Arsenal have booked their spot in the Carabao Cup final after grinding out a 1-0 victory against Chelsea at the Emirates in what can only be described as a thoroughly tedious affair.
Kai Havertz proved to be the hero, rolling the ball home in the 97th minute to settle matters and send the Gunners through 4-2 on aggregate.
It’s fair to say half the nation was probably nodding off during proceedings, but Arsenal supporters couldn’t have cared less once that final whistle blew.
The north London faithful were in full voice, singing their manager’s name as their team finally ended a painful run of four consecutive semi-final defeats.
Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the game as Arsenal won 4-2 on aggregate
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Mikel Arteta’s side will now face either Manchester City or Newcastle at Wembley on March 22, and the Spanish boss is tantalisingly close to landing just his second major trophy since taking charge at Arsenal.
His only silverware so far came with the FA Cup triumph back in 2020, though that 2-1 victory over Chelsea was played behind closed doors due to Covid restrictions.
The last time Arsenal fans actually made the trip up the Metropolitan Line to Wembley for a big occasion was the 2018 Carabao Cup final during Arsene Wenger’s final season, when City ran out 3-0 winners.
Remarkably, both sides managed just two shots on target across the entire 90-plus minutes, which tells you everything about the quality on show.
Chelsea did not do enough to test the Arsenal defence
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Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior set his team up to frustrate and nick a goal, and it very nearly worked as the Blues proved incredibly stubborn throughout.
The first half was particularly dire, with Noni Madueke’s crunching tackle on Marc Cucurella providing one of the few moments of excitement for home supporters.
Mikel Arteta picked up a yellow card after stern words with the fourth official
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said: “Did I enjoy it?
“Very much – especially at the end. We knew it was going to be a real battle out there.
“That resilience, that clarity to understand what kind of game we had to play…we did that so well.
“There was a special atmosphere inside our stadium. It makes such a difference.
“We’ve been waiting a few years to get into this position and we’re certainly going to enjoy it [the final].”
Arteta found himself in the referee’s book after complaining to Peter Bankes, while Rosenior threw on Cole Palmer and Estevao around the hour mark in search of inspiration that never materialised.
Declan Rice said: “Credit to Chelsea to be fair. Since their new manager has come in they’ve been really, really good.
“They changed the formation tonight and gave us problems. On another night they could have scored but credit where it is due, our defence was incredible.
Declan Rice won the man of the match award
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“We have a group who really want it. Whatever team comes at us, we’re ready for it. When you play a team like Chelsea they throw so many things at you physically and mentally.
“You’ve got to have that resilience to stay strong and keep going.
“We deserve it. The last three or four years we’ve been at the top of the Premier League competing and got really close but haven’t been good enough.
“That’s why this season we have that extra desire and fire in our bellies to go one step further in every competition. There’s a long way to go but to be a cup final with this club is amazing.”
