Paul Merson was appalled by Chelsea’s approach during their 1-0 loss to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg.
Kai Havertz’s 97th-minute stoppage time goal sealed a 4-2 aggregate victory for the Gunners, sealing their place in the Carabao Cup final at the Emirates Stadium.
Liam Rosenior’s side took a conservative approach and failed to create any clear-cut chances, despite needing a goal to force extra time after losing in the first leg.
Chelsea had 14 shots, but only two went on target. In total, the number of expected goals was only 0.68 goals.
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Highlights of Arsenal vs. Chelsea, Carabao Cup semi-final second leg
Merson told Sky Sports: “I’m stunned. I can’t believe what I’ve just seen. Chelsea are not a bottom-five team. They have a World Cup winning team.”
“(Wesley) Fofana is crying. He should be crying because they never won. They went out crying in the semifinals. It didn’t work out. Go out in a blaze of glory, don’t go out like that.”
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Kai Havertz scored late in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against his former club Chelsea, securing Arsenal a place in the final at Wembley.
“They played in second gear. This is a cup semi-final.
“Chelsea had players mix with Arsenal, but they didn’t have the space to do it.
“If they were losing the game 3-0 and they were getting broken three times because they were taking shots one after the other and Kepa[Arrizabalaga]was so good, that’s the reality.
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Clinton Morrison gives verdict on Arsenal’s win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final
“I’ve played in games where the opponent missed and just lost and it looked like they weren’t really good.”
Redknapp: Give it a try!
Jamie Redknapp added: “If I had come to the venue today and not known the score, I would have thought Chelsea were winning. Chelsea played the game with six at the back, played calmly and tried to mount a counter-attack if they could.”
“I completely understand his plan, but there comes a point in the game where you have to bring emotion. It’s the semi-final, you have to roll with the punches.
“Two shots on target in the semi-finals is not enough. We are overthinking tactics. We have to try.
“The last two or three minutes of that game were a great example of how little Chelsea knew.
“(Alejandro) Garnacho played for 15 to 20 minutes. Every time he got the ball, he made a pass behind or to the side.”
Rosenior: I was a critic, which is easy in hindsight.
Chelsea manager Rosenior hit back at criticism of his approach.
He said, “I was a pundit, but in hindsight it’s easy. If I went to attack the game and press really high, people would ask what I was doing.”
“We come away from home and press all over the pitch, man-to-man, sometimes we’re up 2-0, sometimes we’re down 2-0.
“I felt the psychological aspect of the tie was also very important. “In the 60th minute, you bring on Cole (Palmer) and Estebao, and the game starts and they take their time in and around the box.
“I think there was a feeling in the stadium that this draw could be overturned. We didn’t achieve what we wanted, but it’s not about the game plan, it’s about the result.
“I have to give a lot of credit to the players for what they put into the game and ultimately their goals come when we’re just throwing into the game. It’s going to happen but we’ve got to make sure we take the positives from it, but we’re here to get a result.
“The reality of my job is, if you lose a game, you get criticized. If you win, you’re a genius. I think it’s usually somewhere in between.”
