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Mikel Arteta has taken Arsenal to their first final in nearly six years after punishing Chelsea and Liam Rosenior's baffling tactics at the Emirates
If you’re reading this in the waking hours of Wednesday morning, there may be slight chance that finally by now someone has reminded Liam Rosenior that to win a two-legged affair, his Chelsea side will need to try and score.
Joking aside, we can be blunt and say this will not go down as one of the all-time cup semi-final affairs…Well, at least 96 minutes of the second leg will not, the last sixty seconds certainly might if you are of an Arsenal persuasion.
Kai Havertz haunting Chelsea again is something that any Arsenal supporter can enjoy, and when he rounded Robert Sanchez before slotting the ball into the back of the net, there was a collective hold of breath before the Emirates Stadium erupted.
Much has been made of the atmosphere inside the north London ground, with even boos heard after the defeat to Manchester United. Well, Arsenal have won all three subsequent matches across three different competitions to remind any doubters that this Mikel Arteta team are equipped to respond to the setbacks, and fight on every front.
Whether that is without both their club captain and star player, with Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka absent from the side, or travelling to Leeds who, at the time, were in a strong run of form.
This third successive win, however, was the most significant, sending the Gunners to their first final since 2020, where Mikel Arteta won the FA Cup in his first season with the club. The wait has been long, but the Gunners boss feels worthy of the moment.
“We are so happy,” Arteta said in his post-match press conference. “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.”
Rosenior has faced backlash for how his Chelsea side were setup, and Arteta too appeared to be somewhat surprised by how the Blues decided to feature with a back three. The last time Arsenal were beaten by a side featuring a back three was against West Ham in 2025, last season.
Asked by football.london whether he decided to set his side up in such a way, knowing Chelsea would need to attack trailing on aggregate, but the Spaniard explained that the game was filled with many individual battles that needed to be won.
“Well, we certainly prepared to win it,” Arteta said. “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.”
Manchester City face Newcastle United with more than a foot already in the final, having won 2-0 at St James’ Park. In all likelihood, Arteta and Pep Guardiola will be locking horns once again but in a very new context.
The last time the pair met in a major trophy setting at Wembley was in the semi-final of the FA Cup. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the hero that day, dragging the Gunners almost single-handedly to the face-off with then Frank Lampard’s Chelsea side, where the Gabon forward would again be critical.
During that time, nearly six years ago, there were no fans inside London’s iconic ground. It was Covid-19 times, and the closest Arsenal have got to experiencing such a game was in the Community Shield.
Arsenal won that test against City on penalties after a late Leandro Trossard equaliser in 2023. That was Kai Havertz’s first “semi-competitive” game for the club, and now he has returned at the perfect time.
With the final in March, and most likely against their closest rivals for the Premier League title, the final transcends more than just a piece of silverware. It could be a major psychological boost for the victor, and a damning blow for the loser.
Arteta is unbeaten at Wembley and will hope to continue that record. Time for Arsenal to finally win a trophy, and one which could be the first of many.
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