Kai Havertz found the net against his former side as Arsenal secured a place in the EFL Cup final with a narrow 1-0 victory over Chelsea at home, completing a 4-2 aggregate win.
The semi-final second leg on Tuesday was largely short of attacking quality from both teams, a sharp contrast to Arsenal’s thrilling 3-2 win at Stamford Bridge 13 days earlier.
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior set his side up cautiously, focusing on defensive solidity, but the Blues waited too long before committing forward. That approach proved costly deep into stoppage time when Havertz struck in the 97th minute, confirming Arsenal’s spot in the final, where they will meet either Manchester City or Newcastle United at Wembley.
Early in the contest, Wesley Fofana was perhaps fortunate to escape punishment from an Arsenal corner, before Piero Hincapie unleashed a powerful left-footed effort that was pushed away by Robert Sanchez.
The first half remained subdued, with Malo Gusto producing a crucial block to deny Gabriel Martinelli, while Kepa Arrizabalaga stayed alert to tip away Enzo Fernandez’s curling attempt at the opposite end.
Arsenal failed to register a shot between the 35th and 77th minutes, drawing audible frustration from the home crowd as Chelsea began to grow into the match.
Despite increased confidence, Chelsea struggled to create a clear opportunity to force extra time. Marc Cucurella and Fernandez, on two occasions, both missed the target from distance.
As Chelsea pushed forward late on, leaving just one defender back, Arsenal capitalised. Havertz collected Declan Rice’s pass on the counterattack, rounded Sanchez, and calmly finished to put the tie beyond doubt.
Data Debrief: Unambitious Chelsea fall short
Chelsea entered the second leg knowing they needed to become only the third team in EFL Cup history to overturn a semi-final first-leg home defeat, following Stoke City in 1971-72 and Arsenal in 1986-87.
However, Rosenior may rue not going all out earlier. Chelsea registered 14 shots, but only five came from inside the box and just two tested the goalkeeper.
Arsenal were also blunt for long spells, ending the match with only five shots, two of which were on target, and an expected goals (xG) figure of 0.91 compared to Chelsea’s 0.68. Notably, 0.65 of Arsenal’s xG came from the winning goal.
The result extends Arsenal’s unbeaten run against Chelsea to 10 matches across all competitions (seven wins, three draws), their longest such streak since a 17-game run between 1999 and 2004.
