Arsenal claimed their place in the Carabao Cup final as Kai Havertz’s breakaway goal in stoppage time sealed a 1-0 win over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium and a 4-2 victory on aggregate.
In the 97th minute, substitute Havertz latched onto Declan Rice’s cross, dribbled around Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and finished into an empty net to confirm Arsenal’s passage to their first cup final since 2020. The goal ended a run of four consecutive semi-final defeats for Arsenal under Mikel Arteta. They will face either Manchester City or Newcastle in next month’s final at Wembley.
Player ratings
Arsenal: Kepa (7), Timber (7), Saliba (7), Gabriel (8), Hincapie (7), Zubimendi (7), Rice (8), Eze (6), Madueke (6), Gyokeres (5), Martinelli (6)
Subs: Havertz (7), Trossard (7)
Chelsea: Sanchez (6), Gusto (6), Fofana (6), Chalobah (6), Hato (6), Cucurella (7), Caicedo (6), Santos (6), Fernandez (6), Delap (5), Pedro (6)
Subs: Estevao (6), Palmer (6), Garnacho (6), Acheampong (n/a)
Player of the Match: Declan Rice
Chelsea, needing a goal to force extra time after the five-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge in the first leg, managed 14 shots to Arsenal’s five but created few clear openings. Enzo Fernandez delivered the only meaningful test of Arsenal keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga with a curling effort from outside the box that was palmed away in the first half.
Arsenal were largely content to protect their lead, defending resolutely and threatening only occasionally before Havertz’s late intervention. Their defensive display saw them become the first club in Europe’s major leagues to record a 20th clean sheet in all competitions this season. Piero Hincapie and Gabriel Magalhaes went closest to scoring for the hosts, forcing a save from Sanchez and having a header blocked by Marc Cucurella, respectively.
Missing players
– Arsenal were without Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard due to injuries.
– Reece James and Pedro Neto failed fitness tests for Chelsea.
Havertz’s coolly taken winner, after an injury-hit season, sparked wild celebrations among the home fans and provided a painful finale for Liam Rosenior’s side while keeping Arsenal’s pursuit of silverware alive on four fronts.
Mikel Arteta described the moment as “magical,” praising the crowd and the collective effort: “We are so happy. I think overall, over the two games, we deserved to be through. It was a long match. We wrapped it up at the end in a beautiful way, with Kai scoring the goal in the manner that he did and the reaction from the crowd… The starters, the finishers, the staff all there. It was magical.”
Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson criticised Chelsea’s display: “Chelsea played in second gear. This is the semi-final of a cup. You go out in a blaze… Chelsea have got the players to mix it with Arsenal. And they didn’t have a go.”
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior acknowledged the setback but pointed to signs of progress: “I think everyone can see a difference in our performances… losing the game is not what we wanted. There’s a lot of encouraging signs. Now I need to see what we look like after a setback. We need to react positively.”
When is the Carabao Cup final?
The final will take place at Wembley Stadium on Sunday March 22 and is scheduled to kick off at 4.30pm.