Arsenal v Chelsea, Getty Images 04 February 2026, 00:01

The draw for the English League Cup accompanies the first part of the season for the teams in this country and gains decisive momentum already at the end of winter. In the middle of January, the first semi-final matches were played, and already at the beginning of February we had the opportunity to determine both participants of the future final at Wembley. And no matter who ended up there, the spectacle was definitely guaranteed for the fans.

However, two more return matches had to be watched first. The first of them took place at the Emirates, where Arsenal of London hosted Chelsea in the capital derby, having an advantage after the first part of the duel at Stamford Bridge by one goal (3:2). Accordingly, it was Liam Rosseigneur’s team who had the opportunity in this game to prove their ability to solve the high challenges of the tournament, while the Gunners, by and large, were satisfied with any result other than defeat.

And what we ended up seeing on the football field this evening was definitely not a spectacle. Chelsea tried to tactically neutralize the strengths of their opponents, but at the same time they destroyed their own attacking ability. As a result, in the first half, the teams exchanged sharp moments in the form of long shots by Incapier and Enzo Fernandez, but the goalkeepers played flawlessly in those situations. Therefore, it was necessary to go to different sides of the barricades, while the “blues” had less time for a rescue by a half.

And Chelsea ended up not being able to offer anything concrete after the break. Long-range shots from Cukurelli and Enzo, of course, at the end of the match caused a bit of noise near other people’s possessions, as well as Fofan’s attempt to close one of the corners with his heel at the near post, but the guests did not have success in these moments, so in the end they could not claim anything.

Meanwhile, Arsenal either waited for the right opportunity, or simply played from the result, but created their best moment in the second half already in stoppage time, when Rice, in a counterattack on the left wing, passed the ball to Havertz, who made fools of the goalkeeper in the penalty area, and did not waste the opportunity to shoot into the empty net. In general, Arteta’s team finished off the opponents.

Arsenal: Arrizabalaga – Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Incapier – Eze, Subimendi, Rice – Madueke (Trossard, 69), Jokeres (Havertz, 69), Martinelli.