Arsenal 1 Chelsea 0 (4-2 on agg): Mikel Arteta’s side reach first final for six years – The Athletic
Arsenal reached their first final since 2020 after beating Chelsea on aggregate to seal a place in the Carabao Cup final next month.
Kai Havertz scored a late goal against his former club to finish off Chelsea in an otherwise uneventful game after Arsenal had won the first leg 3-2.
But Arteta and Arsenal fans won’t mind how the game was as a spectacle as the result gives them a chance of their first silverware since the FA Cup in 2020. They are also top of the Premier League, in the Champions League last 16 and the fourth round of the FA Cup.
For Chelsea, Liam Rosenior set up with a back five that stifled the game in the first half, but it meant his side threatened little even with the second-half introductions of Cole Palmer and Estevao.
Arsenal will face Manchester City or Newcastle United, who play in the second semi-final on Wednesday, in the final at Wembley on Sunday, March 22.
Art de Roche and Cerys Jones break down the talking points from the Emirates.
How big is this for Arteta and Arsenal?
What a way for Arsenal to book their ticket to the final. In the last seconds of the game, Havertz comes back to haunt Chelsea once again. Running down on goal, the pressure he would have been under against his former side would have been immense, but he showed all the calm in the world to round Robert Sanchez, finish and have the entire stadium singing his chant.
Whatever anyone may say about the Carabao Cup, Arsenal reaching their first cup final in six years is a big deal. If anything, for this group, it is an opportunity to prove to themselves that they are able to get over the line. That could be vital come May.
Of the current team, only Bukayo Saka was in the matchday squad for their last cup final appearance — the 2020 FA Cup final win over Chelsea. While the majority were around for the 2023 Community Shield win over Manchester City, building that shared experience of dealing with a cup final at the business end of the season will be invaluable.
Mikel Arteta reached his second final with Arsenal (John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)
They now have the chance to avenge past failings in a competition they last won in 1993. There will be supporters under the age of 30 who have not seen Arsenal lift this trophy in their lifetime, but have witnessed traumatic final defeats by Chelsea in 2007, Birmingham City in 2011 and Manchester City in 2018.
If they face Manchester City again in the final, it could be the perfect full-circle opportunity to start a run at multiple pieces of silverware, with Arteta part of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff in that 2018 meeting. If it’s Newcastle United, they could also have the chance to avenge last season’s semi-final defeat.
Either way, March 22 is now the day to look forward to.
Art de Roche
Was Rosenior’s formation change the right call?
It is rare to see Chelsea depart from their 4-2-3-1 shape, but a selection headache on the wings gave Rosenior reason to switch things up.
Fitness issues for Jamie Gittens and Pedro Neto, as well as Estevao being freshly back from compassionate leave, left Rosenior with his orthodox wing options severely depleted. Instead, Chelsea set up with Marc Cucurella and Malo Gusto providing the width as wing-backs flanking Jorrel Hato, Trevoh Chalobah, and Wesley Fofana.
Liam Rosenior set up with a back five at the Emirates (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
Defensively, the shift paid off in the first half. Viktor Gyokeres’ access was cut off, and, save for a few long balls to Gabriel Martinelli, Arsenal struggled to get past Chelsea’s final line.
Chelsea’s bottom-heavy formation gave Arsenal little chance to create overloads on the wings or find space in the final third, but for that solidity, they largely sacrificed any threat of their own. Trailing on aggregate, that was not sustainable.
The gear shift came on the hour mark, with Cole Palmer and Estevao replacing Hato and Liam Delap and Chelsea shifting to their customary shape. The uptick in energy was noticeable, with Chelsea registering two shots — compared to three in the entire first half — in the five minutes after their introduction.
But the cavalry came too late. Chelsea were right to be wary Arsenal’s formidable attack, but in battening down the hatches they left themselves too little time to break down their equally impressive defence.
Cerys Jones
How did Madueke get on as Saka understudy?
Whenever Arsenal face Chelsea, Cucurella tends to be a point of interest. That is usually because of his aggressive approach to defending Saka, so with Arsenal’s No 7 out, the question was whether he would do the same with Noni Madueke.
It may not surprise many to find out that the Spain international was just as front-footed with Madueke, who like Saka, managed to make more space for himself over time.
The evening started with Cucurella fouling Madueke through his back, but matters balanced out with the winger dropping deeper to take proper strides at his former team-mate.
Madueke against Cucurella (James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
The 23-year-old’s deliveries into the box were not as fierce or precise as those against Leeds United, but the fact he was finding positions and space to put crosses into the box in a game that lacked much attacking quality was encouraging.
On the other wing, Gabriel Martinelli was a good option in behind in the first half but just wasn’t clinical enough with his final ball. While he did go down under Chalobah’s challenge late in the game, when he switched to the right wing, the Chelsea defender took the ball first.
With Saka possibly out for the visit of Sunderland this weekend, Madueke will be in line to start. Martinelli is also an option on the right. Both created goals from that side against Leeds United, and while neither could break down Chelsea, it will be interesting to see how they fare against Regis Le Bris’ side.
Art de Roche
Will Chelsea or Rosenior be too concerned with this?
Chelsea will be disappointed to lose a chance for domestic silverware, but this result comes as no real surprise.
Only Michael Carrick’s Manchester United have beaten Arsenal at the Emirates this season, and it was always going to be a tall order for Chelsea to come back from 3-2 down on aggregate.
Rosenior took the risk of a formation shift to keep his side in the match for as long as possible before taking the handbrake off with half an hour remaining. It proved too little, too late. Rosenior’s caution in the first half was understandable, and he was wise not to underestimate Arsenal’s threat — but he perhaps underestimated their defence’s ability to stand up to his substitutes.
A semi-final Carabao Cup exit was never going to break Rosenior’s first season in charge, save for a real humiliation. Chelsea put in a respectable performance — and crucially this young side and their young manager cannot be accused of approaching it naively — but Rosenior’s aim for the future has to be to take games like this to Arsenal, not to feel as though they have to walk a tightrope throughout.
Cerys Jones
What did Arteta say?
Speaking after the match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said: “We are so happy. We deserved to be through. We wrapped it up at the end in a beautiful way, with Kai scoring the goal in the match that he did and the reaction from the crowd.
“The starters, the finishers, the staff, it just was magical. So I’m really happy because it was a really tough match against a great opponent and we are in Wembley.”
“We knew that we were going to have to play a lot of games within that game. Especially because right from the beginning they changed their set-up and they played in a different way. We only created three or four chances, two big chances before the goal. The margins were going to be small because they are a really good side.They compete so well as well. They are a really good coach and I think we got it over the line.”
“I think the crowd was brilliant today. They brought so much energy and belief to the team in different moments. It was very much needed and I think we all deserved to be together in one minute. It wasn’t easy today because it was a late kick-off, windy, rainy, cold and they responded. The energy was very good from the beginning. I sensed it was different and they are on board.”
What did Rosenior say?
The Chelsea head coach, Liam Rosenior, said about his gameplan: “You can come away from home, press all over the pitch, mouth the man and you could go 2-0 up or you could go 2-0 down.
“Sixty minutes, I bring on Cole Palmer and Estevao and the game opens up and we have moments in and around the box.
“There was a feeling in the stadium that this tie could turn. We didn’t achieve what we wanted to, but it’s not about gameplans, it’s about results. I have to give our players so much credit for what they put into the game and ultimately their goal comes when we’re just throwing the kitchen sink at the game. That’s going to happen, but we have to make sure that we take the positives from that, but we’re here to get results.
“The availability of your players always affects your system. The opposition system, where you are in terms of your fitness levels, in terms of the intensity that we’ve put into games. Unfortunately for us, it wasn’t to be tonight, but I think the players, what they showed me, which is really pleasing, is they can adapt tactically and flexibly in a short period of time. That’s something that encourages me because I do like to work with different systems.”
Speaking on criticism from pundits, Rosenior said: “I’ve been a pundit. It’s easy. It’s easy in hindsight. So, if I go and attack the game, press really high and we can see two goals early, everyone says, ‘what’s he doing?’ That’s the reality of my job. The reality of my job is if you lose games, you’ll be criticised. If you win, you’re a genius. It’s normally somewhere in between.”
What next for Arsenal?
Saturday, February 7: Sunderland (Home), Premier League, 3pm UK, 10am ET
What next for Chelsea?
Saturday, February 7: Wolverhampton Wanderers (Away), Premier League, 3pm UK, 10am ET
