Arsenal booked their spot in the Carabao Cup final after Kai Havertz struck deep into stoppage time to secure a 1-0 win over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium, completing a 4-2 aggregate triumph.
The tense semi-final second leg appeared destined to end without a breakthrough until Havertz, introduced from the bench, raced onto Declan Rice’s delivery, rounded Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez and calmly rolled the ball into an unguarded net in the 97th minute.
Chelsea arrived in north London knowing a single goal would force extra time following the dramatic five-goal first-leg clash at Stamford Bridge.
Despite dominating possession and firing 14 attempts compared to Arsenal’s five, Mauricio Pochettino’s side struggled to carve out clear chances.
Mikel Arteta’s men were happy to protect their advantage for long spells, relying on a disciplined defensive display and limiting Chelsea to half-chances.
Their resilience paid off, as Arsenal recorded a landmark 20th clean sheet of the campaign, the most by any club across Europe’s top leagues this season.
The result also brought an end to Arsenal’s four-match semi-final losing streak under Arteta and set up a Wembley showdown next month against either Manchester City or Newcastle United.
