Arsenal finally end their semi-final curse v Chelsea as quadruple hopes continue
ARSENAL 1-0 CHELSEA (AGG 4-2): Kai Havertz scored the goal that confirmed the Gunners’ place at Wembley after a night of nerves against their London rivals at the Emirates
It was a brutal war of attrition on a night of nerves at the Emirates. But after 180 minutes, Arsenal finally ended their semi final curse to put Mikel Arteta on course for his first trophy in six years.
The Gunners are on their way to Wembley and, quite frankly, their fans will not care how they got there. But Kai Havertz having the last laugh on his old club with the 97th minute clincher probably felt all the sweeter.
Chelsea were pushing forward, they gave everything and yet Arsenal punished them with a stunning breakaway goal. After the drama of last month’s five-goal thriller of a first leg, this was a snooze fest as Arsenal saw off Chelsea to also end their own semi final curse.
This was Arsenal’s first semi final success in five ties as they booked their place in the Carabao Cup final on March 22. Incredibly, Arsenal are still in the hunt for four trophies this season as the Premier League leaders battled and scrapped all the way.
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It was heartbreak for Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior who has only been in the job for 28 days but will take pride from the way his players battled across the two legs.
Ultimately, Chelsea just could not find a way through Arsenal’s stubborn and resilient defence and there was a sting in the tail after such a tight battle.
There were so few chances in the game and then we had to wait until the bitter end for the decider. It was a game big on tension and high stakes but very low on quality and entertainment.
Gunners defender Gabriel, wearing the captain’s armband in the absence of injured skipper Martin Odegaard, sent a long ball over the top, Gabriel Martinelli raced away but then could not get a shot on target.
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Chelsea did not manage their first shot on target until the 43rd minute when Enzo Fernandez curled a brilliant shot from 25 yards but Arsenal keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga beat the ball away.
It was hard to work out whether it was rope-a-dope from Arsenal or just dopey. They did not look as if they knew whether to stick or twist with their slender first leg lead.
Arsenal were also struggling to find any sort of rhythm or anything resembling top gear because too many players were subdued. Eberechi Eze was very quiet in the No10 role while Viktor Gyokeres was struggling to get into the game, although he was starved of much service.
In contrast, Chelsea seemed content to bide their time because just one goal would level the tie and their goal was not under huge threat. The frustration of it all saw Arteta booked soon after half time as he complained about one decision too many for referee Peter Bankes’ liking.
Rosenior sent for the cavalry on the hour mark as on came Estevao Willian and Cole Palmer to give Chelsea an extra edge in attack. Palmer blasted over with a free kick as Chelsea pinned Arsenal back but the reality was that the home defence stood firm and saw it out.
The Gunners then broke away at the death to finally relieve the pressure as Declan Rice charged clear, squared it for Havertz who rounded Sanchez to slot home.
Then the celebrations began as the home fans sang their song to Havertz. “”£60m down the drain – Kai Havertz scores again.” Rarely have any of his goals felt better.
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