- As Chelsea crumble 0-1 at Emirates
- Gunners triumph 4-2 on aggregate
English Premiership Leaders, Arsenal needed Kai Havertz’s killer touch to hold off Chelsea and book final place in this season’s Carabao Cup with a 1-0 victory on Tuesday night.
Despite excellent performances from the duo of Trevoh Chalobah and Joao Pedro, the gamble by Chelsea Manager Liam Rosenior did not pay off as the Blues missed out on a final spot, having failed to find a breakthrough in the second leg of their semi-final tie played at the Emirates stadium.
With the first leg drama at Stamford Bridge still fresh in their minds, Liam Rosenior’s side had travelled to north London needing to overturn a 3-2 deficit. But this was a much more cagey affair that was eventually settled in injury time by Kai Havertz’s breakaway goal against his former club.
At the final whistle, it was Arsenal that swept to a 4-2 aggregate victory following their 3-2 win in the first leg encounter at Stamford Bridge. Though Chelsea defended resolutely and had the better of the game in the second half, they couldn’t create enough opportunities before Kai Havertz put the tie to bed in stoppage time.
The Blues’ Manager Rosenior deployed a back three in a bid to keep the game tight, and it was just that during the first half as chances proved to be at a premium. Robert Sanchez was forced into one save when he pushed away Piero Hincapie’s curling effort from the edge of the box, while Enzo Fernandez produced a similar strike shortly before half-time that was parried by Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Estevao, Cole Palmer and – latterly – Alejandro Garnacho were introduced by the visitors after the break, but opportunities to score remained few and far between with Fernandez firing a couple of efforts over the bar.
Also, Wesley Fofana flicked a corner wide of the near post, as the Blues struggled to find the equaliser they needed in the tie. However, it was Havertz who gave the Gunners something to cheer as he rounded Sanchez to score against his former club with the final kick of the match.
So, at the final whistle, a huge wave of relief swept over the Emirates stadium. Though Arsenal may not have been at all convincing against a Chelsea side who caused them the occasional problem, Mikel Arteta will not care one bit. After four successive semi-final defeats, Arsenal are on their way to Wembley.
