When the final whistle blew, a huge wave of relief swept over this stadium. Arsenal may not have been at all convincing against a Chelsea side who caused them the occasional problem but Mikel Arteta will not care one bit. After four successive semi-final defeats, Arsenal are on their way to Wembley. At last.
After the drama of the first leg at Stamford Bridge that saw Liam Rosenior’s side travel to north London needing to overturn a 3-2 deficit, this was a much more cagey affair that was eventually settled in injury time by Kai Havertz’s breakaway goal against his former club. Arsenal had seemed content to keep Chelsea at arm’s length for most of the evening and rarely looked like extending their advantage until then.
Yet having not won this competition since 1993 and after crashing out at the semi-final stage to Newcastle after a 4-0 defeat on aggregate last season, this was an occasion for Arteta and his team to savour as they celebrated deep into the night. A potential showdown in the final with title rivals Manchester City would only add to the sense of drama as they chase a potential quadruple but Arsenal know they are within touching distance of a first trophy since winning the FA Cup in Arteta’s first season six years ago.
