Referees' chief Keith Hackett is looking to the English FA to deal with the "unseemly" brawl which marred Sunday's Carling Cup final between Chelsea and Arsenal at the Millennium Stadium.

And he believes match referee Howard Webb dealt "calmly and firmly" with the situation - he sent three players off - but insists managers Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho should not have come on to the pitch to help break up trouble.

Hackett, general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Board, said: "Howard and his assistants had a good game on that incident which was out of character from the rest of the match.

"They dealt calmly and firmly with it and after consultation Howard took appropriate action. His report will go into the FA and they will look at those unseemly situations that arose. It was a pity because it was a fantastic game."

Hackett is anxious that Webb presents his report without interference, insisting on BBC Radio 5 Live: "I have not contacted Howard yet.

"He has to put his report in and it is important I do not get involved in a debate. I do not want to influence the outcome of the report. It is important the FA deal with this independently."

The referees' chief does not believe managers should encroach on the field of play during such incidents.

He added: "Players and managers have a responsibility and I know the Professional Footballers Association and League Managers Association will give out the appropriate advice."

Asked if managers should run on to the pitch even though they were trying to quell the trouble, Hackett said: "No. This will be looked at by the FA. It was done with all good intentions but what we need is for those other than players to stay off the field, apart from security."

Video replays indicated that Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor should not have been sent off and that Emmanuel Eboue appeared to strike Chelsea defender Wayne Bridge.

"I think players came together and I have no doubt the FA will look at the videos carefully and they will deal with it in their usual manner."

The FA will await the arrival of Webb's official report before deciding whether to take further action.

Gunners skipper Kolo Toure, team-mate Emmanuel Adebayor and Chelsea's Jon Obi Mikel were all dismissed.

There were claims after the game that Adebayor was the victim of mistaken identity, with Webb getting the wrong man after Eboue's clash with Bridge.

The mistaken identity argument is unlikely to save Adebayor from an investigation into his conduct following the red card, when he had to be forcibly removed from the pitch by Arsenal staff as he attempted to protest his innocence.

At the very least, both sides seem sure to find themselves in trouble for failing to control their players, with Eboue facing further sanction if Webb admits to missing the punch altogether or acknowledges he got the wrong man.

Under the FA's new fast-track disciplinary system, both clubs must submit claims for either wrongful dismissal or mistaken identity on Monday, otherwise all three red-carded players will automatically miss three matches.

In Mikel's case, that would start with Chelsea's Premiership trip to Portsmouth, while Toure and Adebayor would crucially be forced to sit out Wednesday's FA Cup replay at Blackburn.

The brawl, which saw as many players dismissed in one minute as in the 46 previous finals altogether, completely overshadowed a pulsating contest, which also featured Chelsea skipper John Terry being stretchered off after being kicked in the head by Abou Diaby.