Arsenal defeated Chelsea 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium, winning 4-2 on aggregate, with Kai Havertz scoring the winning goal in stoppage time in the second half, sealing their place in the Carabao Cup final.
After a tense encounter, substitute Havertz met Declan Rice’s cross, dribbled past Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and fired into an empty net, sealing Arsenal’s first place in a cup final since 2020.
The win ended Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side’s run of four straight defeats in the semi-finals and means they will face either Manchester City or Newcastle in the final at Wembley next month.
Needing a goal to force extra time following a thrilling five-goal first leg at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea had 14 shots to Arsenal’s five but were unable to create any clear openings.
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Kai Havertz scored in the final seconds in the Carabao Cup semi-final against his former club Chelsea, ensuring Arsenal a place in the final at Wembley.
Enzo Fernandes was the only player given a meaningful test in the first half when Arsenal goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga’s curling shot from outside the box was blocked.
The Gunners were mostly content to protect their lead, but they only came close a few times to Havertz’s 97th-minute winner, only to be held back by their excellent defending, becoming the first club in Europe’s major leagues to keep their 20th clean sheet in all competitions this season.
Pierro Hincapie and Gabriel Magalhães each forced saves from Sanchez and their headers were blocked by Marc Cucurella as they came closest to breaking through, but Havertz had the final say against his former club.
His calmly scored goal sparked wild celebrations among the home fans inside the Emirates Stadium after an injury-hit season and ensured a disgusting climax for Liam Rosenior’s side, keeping Arsenal’s quest for silver medal alive on four fronts.
Arteta: Havertz’s goal was a magical moment
“I’m very happy,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said in a press conference. “Overall, after two games, I think we deserved to get through.”
“It was a long game. We expected it. Kai scored the goal like that, the reaction from the crowd, and we ended the game in a beautiful way.”
“All the starters, finishers and staff were there. It was magical. It was a really tough game against a great opponent and we were really happy to be at Wembley.”
“I think the crowd today was amazing. They brought a lot of energy and belief to the team at different moments. I think we all deserve to be together at Wembley.”
Merson: ‘Chelsea had nothing to do’
Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson said: “Chelsea played in second gear.
“This is a cup semi-final. It’s going to be a big fire. This isn’t like a League One or League Two team coming to the Emirates and trying to keep the score down.
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Paul Merson and Jamie Redknapp criticize Chelsea’s lackluster performance against Arsenal
“Chelsea had their players mix it up against Arsenal and there was nothing they could do about it. Even if they were losing the game 3-0, if they had shot after shot and Kepa was great and they had been broken three times, that’s the way it is.”
“(Wesley) Fofana played well, but he’s crying. As a player, he probably knows that after the game he’s going to be in the dressing room thinking about why he didn’t do as well.
“I’ve played in games where the opponent missed and just lost and it looked like they weren’t really good.”
Rosenior: Let’s see how you respond to setbacks.
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior told a press conference: “I think everyone can see the difference in our performance, I think so too. I think that’s why they asked me. I’m really happy about that.”
“But obviously losing the game is not what we wanted.
“It’s been less than a month since I joined. We played eight games in that month. So for the players, first of all, they showed us what they’ve done and they showed me what they learned. By the way, there was a spirit, a sense of unity and a fight within the team.”
“There are a lot of encouraging signs. Now we need to see where we are after the setback. We need to respond positively.
“We have a difficult game away against Wolves on Saturday, so we need to see how we react to that.”
When is the Carabao Cup final?
The final will be played at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, March 22nd, with kick-off scheduled to take place at 4.30pm.
