CARDIFF, Feb 26: Striker Didier Drogba scored twice as Chelsea came from behind to beat Arsenal 2-1 in a League Cup final marred by a head injury to England captain John Terry and an ugly late brawl that led to three red cards.

Arsenal's 17-year-old forward Theo Walcott opened the scoring in the 12th minute with his first goal for the club but Drogba levelled seven minutes later and then headed the winner in the 84th minute.

The match was stopped twice though in the second half, with Terry being carried off on a stretcher in a neckbrace after being accidentally kicked in the face and knocked unconscious.

Terry, who was given the all-clear at Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales, returned to the stadium where he joined his team mates in celebrating the victory.

A final which had produced plenty of entertaining football was later marred by a fracas sparked by Arsenal's captain for the day Kolo Toure and Terry's replacement, Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel.

Both sides were drawn into the melee, while Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and Arsenal's Arsene Wenger came on to the pitch to try and calm things down.

Toure, Mikel and Arsenal's Togo substitute Emmanuel Adebayor were all sent off as a result of the scenes, which were a far cry from the vibrant start to the game.

Despite fielding a young side with just two first-team regulars in Toure and Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal made a remarkably assured start and twice threatened to carve Chelsea's defence open before Walcott struck.

An unused member of England's World Cup squad, the teenager latched on to a forward ball from French midfielder Abou Diaby and steered his shot coolly past keeper Petr Cech.

Premier League champions for the past two seasons, Chelsea hardly flinched at the setback and were soon on level terms.

Germany captain Michael Ballack curled a clever pass over the offside trap and Drogba had time to tee up his shot before rifling the ball beneath the advancing keeper Manuel Almunia.

Mourinho, who won his first trophy as Chelsea coach in this competition in 2005, added more incision to his side by replacing French holding midfielder Claude Makelele with Dutch winger Arjen Robben for the second half.

But it was Arsenal who continued to play neat, passing football, creating a few half-chances along the way.

The action stopped when Terry stooped to head a loose ball and took the full force of Diaby's attempted clearance in a sickening clash.

Players of both sides immediately beckoned medical staff and the captain, who looked to have been knocked out cold, was eventually taken off with an oxygen mask and a neck brace.

The final re-started and eventually regained its earlier rhythm with Arsenal being driven forward by teenage midfielders Fabregas and Brazilian Denilson.

But Chelsea were dangerous too as Frank Lampard cracked a dipping shot onto the crossbar with Almunia off his line and beaten.

Drogba then settled it when he rose ahead of Philippe Senderos to meet Robben's pinpoint cross from the left with a glancing header into the bottom corner.

Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko then smashed a shot against the bar before the game turned into chaos with the injury-time brawl.—Reuters