Arsenal player ratings vs Chelsea as 9/10 stars during League Cup semi-final win

Arsenal booked their place in the League Cup final after securing an aggregate victory over Chelsea, with Kai Havertz scoring a late winner in the semi-final second leg

Arsenal secured their spot in the League Cup final following an aggregate triumph over Chelsea. It marks their first journey to Wembley for a major cup final since 2020.

The opening period offered precious little in terms of clear-cut opportunities, with the clearest openings falling to Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel, both of whom saw their paths to goal blocked. Chelsea rang the changes early in the second period, introducing Estevao and Cole Palmer, altering the back-three formation that Liam Rosenior had initially deployed.

The second half largely continued in similar fashion, though Chelsea enjoyed greater possession in Arsenal’s territory. A Palmer set-piece created late tension with the Blues appealing for a spot-kick, but VAR intervened and dismissed their claims. The Gunners would strike on the break in the closing stages, with former Chelsea man Havertz finding the target.

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Here’s how Daily Star Sport assessed the Arsenal players’ displays.

Kepa Arrizabalaga, 7 – Required to make a fairly routine stop from an Enzo effort from distance. That proved to be the sole shot he faced throughout the entire match, reports Football London.

Jurrien Timber, 8 – Executed a superb intervention to thwart a threatening Chelsea break in the second period, earning Estevao a yellow card in the process. Remained solid at the back despite Chelsea’s rotating left-wing threats.

William Saliba, 9 – A clean sheet and another top-notch performance of calm and composure, often seeing off the forays of the Chelsea press. This was the type of performance that sends your team into finals.

Gabriel, 8 – Had to stay strong throughout and could have had a couple of goals if his touch was better in the first half. His header in the second should have found the target, too, and not Cucurella’s head.

Piero Hincapie, 8 – Strike from outside the box tested Sanchez, who forced it into the path of Gabriel. Was really solid defensively too on the left, probably his best game so far for his new club.

Martin Zubimendi, 8 – Metronomic in the middle as usual from the Spaniard. Found the tempo and pace of the game, with some important break-ups of play too.

Declan Rice, 8 – Played a poor pass to give away possession in the middle of the park; thankfully, no chance came from it. Struggled to find his usual flow, some misplaced passes too. But found the roar of the crowd around the 75th minute after winning the ball off Palmer. Found the assist to Kai Havertz at the end for the winner.

Eberechi Eze, 6 – Relatively invisible in the first half, not able to get involved in the game, missing the ball when it dropped for him in the box.

Noni Madueke, 6 – Had a great battle with Marc Cucurella throughout the game as the former teammates duelled it out. He probably won the war, just, but was replaced in the second half after failing to find the key moment.

Viktor Gyokeres, 6 – Barely touched the ball in the opening 45 minutes, but showed promise early in the second period when he battled to regain possession and attempted to deliver a cross for Martinelli, though his influence remained minimal thereafter. 5.

Gabriel Martinelli, 7 – The Brazilian was presented with the clearest opportunity of the early exchanges, racing through on goal before spinning to shoot, only to see his effort blocked by Gusto. Appealed for a spot-kick late on after another run in behind, but Chalobah had cleanly won the ball.

Substitutes:

Kai Havertz, 7 – Booked Arsenal’s ticket to Wembley. Struck the decisive blow in the dying moments, rounding Robert Sanchez before slotting home.

Leandro Trossard, 6 – Came on for Madueke with Martinelli switching to the right flank. Contributed to seeing out the victory with some tidy play,