Mikel Arteta hailed a magical night after Arsenal beat Chelsea 1-0 in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final to reach a first Wembley final in six years.
Leading 3-2 on aggregate, the hosts weathered late pressure at the Emirates before Kai Havertz scored on the break in the seventh minute of stoppage time to set up a meeting with either Manchester City or Newcastle on March 22.
Not since Arteta’s first season in charge when the Gunners lifted the FA Cup inside an empty national stadium during the coronavirus pandemic have the team given themselves the chance to play for silverware, but their recent domestic wobble appears to be firmly behind them after they dug deep in a game of few chances.
“It’s the best vitamins we can put in our bodies,” said Arteta.
“We’re playing every three days. The fact that we worked so hard to achieve this moment and to have this moment together, it’s just magical. You can see the joy, the smiles, the energy in the dressing room.”
A buoyant atmosphere inside the ground helped Arsenal over the line, with the mood transformed from the nervousness that appeared to affect the team during January’s goalless draw with Liverpool and defeat to Manchester United here.
“The crowd was brilliant,” said Arteta. “They brought so much energy and belief to the team in different moments when it was very much needed. We deserve to be together at Wembley in a few weeks.
“The energy was very good. From the beginning I sensed that it was different.”
Saturday’s 4-0 win away to Leeds, which ended a three-game winless run in the Premier League and sent the team six points clear, also seemed to restore much of the confidence that fired their ascent to the summit during the first half of the season.Questions will likely continue to surround Arteta and his team until the 22-year wait for the title is ended but the manager was confident that booking their place at Wembley can provide a springboard.
“It’s about learning from previous experiences,” he said. “Today was a very different game from the (first leg) at Stamford Bridge. We dealt with it really well, the way the team competed and understood what we had to do. Really impressive. Now let’s win the final.”
For Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior, defeat ended a five-game winning run.
It was, though, a significantly improved performance from the first leg which came during a turbulent week just a few days after his appointment.
“In the first leg, I’m not making excuses, but we had an illness go through the camp on the day of the game – we had four players missing – and I’d been in charge for three days,” he said.
“I cannot fault the application, intensity or the fight of the players.
“What we need to do is remember this is the start and I’m really, really happy with a lot of things I’m seeing.
“You want to get the results, but we need to make sure we rest and recover and we keep improving as we go.”
