Good evening! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for tonight's
EFL Cup semi-final second leg, and what a match it promises to be as Arsenal and Chelsea do battle for the fifth time this season and the third time already in January alone!
It promises to be a very intriguing contest between two teams who returned to form in emphatic fashion at the weekend, but nothing has separated them in their previous four meetings so far this term so it is very much still to play for after their goalless first leg two weeks ago.
Manchester City await the winners in the final, so let's waste no time in looking at the team news from North London...
ARSENAL STARTING XI: Ospina; Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal; Elneny, Xhaka, Wilshere, Ozil, Iwobi; Lacazette
ARSENAL SUBS: Macey, Chambers, Kolasinac, Maitland-Niles, Ramsey, Nelson, Nketiah
CHELSEA STARTING XI: Caballero; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; Moses, Bakayoko, Kante, Alonso; Willian, Hazard, Pedro
CHELSEA SUBS: Eduardo, Cahill, David Luiz, Zappacosta, Drinkwater, Barkley, Batshuayi
What can we make of those two teams, then?
Well, both have named pretty strong starting lineups as you would expect, and the good news for Arsenal is that Nacho Monreal is passed fit to feature from the off this evening having been a doubt with a leg injury.
Monreal was an unlikely source of one goal and two assists against Crystal Palace at the weekend and could get the chance to bomb forward down the left flank again if, as the team sheet suggests, he will be playing in that wider role. Monreal has spent much of his season in a back three so far, and has impressed in doing so too, but in the absence of the benched Kolasinac he looks like continuing on the left tonight - having also played there against Palace.
Arsene Wenger looks like sticking with that back four tonight as was the case against Palace, switching from the three at the back he has favoured since the closing months of last season.
Elneny has previously featured in defence this season and could slip in again to make it into a back three once more - with Bellerin and Monreal as the wing-backs - but it looks as though it will be four at the back with Elneny partnering Xhaka in the middle of the park.
Mesut Ozil was arguably the star of the show during the opening-quarter blitz against Palace at the weekend, and he once again starts tonight despite the ongoing uncertainty over his future.
Ozil has even more weight on his shoulders to perform now following the exit of Alexis Sanchez, although the incoming Henrikh Mkhitaryan - who is cup-tied for tonight's match having featured for Manchester United in the quarter-final - should help to share the creative burden in the team.
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Alexandre Lacazette leads the line again having rediscovered his shooting boots now, while Koscielny, Monreal and Iwobi joined him on the scoresheet against Crystal Palace and all start tonight as well.
Indeed, there is only one change from that weekend win as David Ospina replaces Cech in goal. In contrast, Wenger has made four changes to the team which began the first leg of this tie just two weeks ago.
Chelsea named a strong team for that first leg at Stamford Bridge and they have done so again tonight too, making only two changes from a fortnight ago, both of which are enforced.
Spanish duo Cesc Fabregas and Alvaro Morata miss out with hamstring and groin injuries respectively - having also missed the win over Brighton at the weekend - and are replaced in the team by Bakayoko and Pedro, the latter of whom returns from suspension.
Andreas Christensen is passed fit to play, as expected, following a head injury he suffered against Brighton, which means that manager
Antonio Conte is able to name an unchanged back three from the weekend with Azpilicueta and Rudiger alongside him.
Gary Cahill has recovered from a thigh problem sufficiently to start on the bench, while behind that back three Willy Caballero retains the gloves due to an ankle injury for usual number one Thibaut Courtois.
While Ozil was the star of the show for Arsenal at the weekend,
Eden Hazard stole the headlines for Chelsea with a brace and plenty more dazzling football against Brighton, and if the Belgian is at his best tonight then Arsenal will already know that they could be in trouble.
Hazard recently insisted that Chelsea didn't need to sign a new striker this month as he could fill in if necessary, and he will get that chance this evening. It looks as though he will play in the centre-forward role again, with Willian and Pedro flanking him.
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In midfield, Moses - who got on the scoresheet against Brighton alongside Hazard and Willian - continues at right wing-back with Alonso on the left and Kante partnering Bakayoko in the middle.
There is the notable inclusion of Ross Barkley on the bench once again too, and the England international could make his Chelsea debut - and his first appearance of the whole season - this evening. Danny Drinkwater is also amongst the subs, having recovered from an ankle injury.
Strong teams selected by both managers, then, which is a clear indication of how seriously they are taking this competition.
It is the most realistic source of silverware for both clubs this season - even with the prospect of facing Man City in the final - and that is especially the case for Arsenal. The Gunners are a whopping 23 points off the pace in the Premier League and have already been eliminated from the FA Cup, so it is only this and the Europa League left for Arsene Wenger's side now this term.
Incredibly, for all of Wenger's success at Arsenal during his lengthy tenure, this is the one major trophy which has eluded him from domestic football so far.
Wenger has reached the final of this competition twice - in 2007 and 2011 - but on both occasions he was on the losing side and Arsenal have not lifted this trophy since 1992-93. That is one of only two times they have ever gone all the way in this competition, which is a record made even the more remarkable when you consider that they have won the FA Cup a whopping eight times since they last won this trophy, including seven under Arsene Wenger.
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An EFL Cup winners' medal is unlikely to completely appease the fans, who have once again begun to make their voices heard following a recent slump in form, while the ongoing transfer sagas - most notably Alexis Sanchez's sale to rivals Manchester United - have certainly not helped.
It would be another piece of silverware for the club, though, and a victory over Chelsea should also have the knock-on effect of giving them the confidence to close the gap on the top four in the Premier League.
As things stand Arsenal are still five points off the top-four pace in the Premier League - although that is already better than it was just a few days ago courtesy of Liverpool's shock defeat at the hands of Swansea on Monday night.
The Gunners are also five points worse off than at the same stage of last season, so one can fully understand the frustration they have at their club's current plight, but the race is far from over yet and the Europa League also provides them with an alternative route back into the Champions League.
Arsenal cannot afford many more dips in form like the one they suffered recently, though, with Saturday's 4-1 win over Crystal Palace - in which they scored four times in the opening 22 minutes - ending a run of five games without a win across all competitions and handing them their first win of 2018.
Arsenal do often suffer a dip in form in January, but victory tonight would see them well and truly back to winning ways and would give them successive victories for the first time since December 19.
Arsenal have only recorded narrow wins so far in this competition this season, beating Doncaster 1-0, needed extra time to get past Norwich and then also scraping past West Ham by a solitary goal, so it hasn't been entirely convincing.
However, all of those matches came at home, and prior to those three successive wins they had lost four of their previous six League Cup outings here at the Emirates Stadium, so they are at least in better form in front of their own fans now.
Indeed, across all competitions Arsenal boast a pretty formidable home record, losing just one of their last 25 games at the Emirates stretching back to their Champions League defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich last March.
The Gunners are six unbeaten here since their thrilling 3-1 loss to Manchester United at the start of December - a game they could have easily won but for the heroics of De Gea - winning four of those.
However, they have also conceded six goals in their last three home outings, which is the same number as they let in in their previous 14 before that.
Chelsea will certainly be glad to have returned to winning and scoring ways themselves, then, and they also made a very quick start on their way to scoring four goals at the weekend.
Hazard and Willian gave the champions a two-goal lead inside just six minutes at the Amex, although the final score of 4-0 was a bit harsh on the hosts, who saw two good penalties appeals turned down. Nevertheless, it crucially ended a run of five consecutive draws for Chelsea across all competitions - although that run does include one game in which they went on to beat Norwich on penalties.
The win over Brighton was not only their first of 2018 inside normal time, but it also lifted them back up to third in the Premier League table, where they stayed courtesy of Liverpool's defeat.
Five points now separate Chelsea from Tottenham in fifth, while they are eight ahead of Arsenal, so while their title defence was quickly blown out of the water by the relentless pace set by Manchester City, Chelsea are at least well placed to qualify for the Champions League again next season.
First and foremost,
Antonio Conte will be focusing on adding another trophy to the Premier League title he scooped in his debut season, and he is tonight coming up against the team which prevented his side from making it a double in the FA Cup final last year.
Chelsea come into the match in decent form even accounting for those five consecutive draws, though, losing none of their last 12 games across all competitions stretching back to December 9.
Chelsea have also kept seven clean sheets in their last nine games across all competitions, so it will be a difficult ask for Arsenal to even score tonight based on Chelsea's recent defensive performances.
However, their first clean sheet of the season in this competition did not come until the first leg of this tie earlier this month, having conceded exactly one goal in their wins over Nottingham Forest, Everton and Bournemouth to reach this stage.
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Indeed, the first-leg stalemate was the first they have kept in their last eight EFL Cup games, stretching all the way back to the final in March 2015, when they last lifted the trophy.
That triumph three years ago was their fifth taste of League Cup glory - a tally only Liverpool can beat - and both Chelsea and Arsenal have reached the final seven times apiece in the past. Only Liverpool, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur have made it into the showpiece more often.
Needless to say, Chelsea have the better record once they do get the final considering Arsenal have only lifted the trophy twice before, but it is the Gunners who have the very slight advantage heading into this tie following their goalless draw at the Emirates in the reverse.
Chelsea have failed to win any of their last three EFL Cup games away from home inside normal time, losing to Stoke on penalties and West Ham last season, while also needed extra time to beat Leicester during that run. Tonight will be their first away game in this season's competition, though.
Chelsea have also only won two of their last seven away games across all competitions and are chasing back-to-back victories on the road for the first time since November 22 tonight, but despite that their overall away record has been good this season.
Only Manchester City have picked up more points on their travels in the Premier League while no team has conceded fewer goals, so tonight's match pitches the top-flight's second-best home attack against the joint-best away defence. It promises to be a good one!
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the Emirates Stadium, which means that it is time for a prediction!
This one is a very tough one to call considering how tight all of the games between these two sides have been this season. Hopefully this one will be more like their only meeting at the Emirates so far this term rather than the Stamford Bridge stalemates, but either way it could go down to extra time and even penalties. I will go for Chelsea to edge it, though, purely because they have the sturdier defence.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea (after extra time)
These two sides have already gone all the way to a penalty shootout this season, doing so in the Community Shield when Chelsea's bizarre tactics of allowing Courtois to take a spot kick came back to bite them as Arsenal ran out 4-1 winners in the shootout.
This will be just the third time that these two sides have met five times in the same season - also doing so in 2003-04 and 1946-47, and they could achieve a very rare record should this one also end as a stalemate after extra time.
The last time two top-flight clubs played out five draws against each other in a single season Arsenal were also involved, against Liverpool in 1979-80, while the only other occasion that has occurred in English football history was in 1955-56. Then it was Chelsea involved, against Burnley.
Of course, there has to be a conclusion one way or the other tonight - as was the case in the Community Shield - but it goes to show how little there has been to separate these two sides this season.
The recent history makes this contest all the more intriguing, with Arsenal losing just one of the last seven meetings across all competitions and Chelsea being beaten just once in their last away games against the Gunners.
The Premier League and cup competitions seem to be different beasts for these two sides too; Chelsea have only lost one of their last 13 league clashes with Arsenal, winning seven of those, whereas Arsenal are unbeaten in their last four cup games against the Blues - winning two Community Shield and the FA Cup final last season during that time.
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Right, the players are out and we're almost ready to go here. A quick reminder of the team news before we do get started...
ARSENAL STARTING XI: Ospina; Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal; Elneny, Xhaka, Wilshere, Ozil, Iwobi; Lacazette
CHELSEA STARTING XI: Caballero; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; Moses, Bakayoko, Kante, Alonso; Willian, Hazard, Pedro
Henrikh Mkhitaryan will be watching his new team from the stands this evening...
KICKOFF: Chelsea get us underway at the Emirates! Remember, VAR is available to be called upon tonight if needed.
SHOT! Not a great start from Arsenal as they struggle to get out of their own half in the opening exchanges. Iwobi gifts possession straight back to the visitors in a dangerous position, but Bakayoko sees his effort deflect wide.
SHOT! The resulting corner reaches Moses on the edge of the box, but he drags a tame effort comfortably wide.
DISALLOWED GOAL! This has been a really poor start from Arsenal, and they are almost punished here. Pedro has the ball in the back of the net as he flicks a header from Azpilicueta's cross past Ospina, only for the offside flag to be raised. No need for VAR to intervene there - it was a good decision.
GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea (Eden Hazard)
This one certainly will count as Arsenal are punished for their sloppy start!
Pedro slides the ball through for Hazard, who breaks into the box before burying a confident finish into the bottom corner. That just looked far too easy for the visitors, who have dominated these opening exchanges.
CHANCE! Much better from Arsenal as they look for an instant response to falling behind. Iwobi pings a clever pass into the path of Wilshere, whose first touch just gets away from him. He still gets to the ball before Caballero, but the Chelsea keeper stays big and makes the save before getting up quickly and pushing the ball away from the feet of Monreal too.
Caballero hurt himself during that incident and, with Courtois also out, Chelsea certainly won't want to lose him. He looks like he will be fine to continue, though.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Chelsea (Antonio Rudiger own goal)
It looks as though we are in for a goal fest rather than a boring stalemate between these two, folks!
Arsenal equalise within five minutes of going behind, although they need a huge stroke of luck to get it. It is partly poor defending from Chelsea as they leave Monreal in acres of space inside the box from a corner. The Spaniard plants a header towards goal, but that then comes off Alonso and then strikes the head of an unfortunate Rudiger before going over the line. The double deflection left Caballero helpless and will go down as a Rudier own goal, but the bottom line is that Arsenal are level!
These two sides played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in this stadium earlier this month, and it looks as though we could be in for a similar game tonight. Both teams have started in a much more attacking mindset than they did in the two Stamford Bridge meetings this season.
It is Chelsea back on the front foot now as they push forward to regain the lead. They win a couple of corners, the first of which Arsenal make a mess of clearing, but nothing comes of it.
YELLOW CARD! Hazard is the first name in the book tonight for a cynical tackle on Ozil to prevent a counter-attack.
Chelsea have been on top since that opening goal, as was the case for Arsenal immediately after they conceded. You get the feeling that there are more goals in this game one way or the other.
CHANCE! Pedro feeds in a pass towards the feet of Hazard, who cleverly leaves it to run through for Willian. The Brazilian suddenly finds himself in a good position, but he is kept on his left foot and drags his eventual finish well wide.
At the other end Elneny plays a long ball over the defence for Lacazette to run on to, but he is crowded out by the backtracking Chelsea defence inside the area.
The game has calmed down a little since that frantic start, but both teams still look intent on attacking whenever they have the ball, which was not always the case in the first leg.
Azpilicueta plays a clever defence-splitting pass into the box which Pedro prevents from going behind for a goal kick, but Ospina cuts out his attempted pull back and Hazard can't make the most of the keeper being out of position.
Chelsea are very much on top now - they have enjoyed 71% possession in the last 10 minutes, with Arsenal struggling to get hold of the ball for any meaningful length of time at the moment.
Willian looks to have a problem here and he won't be able to continue. Ross Barkley is gearing up for his Chelsea debut and his first appearance of the season in any competition.
CHELSEA SUB: There is the change as Ross Barkley makes his Chelsea bow for the injured Willian.
YELLOW CARD! Wilshere is the second name in the book tonight for a poor late challenge on Barkley. Welcome back, Ross.
Barkley has been heavily involved since his introduction - on the end of two physical challenges from Arsenal and now conceding a free kick in a dangerous crossing position with a rusty tackle...
CLOSE! Xhaka puts plenty of pace on his attempted shot from a tight angle and the ball deflects off Hazard in the wall before rippling the top of the net on its way over for a corner.
Ross Barkley's last competitive appearance also came in this stadium...
Arsenal may be level here, but Wenger won't be particularly pleased with his side's performance. With the exception of a five-minute spell immediately after falling behind they have been comfortably second best tonight.
Christensen is fortunate to get away without a yellow card as he barges into Ozil unceremoniously. Chelsea had plenty of players surrounding him there, but they still needed to foul him to stop him.
Monreal has developed a very useful knack of getting his head on the end of crosses into the box. He does again from the resulting free kick here, although this time his header does not have the power on it to trouble Caballero.
Chelsea come sweeping forward again here with Hazard and Pedro both involved to send the ball out to Alonso, but his cross into the box is cut out.
Chelsea come forward down the right flank this time as Barkley reaches the byline before delivering a cross, but once again Arsenal keep them at bay. That is about all the hosts are doing at the moment, though.
There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this first half.
CLOSE! Arsenal almost nick the half-time lead right at the death as Wilshere slides a pass in to Ozil, whose deflected shot bobbles agonisingly wide of the far post.
HALF TIME: Arsenal 1-1 Chelsea (1-1 on aggregate)
The first half comes to an end at the Emirates Stadium, and surprise surprise we are all square between these two sides at the break.
Chelsea have enjoyed the lion's share of possession and territory and have been the better team quite comfortably so far tonight, but crucially it is still 1-1 on the night. As things stand, we are heading to extra time!
The opening goal arrived after just seven minutes as Arsenal were punished for a really sloppy start, with Pedro sliding the ball through to Hazard, who finished with aplomb into the bottom corner.
Pedro had the ball in the back of the net himself moments earlier only to be denied by the offside flag, but this time there was nothing to save the Gunners as Chelsea took an early lead.
Arsenal suddenly clicked into life after that goal, though, and they almost levelled things up immediately through Jack Wilshere before going on to restore parity just five minutes after falling behind.
It was a freak goal from the Gunners, but with a helping hand from some poor Chelsea defending too. Monreal escaped his marker in the box before planting a header goalwards which deflected off Alonso and then Rudiger on its way into the back of the net.
Chelsea have been on top for the most part, and came close to regaining the lead when Willian dragged a presentable chance wide of the target, but Arsenal have had openings of their own despite spending the majority of the game on the back foot so far.
Xhaka has seen one free kick deflect narrowly over, before Ozil came agonisingly close right on the stroke of half time with another deflected shot which bobbled just past the far post. It is still all to play for in the second half.
A reminder of the rules of away goals in the EFL Cup - they will only come into play after extra time, which means that we cannot have penalties tonight.
Should the result remain as it is - or any score draw for that matter - then we would go to extra time, but Arsenal would then need to score again without reply to go through.
KICKOFF: Here we go! Arsenal get us back underway for the second half at the Emirates!
SHOT! An early effort in this second half from Xhaka, but he fires his shot comfortably over the crossbar.
This has been a bright start to the second half from Arsenal, who have immediately got on the front foot and are asking some early questions of the Chelsea defence. Much better from the hosts.
Now it is Chelsea who can't get out of their own half at the moment. Arsenal have come out flying in this second 45 minutes, which will be a concern for a Chelsea side who struggled to break down an under-par Arsenal team in the opening 45 minutes.
Hazard looks to be racing through on goal for a moment but then goes to ground, with Mustafi accused of just clipping his heels. Michael Oliver gives no foul, though, and the replay seems to prove him right.
Hazard picks the ball up from the resulting throw-in but sees a deflected shot go wide of the target.
We're 10 minutes into this second half now and Arsenal are still the team controlling possession now - the opposite of what it was in the first half. Hazard has almost broken free on a couple of occasions, though, so Arsenal need to keep things tight at the back too.
Chelsea have been pinned back to a certain extent in this second half, but they also seem to be playing with less attacking intent too. They will go through as things stand, but only after extra time so it is a dangerous game to hope for that.
Arsenal come pouring forward here as Ozil slides the pass through to Iwobi down the left channel, but his cross into the box is turned over his own bar by Azpilicueta.
GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea (Granit Xhaka)
Arsenal have the lead, and it has been coming in this second half!
Xhaka feeds the ball down the right channel for Lacazette, who holds off his marker and bides his time before squeezing a cross into the box. Once again, there is a big element of fortune to the goal as the cross deflects into the path of Xhaka, who has continued his run into the area. Xhaka reacts quickly, though, poking the ball into the corner to send the Emirates Stadium wild!
SAVE! Chelsea look for a quick response from Pedro, but he tries to chip Ospina while the keeper is on his line and he easily plucks it out of the air.
YELLOW CARD! Moses goes into the book for a heavy challenge on Iwobi.
That challenge was referred to the VAR momentarily as there was a hint of Moses going in two-footed, but they correctly rule that no further punishment is necessary.
CHELSEA SUB: Change for the visitors as Chelsea look for an equaliser, with Michy Batshuayi replacing Pedro.
YELLOW CARD! Monreal is the latest name in the book for a couple of bites at Hazard before eventually bringing him down.
Both Arsenal and Chelsea have been like different teams in each half tonight. Chelsea were in control and commanding in the first half, but the roles have completely reversed in this second half, even after that goal.
SHOT! Half a chance for Arsenal to add a third and give themselves a cushion, but Xhaka drags this shot well wide of the target.
Wilshere drives forward through the middle of the pitch with purpose before playing it out wide to Ozil, but he is in no mood to just throw the ball hopefully into the box. Instead he recycles possession and Arsenal keep hold of the ball.
CHELSEA SUB: A third and final change from the visitors here as Davide Zappacosta replaces Moses.
Just over 15 minutes remaining in this tie as things stand and, right now, it is hard to see where a Chelsea equaliser might come from. They have offered very little since the interval.
SHOT! Alonso tries to give his side some inspiration, but it is a highly ambitious effort from a long way out and an unlikely angle which flies well off target.
CHANCE! Huge chance for Arsenal to perhaps kill this tie off! It is a flowing move from the hosts as Bellerin pokes the ball down the right channel for Ozil, who immediately plays it into the path of Iwobi. The Arsenal man is clean through on goal with only the keeper to beat, but he puts his shot too close to Caballero, who makes a big save with his feet.
That was a big scare for Chelsea, and they have responded with a little more urgency in their play. They are fortunate to still be in this tie.
Testing one for Koscielny as he is called upon to deal with a ball over the top when Hazard is in pursuit. Hazard reads the header back to the keeper, but Koscielny puts enough on it.
Better from Chelsea as they come sweeping forward, but Alonso's volley across goal is cut out by Bellerin before it can cause any damage.
CHANCE! Rudiger has been pretty hapless tonight, but he has a chance to redeem himself here. Barkley whips a dangerous corner into the box which Ospina is nowhere near claiming, but Rudiger doesn't attack it with enough commitment and his header loops over the bar under pressure from Mustafi.
ARSENAL SUBS: A double change for the hosts here as Lacazette and Iwobi make way to be replaced by Sead Kolasinac and Aaron Ramsey.
Xhaka is again threatening here as he runs from deep to get on the end of a floated free kick forward, taking the ball down on his chest but putting his tame volley wide of the target.
SHOT! Alonso has been good from set pieces so far this season, but this is a really poor one. He tries to put too much on it and fires his effort a long way over the crossbar.
There will be FOUR minutes of stoppage time at the end of this match!
All of the late pressure is coming from Chelsea here, as you would expect. Arsenal are holding firm so far, though!
FULL TIME: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea (Arsenal win 2-1 on aggregate)
ARSENAL BOOK THEIR PLACE IN THE EFL CUP FINAL!
It is Arsenal celebrating at the full-time whistle as they dump Chelsea out of the EFL Cup, booking their place in the final for the first time since 2011 and just the third time in the Arsene Wenger era!
It did not look good for the Gunners when they were punished for a dreadful start by Hazard after only seven minutes, but they responded quickly themselves to restore parity in fortuitous fashion five minutes later.
Granit Xhaka then got the winning goal on the hour mark, and Chelsea could not respond during a disappointing second-half display as Arsenal held out to set up a final showdown with Manchester City on February 25!
Right, that is all we have time for this evening!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as Arsenal book their place in the final of the EFL Cup at the expense of London rivals Chelsea, with Granit Xhaka scoring the all-important goal. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
