Havertz strikes as Arsenal beat Chelsea to reach Carabao Cup final
Arsenal claimed their place in the Carabao Cup final as Kai Havertz's breakaway goal in stoppage time sealed a 1-0 win over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium and a 4-2 victory on aggregate.At the end of a cagey encounter, substitute Havertz latched onto Declan Rice's cross before dribbling around Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and finishing into an empty net to seal Arsenal's passage to their first cup final since 2020.
The victory ends a run of four consecutive semi-final defeats for Arsenal under Mikel Arteta and means they will face either Manchester City or Newcastle in next month's final at Wembley.
Chelsea, needing a goal to send the tie to extra-time following the five-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge in the first leg, had 14 shots to Arsenal's five but were unable to create any clear openings.Enzo Fernandez was the only player to meaningfully test Arsenal goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga when his curling effort from outside the box in the first half was palmed away.
The Gunners were mostly content to sit on their lead, only threatening on a couple of occasions before Havertz's 97th-minute winner as they instead fell back on their defensive excellence to become the first club in Europe's major leagues to record a 20th clean sheet in all competitions this season.
Piero Hincapie and Gabriel Magalhaes went closest to making a breakthrough at the other end, forcing a save from Sanchez and having a header blocked by Marc Cucurella respectively, but it was Havertz who had the final say against his former club.
His coolly-taken goal sparked wild celebrations among the home fans inside the Emirates Stadium, ensuring a sickening climax for Liam Rosenior's side and keeping Arsenal's quest for silverware alive on four fronts this season.When is the Carabao Cup final?The final will take place at Wembley Stadium on Sunday March 22 and is scheduled to kick off at 4.30pm.
