Arsenal booked their place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals in the most dramatic fashion possible, defeating Crystal Palace 8-7 in a nerve-shredding penalty shootout at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.
Late Drama Forces Penalties
The Gunners looked to have sealed their progression in normal time after a Bukayo Saka corner caused chaos in the 80th minute, leading to Palace defender Maxence Lacroix turning the ball into his own net. Mikel Arteta's side had dominated for large periods, with Palace goalkeeper Walter Benitez making several key saves to keep the visitors in the tie.
However, Crystal Palace snatched a stunning equaliser deep into injury time. A headed knockdown from Jefferson Lerma found Marc Guehi, who tapped in from close range to send the travelling supporters into raptures and force the match to be decided from the penalty spot.
Kepa the Shootout Hero
What followed was a penalty shootout of remarkable quality and tension. The first 15 spot-kicks were all converted with precision, leaving the outcome on a knife-edge. It was summer signing Kepa Arrizabalaga who emerged as the hero for Arsenal, diving to his left to save Lacroix's sudden-death effort, sparking wild celebrations on the pitch and in the stands.
This victory means Arsenal have reached the Carabao Cup semi-finals for the third time in five seasons, keeping their hopes of lifting the trophy alive. They will discover their last-four opponents in Wednesday's draw.
Arsenal Player Ratings Analysis
Kepa Arrizabalaga (8/10): Largely untested until Guehi's late tap-in, but became the match-winner with his crucial penalty save. A huge moment for the goalkeeper.
William Saliba (8/10): A rock at the back. Made several vital interventions, most notably a perfectly timed challenge to deny Jean-Philippe Mateta a clear sight of goal.
Riccardo Calafiori (8/10): Influential in both boxes. His adventurous runs from defence caused problems, and it was his header from Saka's corner that forced the own goal.
Christian Norgaard (8/10): Controlled the midfield battle with intelligence, breaking up play effectively and even adding a long-throw weapon to Arsenal's arsenal.
Noni Madueke (8/10): A constant threat on the wing. Won the ball high up the pitch repeatedly and was unfortunate not to score with one first-half chance.
Gabriel Jesus (8/10): Excellent in his first start of the season. His link-up play was sharp and he forced a fine save from Benitez with a powerful header.
Gabriel Martinelli (8/10): Provided a superb assist for Madueke and was a menace down the left until a knee collision curtailed his influence. He was substituted for Leandro Trossard.
Substitutes Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Declan Rice all made positive impacts after coming on and each scored their penalties in the shootout, demonstrating the squad's strength and nerve.
The result provides a significant morale boost for Arteta's side, who showed resilience to overcome the gut-punch of Palace's last-gasp equaliser and hold their nerve from twelve yards.
