Arsenal Stars Shine as Arteta Finally Conquers Chelsea After Six-Year Drought

LONDON — Arsenal booked their first final berth since 2020 following a 1–0 victory over Chelsea at home in Tuesday's Carabao Cup semi-final second leg.

Three weeks after Chelsea's thrilling 3–2 triumph at Stamford Bridge in the first leg, this match at N5 was notably lacking in excitement until Kai Havertz, among several ex-Chelsea stars in Arsenal's squad, beat David Sánchez in the 97th minute.

Still, it proved to be an emotionally significant evening for Mikel Arteta. Six years after defeating Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in an empty Wembley Stadium, the Spanish manager finally claimed his first semi-final victory with supporters present.

Previous disappointments at this competition stage and in last season's Champions League had stung, but as Arteta himself noted before this match: "Football provides you with another opportunity."

One Thing We Can't Ignore

One Thing We Can't Ignore

"It's extremely risky to boast," the iconic Manchester United boss Sir Matt Busby once observed, "because in my line of work every day can expose you as a fool." The day prior to Arsenal's Carabao Cup semi-final, Arteta boldly declared his team to be "the most thrilling side in Europe." That bold statement looked rather foolish 24 hours later—though Arteta likely didn't mind.

Tuesday's match was so deliberately dull it appeared intentional, as if the 22 players were performing some avant-garde theatrical piece to demonstrate how little action was needed to captivate 60,000 spectators on a wet winter evening in north London.

Prior to Havertz converting a late counter-attack that originated from a Chelsea corner, there were merely a few distant efforts that prompted unnecessarily dramatic saves that irritate television analysts, while the packed midfields traded heavy challenges. Liam Rosenior even removed his spectacles at one moment.

Chelsea attempted to inject some entertainment—they entered trailing by a goal from the first leg, after all. Rosenior shouted directions from the wet sideline, altering tactics, introducing Cole Palmer and Estêvão to spark some action. But their efforts proved futile—exactly as Arteta appeared to have planned.

Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Chelsea (4-3-3)

Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Chelsea (4-3-3)

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga—7.9: Had minimal work but handled it excellently.

RB: Jurriën Timber—7.2: Often drifted into the congested midfield seeking involvement in the match. Met with limited success.

CB: William Saliba—7.2: Faced with the uncommon challenge of marking two forwards, Saliba adopted an aggressive approach against João Pedro, staying close and making him thoroughly uncomfortable.

CB: Gabriel—7.7: Performed with the confidence and anticipation of someone blessed with perfect timing.

LB: Piero Hincapié—7.8: Unleashed one of the rare first-half attempts, earning hero status among fans desperate for any excitement.

CM: Eberechi Eze—6.7: Consistently seems to be holding back, perpetually restricted by some unseen barrier.

CM: Martín Zubimendi—7.0: Frequently chose safer options over ambitious passes, prioritizing ball retention. Given his previous Emirates experience, some restraint was understandable.

CM: Declan Rice—7.7: Facing the club that released him at 14, Rice battled across the field with exceptional intensity.

RW: Noni Madueke—6.2: Engaged in a tactical battle with Marc Cucurella, who struggled to decide between pressing Madueke or supporting Timber. Arsenal's winger unfortunately got lost in this tactical confusion, contributing little.

ST: Viktor Gyökeres—6.6: Required 18 and a half minutes for his initial touch and waited until the second period for his sole completed pass. Remarkable he received any rating at all.

LW: Gabriel Martinelli—6.5: Repeatedly withdrew from the front line to create space for forward runs. Left Malo Gusto spinning helplessly on multiple occasions

SUB: Kai Havertz (69' for Gyökeres)—7.3: Any contribution would have improved upon the starting eleven's performance, and Havertz provided exactly that.

SUB: Leandro Trossard (69' for Madueke)—N/A

Subs not used: David Raya (GK), Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Riccardo Calafiori, Christian Nørgaard, Gabriei Jesus.

What The Ratings Tell Us

What The Ratings Tell Us

The Statistics Behind Arsenal's Lackluster Display

The Statistics Behind Arsenal's Lackluster Display