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Stoppage-time winner has Arsenal gunning for Cup glory
Steve Douglas • February 4th, 2026 11:59 am
Arsenal have booked their place in the League Cup final thanks to a 4-2 aggregate win over Chelsea | Photo: AP
What's shaping up as a banner season for Arsenal is going to include a trip to Wembley Stadium for the English League Cup final.
Arsenal held firm before scoring in stoppage time through Kai Havertz to beat visiting Chelsea 1-0 on Tuesday (Wednesday NZT) and seal a 4-2 victory on aggregate over their London rivals.
Mikel Arteta's team lead the Premier League by six points in their bid to become English champions for a first time since 2004. They also finished top of the Champions League standings after eight straight wins.
For good measure, Arsenal have also advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Kai Havertz's stoppage-time goal proved the match-winner for Arsenal | Photo: AP
Arsenal will play Manchester City or Newcastle in the March 22 final. City lead 2-0 heading into the second leg at home on Wednesday (Thursday NZT).
Much of the hard work was done last month in winning 3-2 at Stamford Bridge, and the return match was mostly cagey.
Havertz, a former Chelsea player, had the final say by latching on to Declan Rice's pass on a counterattack and rounding goalkeeper Robert Sanchez to slot home.
The finish wasn't too dissimilar to the one that saw off Manchester City and clinched the Champions League title for Chelsea in 2021.
Arsenal will be looking for a third League Cup title, after 1987 and 1993. They have been runners-up six times, most recently to City in 2018.
- AP
