Every word Mikel Arteta said on Arsenal win over Chelsea, Kai Havertz, trophies and Wembley

Here is every word Mikel Arteta said after Arsenal knocked Chelsea out of the League Cup to set up a date at Wembley

Mikel Arteta was in a joyous mood as his side reached their first major final since 2020 after beating Chelsea over two legs. Kai Havertz provided a sweet goal right at the end to send the Emirates Stadium into total anarchy.

It was a total reverse of the first game at Stamford Bridge, which the Gunners could and should have won by more, but was an open, end-to-end affair. This was an attritional battle that Arsenal had the quality and savviness to overcome.

Arteta gave his thoughts on the win, what it means and what it can do for his side and whether this could be a springboard for future success at the club this season.

Here is every word the Arsenal boss had to say:

That must be satisfying?

We are so happy. I think overall, over the last two games, I think we deserved to be through. It was a long match, we expected that. We wrapped it up at the end in a beautiful way, with Kai scoring the goal in the match that he did and the reaction from the crowd.

The starters, the finishers, the staff, it just was magical. So I'm really happy because it was a really tough match against a great opponent and we are in Wembley.

It felt such a different game to the first leg that was a lot more open. Knowing that Chelsea had to come here to score, was it the game plan to try and catch them when those moments arose?

Well, we certainly prepared to win it. We knew that we were going to have to play a lot of games within that game. Especially because right from the beginning they changed their set-up and they played in a different way.

I knew that 45, depending on the context of the game, they could do that like they did three days ago. Or a 60, a 70. We were going to have to be very flexible and smart using the bench and the adjustments that we had to make.

It's true that we haven't really conceded nothing. We only created three or four chances, two big chances before the goal. The margins were going to be small because they are a really good side.

They compete so well as well. They are a really good coach and I think we got it over the line.

In previous matches of the season, particularly against Wolves in the last ten minutes, your team obviously got very nervy and things changed. In this game, late on, your team seemed to deal well with nerves. How proud were you of the way they handled that pressure?

Very well. And against the crowd as well. I think the crowd was brilliant today.

They brought so much energy and belief to the team in different moments. It was very much needed and I think we all deserved to be together in one minute.

Did you feel like the crowd were more on board?

They were great and it wasn't easy today because it was a late kick-off, windy, rainy, cold and they responded. The energy was very good from the beginning. I sensed it was different and they are on board.

You wanted it so much, the fans wanted it so much to win. You've had an excellent season competing over four competitions. How significant is it actually reaching a final in this competition?

We're only one match away. It's the best vitamins that we can put in our bodies because we're playing every three days. But the fact that you worked so hard to achieve those moments and to have these moments together is just magical.

You can see the joy, the smile, the energy and everything that works at the club. Looking forward to it.

Four semi-final defeats before this and now you've won. Do you think the confidence the players can get from this can be springboard for the rest of the season?

Well, I hope so. This is about learning from previous experiences. Today was a very different game, as you said, from the previous game at Stamford Bridge.

We dealt with that really well, the way the team competed and understood what we had to do was really impressive and now let's win the final.

I was going to ask you about Kai specifically, an amazing moment for him. It's obviously been a long road for him, but how happy are you for him personally?

Super. Not only me, I think everybody that knows Kai a little bit, we feel genuinely happy for him in a special way because he deserves the best. The way he works, the way he treats people, the way he behaves every single day.

Today was a special moment for him and I hope that he enjoyed it because he fully deserves it.

I think his teammates enjoyed it as well, everybody from the substitute bench running over. What did you make of that? What does it say about the group that you've got here now?

Great, because it's a natural reaction and some of them didn't have the chance to play, but the only part in the competition, except for David, all of the players feel that it's their own. The merit is there and now we're going to have to go and win it.

I'm sure the final right now feels quite a long way away. You would have seen what winning a first trophy as a group can do for a mentality. How much could it change this sport?

Winning helps in every sense. Confidence, energy, you call it. We're going to be there in a few weeks, we'll prepare well.

In the meantime we know that we need to just put it aside because three days later we're going to have a massive game here in the Premier League. We're at an all-front, that's where we want to be, so let's keep moving.

Previously you've been criticised for not using your squad fully, but throughout this Carabao Cup run you've rotated players and even in a big-stakes game you've rotated and brought players in. What does it speak to the trust you have in this squad, the belief you have in every single player to make an impact on the pitch?

They give us every day their reasons to trust them and to play them and to make sure they feel part of that. We have an excellent group, the quality is there as well and we have to use it because first of all they deserve it.