Conte defends Moses after FA Cup final dive: He was tired!

The Blues winger was sent off against Arsenal after falling to the floor to try and win a penalty but his manager insists that he is not a cheat

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has defended Victor Moses after he was sent off for diving in Saturday’s FA Cup final against Arsenal, suggesting he went to ground because he was tired.

The wing-back went into the book after a foul on Danny Welbeck shortly before the hour mark, and soon after received his second yellow card of the afternoon.

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Referee Anthony Taylor gave the Nigerian his marching orders after he went to ground under no contact from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain inside the penalty area in the 68th minute.

Nevertheless, Conte refused to judge Moses and believes fatigue played a major role in the 26-year-old’s crash to the floor.

“Honestly, I did not see the situation. I do not know for sure, but there is a lot of attention on this moment. Sometimes I think it could be tiredness,” Conte said.

“We are at the end of the season and a lot of players are tired and then there is a lot of pressure. For sure, it is not a good situation to dive, it is true.

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“But Moses is an honest player and, if there was this situation, he was tired and he did not want to cheat the referee.”

Chelsea eventually ended up losing the final 2-1, with Aaron Ramsey netting the winner with 11 minutes left on the clock.