The steam rose from the players in the face of the relentless downpour that fell on north London. On the touchline at the Emirates, the Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior urged his players on and on. He was so drenched he had to take off his glasses so he could see properly. They had become windscreens without wipers.
But when the steam lifted and everyone could see, Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side had survived an increasingly frenetic, tense and ill-tempered battle of attrition in this semi-final second leg to advance to the Carabao Cup final next month.
This is not the trophy that they want from this season but the joy with which they celebrated the 1-0 semi-final second leg victory that took them through 4-2 on aggregate to meet either Manchester City or Newcastle United showed just how meant making it back to Wembley for the first time in nearly six years meant to them.
It is another step forward in the bigger quest for a first Premier League title for 22 years. The Carabao Cup may be the least of the major trophies on offer to English clubs but history will tell Arteta and his side that winning it can be a catalyst, a pathway to greater things.
This was a comeback too far for Chelsea who have recovered from deficits to Napoli and West Ham in recent days but could not recover from their first leg defeat at Stamford Bridge. They will redouble their efforts to make the top four.
Arteta was letting the good vibes flow again before kick-off, preaching the ‘funboat’ mantra he adopted after last month’s league defeat to Manchester United. ‘We have a beautiful night together again to make something special,’ Arteta said, ‘and we’re all together, we’re going to do it.’
Kai Havertz scored the only goal in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg which Arsenal won
It certainly said something about Arsenal’s evolution that they were going into the match without both Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard and that their absences had not sent the club and its supporters into a collective meltdown. They are still important players but Arsenal have proved they have the depth now to win without them.
Chelsea were also without important players. Reece James and Pedro Neto failed late fitness tests and Cole Palmer, still feeling his way back from injury, was left on the bench. For the first time since he took over, Rosenior started with a back five, not a back four, looking to hit Arsenal on the counter.
The first quarter of an hour was tense and turgid. Then, when Arsenal won a corner on the right, the game sprang to life. As Noni Madueke prepared to take it, three Chelsea players sprinted away from goal towards the half-line to try to draw Arsenal players with them and reduce congestion in the box.
It is a tactic that has been mooted recently to try to neuter Arsenal’s prowess at set pieces and Arsenal looked momentarily disconcerted by it. Several of their players ran back to cover the Chelsea escapees. Declan Rice gestured urgently for more reinforcements.
Chelsea’s move was only a limited success. When they only half-cleared a second Arsenal corner, Piero Hincapie cut in from the right and unleashed a curling shot that was destined for goal until Robert Sanchez hurled himself to meet it and produced a fine one-handed save.
As the half wore on and the scores remained goalless, the home crowd began to grow a little restless. The Chelsea fans sensed it. ‘Is this a library?’ they sang. A minute later, Gabriel Martinelli nearly opened the scoring for Arsenal, running on to a long ball, and turning Malo Gusto, before Gusto blocked his shot.
There was also a creeping suspicion that Arsenal were being out-thought. They seemed unnerved by Chelsea’s formation change and Chelsea started making inroads. Enzo Fernandez cut in from his unfamiliar position on the left of midfield and unleashed a stinging drive that Kepa Arrizabalaga did well to push away.
If the first half was generally stultifying, the second started with more promise. This time, it was Chelsea who caused chaos from a corner. Arrizabalaga made a hash of punching away Fernandez’s near-post kick and as Arsenal tried to hack it away, it rebounded off Liam Delap a couple of yards out. It could have gone anywhere. It went wide.
Right on the hour, Rosenior made the changes many had expected. Having contained Arsenal, he called for the cavalry. He summoned Palmer and Estevao from the bench. Jorrel Hato and Delap were the men to give way.
Marc Cucurella, who has become the man that away fans love to hate because of his mixture of irrepressibility and theatricality, whistled a shot over the bar soon afterwards. A couple of minutes later, Fernandez shot just too high as well. Chelsea were starting to open up.
Frustration grew in the home crowd. Arrizabalaga kicked an attempted pass into touch. The crowd howled its irritation. Rosenior prowled his technical area. Arteta became more fretful, flinging himself to the floor when one cross was misplaced.
The temperature was rising all the time. Gusto took a dive and was booked for it. Estevao was booked for hauling back Jurrien Timber, there was a roar of approval for the introduction of Kai Havertz, who is seen as a potential saviour now rather than a liability.
It was breathless stuff, suddenly. Andrey Santos was lucky to escape a booking when he tripped Martin Zubimendi at a quick free kick. Arsenal carved out one of their best chances when Gabriel ran to a chip at the far post and headed goalwards but Cucurella blocked it instinctively with his head.
There were more nervous moments for the home team. Palmer and Fernandez stood over a free kick on the edge of the Arsenal area ten minutes from time. Arguments raged over the placing of the wall. Palmer took the kick. It hit Havertz in the wall. Chelsea screamed for a penalty. It was not given. Wesley Fofana flicked a corner just wide.
It is 39 years since a team last overturned a home defeat in the first leg, though, and it was too much for Chelsea. They pressed and pressed for a winner on the night but they just could not break Arsenal down.And deep into added time, Arsenal broke away and found Havertz running clear on the right. Havertz was calm personified. He took the ball round Robert Sanchez and slid it into the empty net and bedlam was unleashed.
