Arsenal beat Chelsea on Wednesday thanks to goals from the Arsenal defense. Here are three takeaways from the League Cup semifinal.
Arsenal won the Carabao Cup semifinal over Chelsea to advance to the League Cup final against Manchester City in a month’s time. It was Granit Xhaka’s goal at the hour mark which separated the two in another fantastic match between the London rivals. Here are three takeaways from the match:
Arsenal defenders bail the Gunners out again
Seven minutes in, Eden Hazard pierced the Arsenal defense (once again) and gave the Blues the lead at the Emirates. It was the same old story as the Gunners defenders looked unorganized and gave up yet another easy goal to Chelsea. However, their luck turned quickly.
Five minutes following Hazard’s opener, the Gunners equalized. Nacho Monreal’s header took a rare double-deflection off the head of Marcos Alonso and then Antonio Rudiger to find its way past Willy Caballero and into the back of the net. Although Rudiger went down as the goalscorer by virtue of an own goal, Monreal’s header was a catalyst for the first goal.
For the remainder of the match, the Arsenal defense held tough. Even though the Arsenal attack couldn’t seem to manage anything but offsides, Rudiger’s own goal kept the Gunners level and in the match.
Arsenal were gifted their second goal by virtue of yet another deflection off Rudiger. This time the ball deflected off Rudiger found its way to the feet of Granit Xhaka at the hour mark. Xhaka’s goal would prove to be the winner. Nobody on the face of the Earth had worse luck on Wednesday than Rudiger.
Despite getting the win and securing a spot in the final, the Arsenal attack was less than convincing. Alexandre Lacazette did virtually nothing for the Gunners and Ozil was somewhat shaky. The attack was bailed out by the defense again as Arsenal topped Chelsea with a bit of luck. However, they won’t get by with that quality of play in the final against Manchester City. If the Gunners want the chance at a trophy this season, they’ll need a spark up front. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, anyone?
Using Hazard as a false nine does work, despite the loss
Antonio Conte has come under fire over the last two seasons for using Hazard as a false nine in the 3-4-3 formation. With Alvaro Morata ruled out due to a back injury, Conte had to make a decision between Michy Batshuayi or Hazard in the false nine. He went with the latter. Although Hazard, Willian and Batshuayi made for an excellent trio at the weekend against Brighton, Conte decided to throw Pedro up front alongside the Belgian and Brazilian.
Even though the decision was scrutinized, it didn’t take long for Conte’s decision to pay off. Hazard continued his fantastic form by netting a goal seven minutes in. The Blues attack continued to provide trouble for Arsenal for the next 20 minutes. However, Willian picked up a knock in the 28th minute and was replaced by Ross Barkley.
In losing Willian, the Blues lost a lot of pace up front and the game plan changed. Chelsea began sitting back and letting Arsenal hold the ball, relying on the counter-attack to generate a goal. The Blues were unlucky again in a match against Arsenal as Willian’s injury proved too big a hill for Chelsea to climb. Batshuayi came on with a little over 20 minutes to play in the match, but the trio of Hazard, Batshuayi and Barkley couldn’t get anything done.
Chelsea lost its first game when starting the match in a false nine over the course of the past two seasons. They had begun the game well, but it quickly turned into a question of ‘what if?’ as the Blues failed to provide an attacking spark once Willian left the game with a knock. If nothing else, the match showed Willian deserves a spot in the starting XI each and every week. That and the fact Chelsea doesn’t have to fit a bout with Man City into its schedule consisting of two consecutive trips to Manchester and two Champions League ties with Barcelona.
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Arsenal steal another trophy from Chelsea
Last season, it was the FA Cup, this season it’s been the Community Shield and now possibly the Carabao Cup. Arsenal have been the thorn in Chelsea’s side all season long as the two sides have met in four separate competitions over the course of the last two seasons.
While the Gunners may not have the advantage over the Blues in the Premier League, they’ve been getting the hardware in the smaller competitions. Last season, Arsenal prevented the Blues from a double (FA Cup, Premier League) and opened up this season with a Community Shield win over its London rival side. The Gunners capitalized on yet another chance to deny Chelsea hardware on Wednesday. Despite going down early, Arsenal fought back to knock the Blues out of the League Cup.
Arsenal now have the chance to capture another trophy in a lesser competition. After all, that is what has kept Arsene Wenger afloat during the back half of his Arsenal managerial career, right? The Gunners will now have the chance to play for another trophy in a month’s time. They’ll take on Man City in the Carabao Cup final.
While Arsenal may not be playing in the Champions League, they’re very much alive in the Europa League. While they may not be in the FA Cup anymore, they’re in the final of the Carabao Cup. The Gunners aren’t exactly the best English side, but hardware is all that matters. And if Arsenal defeat Man City next month, they’ll have two (with the possibility to hoist three) trophies on the season. Not bad at all.