Kai Havertz’s stoppage-time goal against former club Chelsea earned Arsenal a 1-0 second-leg win and a 4-2 aggregate victory, sending the Gunners to the EFL Cup final at Wembley. Manager Mikel Arteta called the moment “magical”, while Declan Rice said Arsenal’s hunger to end their trophy drought is driving their strong performances this season
Arsenal’s Kai Havertz celebrates scoring vs Chelsea in the EFL Cup semi-final on Tuesday. Pic/Getty Images
Kai Havertz scored in stoppage time against his former club Chelsea to earn Arsenal a 1-0 win in the second leg of the EFL Cup semi-final on Tuesday, sealing a 4-2 victory on aggregate and a ticket to Wembley in March.
‘Deserved to go through’
“We are so happy. Over the last two games, we deserved to go through. It was a long match, we expected that, [but] we wrapped it up at the end in a beautiful way, with Kai [Havertz] scoring the goal in the manner that he did and the reaction from the crowd. It was just magical. So I’m really happy because it was a really tough match against a great opponent and we’re in [the final],” said a delighted Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.
Mikel Arteta
The Gunners are hunting for their maiden trophy since 2020, and midfielder Declan Rice reckons that hunger to finally end their title drought has fuelled not just their EFL Cup run, but also their English Premier League march. “The last three years we’ve been at the top of the EPL competing and got really close, but haven’t been good enough,” said Rice, referring to the team’s three straight runner-up finishes.
“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 in a cup final with this club is amazing,” he added.
Blues boss defends tactics
Meanwhile, Blues manager Liam Rosenior defended his passive tactics. “You can come away from home, press all over the pitch, and you could [either] go 2-0 up or you could go 2-0 down. I felt that the psychological aspect of the tie was very important as well and I felt in the stadium as well [it was better to play defensively],” said Rosenior, before adding that although he was disappointed with the result, he could not fault the team’s effort.
02
No of times Arsenal have reached the final of any competition since Mikel Arteta took charge in 2019-20
09
No of times Arsenal have made the EFL Cup final; Only Liverpool (15), Man Utd (10), and Chelsea (10) have reached the final more often
15
No of months since forward Kai Havertz scored his previous EFL cup goal (30 Oct, 2024)
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