Arsenal delivered a controlled, steely performance before nicking a goal on the break with the last kick to put the flourish on a job well done against Chelsea on Tuesday night.
The Gunners advance to the Carabao Cup final, with Liam Rosenior’s visitors going down 4-2 on aggregate across two legs.
Kai Havertz was the man to pop up with the goal that send the Emirates into raptures but the hosts did not have it all their own way on a nervy night.
Here, Daily Mail Sport’s Isaan Khan delivers the player ratings for Mikel Arteta’s side, while Kieran Gill scores the Blues out of 10.
Declan Rice, Piero Hincapie and Gabriel celebrate the victory over Chelsea on Tuesday night
ARSENAL (4-3-3):
Kepa Arrizabalaga – 6
Decent save on an Enzo Fernandez strike in the first half. A bit shaky in his passes to the backline.
Jurrien Timber – 6
Distribution forward wasn’t at his usual level and didn’t get into the final third enough.
William Saliba – 6.5
Effective forward carries which helped push his team further up the pitch.
Gabriel – 6.5
Won a number of duels against Liam Delap. A real presence at the back.
Piero Hincapie – 7.5
Had a top curling shot at goal well-saved on 18 minutes. Kept advancing down the left flank. Good in possession and some solid tackles, too.
Declan Rice – 8
Difficult to dominate the midfield with how stodgy this game became — yet good tracking back and solid tackles. Top assist at the end.
Declan Rice delivered a superb all-round performance for Arsenal in midfield
Martin Zubimendi – 5.5
Played a few too many back passes. Was conservative in his general play.
Eberechi Eze – 5
An anonymous display. Needed to shine in his rare start, particularly with Martin Odegaard out injured, but instead was ineffective on the ball.
Noni Madueke – 6
Kept toiling away. His battle with Marc Cucurella was very tetchy.
Viktor Gyokeres – 6
Rarely got on the ball. Not helped by poor service into him. Did press well.
Viktor Gyokeres pressed from the front but had very little joy in the game
Gabriel Martinelli – 6.5
Put in a real shift. Good chance in the area on 34 minutes which was blocked. Kept trying to make something happen.
Substitutes –
Leandro Trossard: 6.5
Kai Havertz: 7
Manager –
Mikel Arteta: 7.5
Held his nerve even when the game got nervy. Arsenal break their semi-final hoodoo. A job well done.
CHELSEA (3-4-3):
Robert Sanchez – 6
Only conceded to a stoppage-time counter-attack when he had no defenders at the back as everyone was up the other end. No mistakes here from Chelsea’s No 1 unlike in the first leg.
Wesley Fofana – 7
Regularly there in the right place at the right time to kill an Arsenal attack, rare though they were. When fit, he is arguably the best defender at Chelsea. Was gutted their plan did not work.
Wesley Fofana (right) showed he can be one of Chelsea’s best defenders when fit
Trevoh Chalobah – 6.5
Headed clear several crosses into the area from Arsenal. Manned the back three when the Blues had the ball. Chelsea impressed defensively overall. It was creatively where they were lacking.
Jorrel Hato – 6.5
Rosenior has shown his trust in Hato and he didn’t let him down here. Was also one of three Chelsea players who sprinted to the halfway line whenever Arsenal were set to take a corner.
Malo Gusto – 6
Super block to stop Gabriel Martinelli from scoring. Inverted into central areas while Delap took up the wide positions. Rightly cautioned for a naughty dive when he wasn’t touched.
Moises Caicedo – 6
Must have a ‘closing down’ bonus in his contract. While everyone else rotated positions, Caicedo stayed central, in what we all know is his best position.
Andrey Santos – 6.5
Will know this system better than anyone after playing under Rosenior at Strasbourg and was indeed a key cog in containing Arsenal in his 75 minutes on the pitch.
Andrey Santos (right) was crucial tactically for Chelsea to gain a foothold in the game
Marc Cucurella – 6
Flattened by Noni Madueke early on, which the Arsenal fans rather enjoyed. Great block to deny Gabriel Magalhaes’ header but was the culprit who lost the ball for Arsenal’s stoppage-time goal.
Liam Delap – 5
Highly unusual tactical role which saw him essentially used on the right wing, both on and off the ball. He’s not creatively made for that task, so hard to blame him too much.
Liam Delap played out of position on the right and struggled to handle the new role
Joao Pedro – 6
Prolific form under Rosenior, though never saw a proper chance to score here. Hoped for a penalty when dragged down at a corner, but VAR decided there wasn’t enough in it.
Enzo Fernandez – 6.5
Found on the left-hand side of Chelsea’s front three when Arsenal had the ball. Crack from 25 yards was saved comfortably enough by Kepa Arrizabalaga. Excellent engine on him.
SUBS
Cole Palmer (for Delap, 60) – 6
Led the hour-mark cavalry as Rosenior initiated Phase Two of his tactical plan here, but a blocked 25-yard free-kick was as close as he came to scoring.
Estevao (for Hato, 60) – 6
He won that free-kick above for Palmer after being sandwiched. Kept trying, first on the left wing and then on the right, but his big moment never arrived.
Alejandro Garnacho (for Santos, 75) – 6
Scored twice as a substitute in the first leg, but hardly had much time to save this cup clash for Chelsea in this reverse fixture.
Josh Acheampong (for Gusto, 87) – N/A
Manager:
Liam Rosenior – 6
A brand new system saw him extremely active in his technical area, choreographing everything. He hoped they could contain Arsenal and then nick a goal or two, but wasn’t to be.
