Antonio Conte blames Alexis Sanchez after David Luiz red card

London, Sep 18: Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has defended his centre-back David Luiz following the Chelsea player's late sending off for a rash tackle on Sead Kolasinac.

For the third successive game against Arsenal, the Blues were reduced to 10 men after ref Michael Oliver indicated Luiz, who was already booked earlier in the match for catching Laurent Koscielny's face with an attempted bicycle kick, later received a straight red card for an 87th-minute lunging tackle on the Gunners' fullback.

However, the Chelsea boss has pointed fingers towards the decision of the referee and claimed that before the tackle the Brazilian was already fouled by Arsenal's Sanchez which the referee completely overlooked. Conte trusts his safeguard was incited into making the handle by a tussle with Alexis Sanchez minutes prior.

"You know very well that I don't like to comment on refereeing decisions," Conte said of the incident. "It is in the past. Now the only thing I can say is it is very important to see what happened before the David Luiz tackle."

Pointing towards the pressure applied on Luiz by Alexis Sanchez immediately prior to the lunge on Kolasinac, Conte suggested: "For sure, that was a foul. For sure. But, I repeat, the referee took this decision. If he stopped the play before, it wouldn't matter.

"Do you think we are becoming bad? For sure, it's strange, no? A strange situation. But in normal situations, we have to improve. In tactical situations, physical situations, you need to try and improve. Also, you have to be luckier in the future.

"I was a player and I think it can happen, this type of period, if you are not so lucky and receive red cards.

"In the end, we'll try to pay more attention in the future. I hope, also, to be more lucky with the refereeing decisions -- for us, and also for the opponents. Sometimes [this season] the opponents deserved a red card but, instead, they carry on playing with 11 men."

Luiz is now set to miss Chelsea's next three domestic matches, precluding him against Nottingham Forest, Stoke City and, most crucially of all, Manchester City.