Sports

Arsenal Beat Chelsea To Advance To League Cup Final

Published

7 years ago

January 24, 2018

Arsene Wenger will go head-to-head with Pep Guardiola and Manchester City at Wembley next month after his Arsenal team fought back from a goal down against Chelsea to keep him on course to win his first League Cup as the club’s manager.

With Eden Hazard giving Chelsea the lead after just seven minutes following the goal-less Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg at Stamford Bridge earlier this month, Arsenal appeared to be heading for yet another disappointment in this competition. But a freak equaliser five minutes later, when Nacho Monreal’s header was deflected in off both Marcos Alonso and Antonio Rudiger, was followed by Granit Xhaka’s 60th minute strike to seal a 2-1 win on the night and overall on aggregate.

Wenger’s barren run in this competition has lasted throughout his 22-year reign as Gunners manager, with the club failing to lift the League Cup in its many guises since George Graham’s team defeated Sheffield Wednesday in the final in 1993. Arsenal lost to Birmingham City in the 2011 final, extending Wenger’s lengthy wait for success, but next month’s final gives Wenger’s team the opportunity to end City’s hopes of a quadruple at the same time as securing the only domestic trophy to have evaded the Arsenal boss.
For Chelsea, however, Antonio Conte & Co. saw another cup denied them by Arsenal following last season’s FA Cup final defeat against Wenger’s team. The Premier League champions, who will take on Barcelona in the Champions League round of 16, now face Newcastle at home on Sunday in the FA Cup fourth round as they attempt to keep their season alive.