Beat Chelsea, Arsenal into the English League Cup Final
JAKARTA - Arsenal is starting to hope to win a trophy after eliminating Chelsea and advancing to the English League Cup final. Arsenal ensured a place in the final after winning 1-0 over Chelsea in the second semifinal at the Emirates Stadium, Wednesday, February 4, 2026 early morning WIB.
The victory gave Arsenal a 4-2 aggregate lead in the London Derby. The reason is that in the first semi-final at Chelsea's home at Stamford Bridge, Arsenal won 3-2. The success of defeating Chelsea in the first match smoothed the Gunners' path to face Manchester City or Newcastle United in the English League Cup final, also called the Carabao Cup, at Wembley, March 22, 2026.
Arsenal also has hopes of lifting the championship trophy because the North London club last won the trophy in the 2020 FA Cup. This is also the first trophy for manager Mikel Arteta and the only one he has ever won after managing Arsenal since 2019. Meanwhile, the Community Shield trophy he won in 2020 and 2023 was not taken into account because it was only the opening match of the English League competition.
Arteta also hopes to set a quadruple record or win four trophies in one season after advancing to the final of the Carabao Cup. The reason is, Arsenal is still at the top of the English Premier League standings. They also hope to win the league title for the first time after a 22-year fast because the last time they were champions in 2004.
In addition, Arsenal is still in the Champions League and qualified for the last 16 without needing a playoff path. They are also still competing in the FA Cup.
Although the journey is still long, Arsenal dreams of no longer guarding the trophy which was later won by rival teams. Including for the first time winning the Champions League.
Being one of the elite Premier League clubs, Arsenal still lost to Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Man City who have lifted the wide-eared trophy. Even Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa have already experienced winning the trophy when it was still a Champions Cup.
In the English League Cup, Arsenal last won the title in 1993. Furthermore, they had advanced to the final three times, but always failed to end it by lifting the trophy. The success of eliminating Chelsea brought Arsenal to appear in the final match for the first time in the last six years.
"Do I enjoy this victory? Of course, I really enjoyed it, especially at the end of the game," Arteta said as quoted by The Sun.
"We have waited a long time to reach this position. So, we are enjoying it. Moreover, the atmosphere at our stadium is special. There is always a difference when playing here," he said again.
In the duel between the London teams, Arsenal still played offensively. In that match, Arteta lost captain Martin Odegaard who had a muscle injury. Wing player Bukayo Saka also could not play after suffering an injury while warming up ahead of the match against Leeds United in the Premier League last weekend.
Even though they couldn't bring down the best squad, Arsenal still dominated in the match which was marked by heavy rain. They also played more calmly with the capital of victory in the first match. Arsenal's first chance came through the back. Yes, defender Piero Hincapie almost broke Chelsea's goal if his kick was not secured by goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Furthermore, the two teams took turns to pressure. Chelsea got a good chance to score when midfielder Enzo Fernandez controlled the ball and then fired a hard shot in the 43rd minute. However, goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga who replaced David Raya was still able to parry it.
In the second half, the game has not changed. Chelsea, who are trying to score a goal, continue to press Arsenal's defense. When repeated attacks always fail, manager Liam Rosenior then inserts Cole Palmer and Estevao Willian.
The entry of Palmer and Estevao indeed enlivened the Blues' attack. It's just that their efforts haven't produced results. Chelsea's hopes of breaking Arsenal's goal began to fade when the match entered injury time.
On the other hand, Arsenal managed to overcome the deadlock. Substitute Kai Havertz finally brought Arsenal ahead as the match was about to end.
Receiving the ball through a good attack, Havertz, who came in to replace Viktor Gyokeres, showed off the goalkeeper Sanchez and then calmly shot into an empty net.
The goal in the 90+7 minute immediately brought Arsenal to the final without having to wait for the final whistle. The reason is, Arsenal already had a 4-2 aggregate lead. The match itself ended with a score of 1-0.