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Arsenal reached the final of the Carabao Cup with a 1-0 win and overall 4-2 aggregate over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night, with Kai Havertz's goal in extra time to snatch the lead and spot in the grand finale, their first Cup final in six years.
This victory ended Arsenal's four-game losing streak in semi-finals under Mikel Arteta. They will face either Pep Guardiola's Manchester City or Newcastle United in the finals held next month at the iconic Wembley Stadium. It was a gruesome 90-minute showdown, with both teams locked at 0-0 until a dramatic goal was scored by Kai Havertz, who received a brilliant curling pass from Declan Rice. He dribbled past the keeper and put the ball in the empty net to take Arsenal one step closer to the cup and eliminate his former club. This was Arsenal's 20th clean sheet across all tournaments, making them the first club in Europe to achieve it. Chelsea took a staggering 14 shots but could not create a clean breakthrough. The only player who tested Arsenal's keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was Enzo Fernandes with a curling rocket that was saved by a full-stretch dive from Kepa. On the other hand, the only two Arsenal players who came closest to scoring were Piero Hincapie and Gabriel Magalhaes, until Havertz had the last laugh. The Gunners focused on protecting the lead they had earned in the first leg, a five-goal nail-biter at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said after the match, as per Sky Sports: "We are so happy. I think overall, over the two games, we deserved to be through. "It was a long match. We expected that. We wrapped it up at the end in a beautiful way, with Kai scoring the goal in the manner that he did and the reaction from the crowd. "The starters, the finishers, the staff all there. It was magical. Really happy because it was a really tough match against a great opponent and we are in Wembley. "I think the crowd was brilliant today. They brought so much energy and belief to the team in different moments. I think we all deserve to be together in Wembley." Arsenal will play the finals on Sunday, 22 March at the Wembleyand will be eyeing to lift the trophy for the third time after 33 years. (ANI)
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