With all eyes falling on north London on Tuesday night, Arsenal punched their first EFL Cup final ticket in eight years as they secured a 4-2 aggregate victory against Chelsea.
Sat firmly in the driving seat after claiming a 3-2 first-leg advantage at Stamford Bridge on January 14th, the Gunners have taken another giant leap towards completing what would be an iconic silverware sweep.
While chances might have come at a premium here as both of the Premier League giants failed to find their clinical best in the final third, it was an ex-Chelsea star who came back to haunt his former teammates.
Officially completing the job as German international Kai Havertz tapped home late in stoppage-time, Mikel Arteta’s side will be making their first appearance in an EFL Cup final since they lost to bitter rivals Manchester City back in 2018.
With the Sky Blues set to welcome Newcastle to Manchester for their respective second-leg showdown in 24 hours time, we could be set for a blockbuster repeat.
On a night when Arsenal claimed local bragging rights and punched their ticket to Wembley, we have taken a look at some of the key talking points from the Emirates.
Arsenal take a giant leap towards a domestic sweep
Forced to settle for another silver medal finish among England’s elite last season and signing off the 2024/25 campaign without a single piece of silverware to show for their troubles, Arteta was open about the pressure that he had on his shoulders this time around.
However, drawing a line under their minor Premier League blip over the weekend as they stormed their way to an empathic 4-0 romp away at Leeds, the Gunners have their sights set on completing an iconic domestic silverware sweep in 2026.
Now almost universally regarded as a landslide favourite to get their hands on a first Premier League crown since way back in 2004, Arsenal have gained a fearsome reputation from across the continent.
Likewise, signing off their Champions League group stage adventure with an action-packed 3-2 win against Kairat Almaty last week, Arsenal are the only club from across Europe’s elite who can boast a 100% record.
Punching their return to Wembley on Tuesday night and claiming a heavyweight local scalp, Arteta’s camp have taken another giant leap towards shattering even more records.
Rosenior’s camp fail to mount another stellar comeback
Missing out on the chance to claim a crucial first-leg advantage at Stamford Bridge on January 14th as they eventually fell to a 3-2 loss, Chelsea were always facing a major challenge when they travelled across the capital on Tuesday night.
However, despite mustering just a pair of shots on target here and failing to complete what would have been a sensational turnaround, Chelsea will be confident of immediately dusting themselves down.
Although the Blues might missed out on the opportunity to book a trip to Wembley here, they will take plenty of positives away from what has been a bright start to life under new boss Liam Rosenior.
While there might have been plenty of raised eyebrows across the continent last month as Rosenior was announced as Enzo Maresca’s replacement in SW6, the former Strasbourg manager has made an immediate impact.
Booking their respective Champions League Round of 16 spot last week as they secured a thrilling 3-2 victory away at Italian giants Napoli, they should be confident of claiming an immediate response this weekend when they travel to Wolves.
All eyes now fall on the Etihad
Finishing off the job on Tuesday night and edging past their historic local rivals en route to Wembley, all of Arsenal’s attention will now fall on the blue half of Manchester in 24 hours time.
Watching Manchester City suffer another high-profile Premier League blip over the weekend as they eventually had to settle for a 2-2 stalemate away at Tottenham, Pep Guardiola’s superstar squad saw their title dreams take a major blow.
Now sat six points adrift of the Gunners, Man City will know that EFL Cup success could be their most realistic chance of lifting a piece of domestic silverware in 2026.
Securing a rugged 2-0 victory when they travelled to St. James’ Park for their first-leg battle on January 13th, the former English champions return to home soil holding a commanding advantage.
However, watching the Gunners fall to a routine 3-0 drumming when they last travelled to Wembley for their EFL Cup final showdown against City back in February 2018, Arsenal will be confident of claiming some long-anticipated revenge.
Match Report
Arsenal: Arrizabalaga, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Rice, Eze, Madueke, Martinelli, Gyokeres
Subs: Havertz, Trossard
Chelsea: Sanchez, Fofana, Chalobah, Hato, Cucurella, Gusto, Caicedo, Santos, Fernandez, Pedro, Delap
Subs: Garnacho, Palmer, Estevao, Acheampong
Goals: Havertz (90+7’)
Yellow Cards: Gusto, Delap, Estevao
Red Cards: N/A
Referee: Peter Bankes