Arsenal 1-0 (4-2) Chelsea: Report, result and goals as Gunners book spot at Wembley

Arsenal secured their place at Wembley with a 1-0 win over Chelsea on Wednesday night, sealing a 4-2 aggregate victory in a tense EFL Cup semi-final second leg at the Emirates Stadium.

The hosts came into the tie holding a narrow aggregate advantage and, from the outset, appeared content to manage the game rather than chase an early breakthrough.

Chelsea, needing a goal to bring the tie level, adopted a cautious approach of their own, setting up in a compact 3-5-2 shape.

The first half was short on clear chances. Arsenal dominated possession but struggled to turn control into meaningful openings, with Viktor Gyokeres largely isolated up front.

Chelsea’s most promising moments came through Enzo Fernandez, who twice tested Kepa from range, while Piero Hincapie forced Robert Sanchez into a smart save at the other end.

The goalless scoreline at the break reflected a contest played largely between the boxes.

Chelsea showed more intent after the restart, gradually committing extra bodies forward as the second half wore on.

Fernandez continued to probe from distance, while late substitutions, including Cole Palmer and Alejandro Garnacho, were introduced in an attempt to inject urgency into the attack.

The game’s key moment appeared to arrive in the closing stages when Arsenal broke quickly and Gabriel Martinelli went to ground under a challenge from Trevoh Chalobah.

VAR reviewed the incident but ruled that the contact was natural, leaving Chelsea frustrated and still searching for a way back into the tie.

As Chelsea pushed numbers forward in stoppage time, gaps began to appear. That proved costly in the 97th minute.

Declan Rice led a swift counter-attack from midfield and picked out Kai Havertz with a perfectly weighted through ball. The former Chelsea forward rounded Sanchez and rolled the ball into the bottom corner to settle the tie.

Chelsea had little time to respond, and Arsenal saw out the final moments to confirm their progression to the final.

While the performance was controlled rather than fluent, Mikel Arteta’s side did enough across both legs to earn a place at Wembley, where they will now look to add an elusive piece of silverware to their season.