4 hours ago
3
ARSENAL 1-0 CHELSEA (4-2): Kai Havertz's last-gasp goal sealed the Gunners' ticket to Wembley for their first League Cup final since 2018
Rosenior's pre-match fury and glare
It didn't take long to light the tough paper at the Emirates. In fact, that happened before a ball was even kicked.
That's because during the pre-match warm-up, Liam Rosenior appeared to take issue with Arsenal's preparations spilling into Chelsea's half of the pitch.
He soon made it clear he was not happy, though the Sky Sports cameras were unable to capture the full extent of the issue.
To put it politely, Rosenior was not willing to tolerate it and he was also rather fired up during the opening exchanges of the contest, shouting at the fourth official and contesting decisions passionately.
Much like Mikel Arteta, the English coach brings fire to the touchline and his energy undoubtedly transmits to his players.
In the final exchanges of the game, the ball went up into the air and Rosenior tried to control it but it bounced off his foot.
The Arsenal crowd jeered and that prompted Rosenior to turn around and glare towards the home supporters for a couple of swift seconds.
FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
No love lost between Cucurella and Madueke
It wasn't so long again that Marc Cucurella was dancing at Chelsea's celebratory Conference League party in Wroclaw while Noni Madueke rapped.
Here, there was evidently no love lost between the former team-mates, who seemed set on going to war from the very first whistle.
It should not be forgotten that Cucurella appeared to take issue with Madueke's exit last summer during the Club World Cup, stating when asked whether the timing of the deal was strange: "Yes, I think so. I think he missed a good opportunity (although) he wasn’t playing as a starter.
"I do think it was because of everything that was happening regarding his future, and in the end, I think it could have delayed him a couple of days since he left a day early or something like that. It wouldn’t have cost him anything to wait for that next day. In the end, I think he missed a pretty good opportunity."
Cucurella was touch tight to the Arsenal winger throughout the first half and Madueke also put in a firm challenge on the Spaniard which frustrated Liam Rosenior.
The Blues left-back soon hit back, tripping Madueke and the pair continued to jostle, setting the tone for a fesity and fiery encounter..
Arteta's Fernandez frustration
Mikel Arteta was booked in the second half for his remonstrations but he was also agitated during the first half when Chelsea began to frustrate Arsenal.
Around the 30-minute mark, the Spaniard took issue with Enzo Fernandez trying to win a foul for the Blues.
The Argentine drove with the ball then appeared to go down under the challenge of an Arsenal player, though it looked rather soft.
Referee Peter Bankes wasn't buying it though and waved play on, while Arteta threw his arms up in the air in disgust.
By this point, tensions on the touchline were getting rather spiky and that continued after the break when the Arsenal boss was booked for contesting a decision that was given against his side.
FOLLOW OUR CHELSEA FB PAGE! Latest Blues news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
Chelsea's wretched Arsenal record
It's now been 11 matches since Chelsea recorded a win over Arsenal - a run that stretches right back to August 2021.
Whatever way you look at it, that's a remarkable refcord
Delap experiment fails
Liam Delap has featured as a right-winger nine times in his career. Eight of those outings came under Liam Rosenior and his last appearance on the flank (vs Blackburn in December 2023) saw him find the target.
But on the basis of this display, you couldn't help but wonder why he'd been deployed out wide because it looked such a poor stylistic fit.
Delap has great running power and nobody can deny he's a great presser and physical presence. However, in matches like this you need more than that and following a booking, it was no real surprise to see the centre-forward hooked on 60 minutes.
The 22-year-old looked destined to launch a big push for England's World Cup this season but he's only scored two goals and is unlikely to be in the conversation come the end of the season.
English (US) ·