having a good game, and his second bite of the cherry came to little.
46 min RESTART! We are back under way at Wembley Stadium, where neither manager has opted to make an alteration at the break. A little surprising in Conte's case, but expect that to change in 10 minutes or so if things do not pan out differently.
Alonso's free kick, much like Chelsea's first-half display, was very disappointing as he sent it high over the bar. A very bright opening 45 minutes as far as Arsenal are concerned, justifiably going into the break a goal to the good thanks to an Alexis Sanchez strike. Plenty of excitement at Wembley Stadium so far!
45+3 min HALF-TIME: ARSENAL 1-0 CHELSEA
44 min Things have gone a little quieter over the last 10 minutes, with Pedro's poor shot the closest either side has come to adding the game's second goal. Hazard appeared to be chopped down by Ozil, but Anthony Taylor felt the ball was won.
42 min An error from Ospina, as he fails to collect a simple cross at his near post. No danger, however, as there was no play in Blue close enough to pounce. Three minutes of the half to play and the Prem champs desperately looking to wrestle some control.
40 min CHANCE! A patient passage of Chelsea play ends with Pedro being anything but patient. Rather than taking his time he put his foot through the ball from close range, sending the ball high over Ospina's crossbar.
38 min Too easy for Arsenal at times, as Sanchez again gets on the end of another simple ball around the back. He managed to cut inside and saw his shot blocked by Cahill, with Welbeck unable to make himself available for the pass.
36 min Chelsea can have no complaints if things remain this way heading into the break. The Gunners will kick themselves if they were to concede in the next 10 minutes following what has been a dominant showing from them so far.
34 min SAVE! Arsenal look so impressive when getting bodies forward. Welbeck has more than justified his inclusion so far, running down the left flank and earning a free kick once tripped by Azpilicueta. The set piece is cleared as far as Xhaka, whose shot from range is pushed aside by Courtois.
32 min OFF THE LINE! No doubt that we now have a more balanced game on our hands. Chelsea could well have been level, in fact, because that was half a chance for Costa on the end of a Pedro pass from deep. From the next attack, though, Welbeck squeezed the ball past Courtois but Cahill was again on the line!
30 min SAVE! A first save of the afternoon made by Ospina, who has been left in some pain. A simple ball around the back, which Bellerin was unable to deal with, allowing Costa to get a shot on target. Ospina saves and takes a trailing boot to his face.
28 min Just the odd sign that Chelsea are starting to grow into this game now. A cross into the box is dealt with by the Gunners, allowing Welbeck to counter. Kante brought him down but avoided a booking from Anthony Taylor.
26 min The last few minutes have been a little quieter, to the delight of Conte. For Chelsea, it might just be a case of seeing through the first half, because they will not be as sloppy as this after 15 minutes in the same changing room as the Italian.
24 min It is not just the Gunners' attacking players who are up for this one - the defenders are stepping up to the plate on the rare occasions they are called upon. Costa denied by the long legs of Mertesacker when getting himself on the ball.
22 min Well the good news for Chelsea fans is that they are only one goal down at this point. A Costa shot aside, blocked aside by
20 min OFF THE POST! This is pretty incredible. Arsenal are on fire at the moment and will be kicking themselves not to have strengthened their lead. Welbeck meets the corner with his head, sending it back off the post, and Ramsey could not adjust as he chested against the same post from
18 min OFF THE LINE! What a game! Monreal was slipped through but, with the angle against him, he did all he could by lofting the ball over Courtois. Cahill was in the right place to clear off the line - what a big moment that could
16 min BLOCK! They have barely been on the ball in the final third all evening, yet Chelsea could so easily have drawn themselves level. Costa pounces on a loose ball in the box and sees his goal-bound shot blocked by Monreal in front of goal.
14 min SHOT! Sanchez simply loves this venue, doesn't he? Seven in six here for him now, and he comes close to another with the cleanest strike of the ball you will see from range. A little too clean in the end, sending it over the bar.
12 min Arsenal looking very good in these opening 12 minutes. Conte barking out instructions, presumably telling his players to stop sitting back. Spurs used these tactics and won in January; Everton, among others, were thrashed. It is working a treat for the Gunners at the moment.
10 min YELLOW CARD! Ramsey becomes the first player to be cautioned for pulling back on his opponent. Chelsea, behind in the FA Cup for the first time this season, looking very shaky at the moment as Courtois almost messes up
8 min The officials got the decision right in the end - the goal should have stood. Sanchez chested the ball into the box and ran on to it, tucking past Courtois for his seventh goal here in six appearances. The debate was whether Ramsey, alongside Sanchez, interfered with play, but he backed away from the ball before his teammate could slot it away. Great start for the Gunners!
6 min Some cup finals pass by without a goal or any sort of talking point, with the occasion getting to players. Four minutes into the match here and we have an almighty topic of discussion already! Sanchez put the ball into the net but was flagged for offside. Arsenal players were furious and, following discussions between ref and linesman, the goal was indeed awarded.
5 min GOAL! ARSENAL 1-0 CHELSEA (ALEXIS SANCHEZ)
3 min Arsenal seeing plenty of the ball in the opening few minutes, probing away without really causing any problems. Chelsea happy to sit back, rather than really getting in their opponents' faces, but that could well change as things go on.
1 min KICKOFF! We are up and running in the 136th FA Cup final, as Arsenal take on Chelsea at Wembley Stadium. All the ingredients for a possible classic, in what is a far-from-traditional evening kickoff, so let us just hope that it lives up to all the hype!
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