Arsenal secured their place in the Carabao Cup final after a tense 1-0 victory over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium, with Kai Havertz scoring a stoppage-time winner against his former club. The win ends a run of four successive semi-final defeats for Mikel Arteta's side, who will now face either Manchester City in the final at Wembley.
The match was a far more cautious affair than the first leg at Stamford Bridge, which Arsenal won 3-2. Chelsea, under head coach Liam Rosenior, switched to a back three and left Cole Palmer on the bench, but they struggled to create clear chances, managing only two shots on target. Arsenal, missing captain Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka through injury, also lacked fluency in attack.
The decisive moment came in added time when Havertz broke away to score, sparking celebrations from the home fans. Arsenal had not won the competition since 1993 and were eliminated at the semi-final stage by Newcastle last season. Arteta, who saw his side lose to Manchester United last weekend, will now hope to secure his first trophy since winning the FA Cup six years ago.
Rosenior's gamble to start without Palmer and Reece James, who failed a fitness test, did not pay off, though Chelsea had chances early on. William Saliba's error gifted Liam Delap an opportunity, but he shot wide. Arsenal's best first-half chance came from a corner, with Robert Sánchez saving Piero Hincapié's effort. After the break, Gabriel Magalhães missed a golden chance to settle the tie before Havertz's late strike.
