Arsenal are through to the final of the 2025-26 League Cup, where they will face either Manchester City or Newcastle, after finishing off Chelsea with a 1-0 victory (4-2 on aggregate) in north London on Tuesday.
MORE — Manchester City vs Newcastle, semifinal no. 2
The Gunners beat the Blues 3-2 at Stamford Bridge last month and it seemed certain that’s how the tie would end for the vast majority of the second leg, until Kai Havertz finally put his former club out of its misery with the game’s only goal in the 97th minute. Declan Rice played him in behind Chelsea’s defense as the visitors threw everything forward, leaving Havertz one-on-one with Robert Sanchez, who he rounded with ease and slotted home to send Emirates Stadium into full-on celebration mode.
Man City lead Newcastle 2-0 ahead of hosting the second leg at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. The final will be played at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, May 22.
What’s next?
- Arsenal vs Sunderland — Saturday, 10 am ET
- Wolves vs Chelsea — Saturday, 10 am ET
Arsenal vs Chelsea live updates - by Andy Edwards
Arsenal vs Chelsea final score: 1-0 (4-2 agg.)
Goalscorers: Kai Havertz (90'+7)
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 (4-2 agg.) Chelsea: Havertz rounds Sanchez to start the party (90'+7)
FORMER CHELSEA PLAYER KAI HAVERTZ SENDS ARSENAL TO WEMBLEY 🔥 pic.twitter.com/WU7wMzLpvR
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 3, 2026
Arsenal starting lineup
Arrizabalaga - Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie - Zubimendi, Rice, Eze - Madueke, Martinelli, Gyokeres
Chelsea starting lineup
Sanchez - Gusto, Chalobah, Fofana, Cucurella, Hato - Caicedo, Santos, Fernandez - Pedro, Delap
How to watch Arsenal vs Chelsea live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 3pm ET Tuesday (February 3)
Venue: Emirates Stadium — North London
TV Channel/Streaming: Paramount+
Mikel Arteta’s side hammered Leeds 4-0 at Elland Road on Saturday as they’re now six points clear atop the Premier League table despite a recent wobble. Given the strength of their squad Arsenal have a very real chance of winning multiple trophies this season and reaching the League Cup final would be a big deal for them.
Chelsea fought back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at home against West Ham on Saturday as Liam Rosenior’s side are showing incredible resilience. They won 3-2 at Napoli last Wednesday too and Chelsea are finding a way to get wins, despite giving up big chances defensively. They will try to stay in the game at Arsenal and then go for it in the final 30 minutes.
Arsenal team news, focus
Bukayo Saka suffered an injury in the warm up ahead of the game at Leeds and probably won’t be available. The likes of Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus and Eberechi Eze are all pushing for starts. Mikel Merino needs surgery on his foot, which is a blow, but Arsenal have so many options all across the pitch and can maintain this push for multiple trophies.
Chelsea team news, focus
Jamie Gittens went off injured on Saturday with a hamstring issue, while the quintet of Pedro Neto, Marc Cucurella, Joao Pedro, Reece James and Wesley Fofana were great off the bench and should all start this one. Rosenior is trying his best to keep everyone fresh and if Chelsea can stop giving up big chances, they have players in-form in attack to hurt opponents. Expect Andrey Santos to start in midfield alongside Moises Caicedo to provide some extra defensive cover.
Arsenal vs Chelsea prediction
This feels like it will be a bit cagey and Chelsea could take the lead and make it nervous, but Arsenal will do what they have to do to reach the final. Arsenal 1-1 (4-3 agg.) Chelsea.
