AFCON 2025
Chelsea football club were eliminated from the EFL Cup after a late minute goal from Kai Havertz stopped the blues from going to Wembley.
The first leg, at Stamford bridge, saw Arsenal cruise past Chelsea by 3 goals to 2. Despite Garnacho’s 2 late goals, it was not enough to salvage a draw for Chelsea at home.
However, heading into the second leg with a 3:2 goal aggregate, Stamford Bridge side was looking forward to turning it around at the Emirate stadium.
A highly competitive first half ended with a 0:0 draw despite Chelsea coming close to scoring many times, meanwhile, the second half came with even more shock.
The Chelsea side failed to find the back of the net in the second 45 minutes, and just at the 97th minute, a quick counter attack saw Havertz scoring the only goal of the game, and comfortably sending Arsenal to the EFL Cup final in Wembley.
While it was a very competitive game between the two sides, here are the three reasons Chelsea lost to Arsenal at the Emirates.
1. Lack of Clinical Finishing
Chelsea needed just a goal to at least take the match to penalties, and hopefully shock Arsenal in a night at the Emirates stadium, however, the Stamford blues struggled to break the Arsenal’s defense especially in the second half.
For the entire 90 minutes, Chelsea seemed to lack the creativity and aptness to break through the Arsenal defensive wall.
Second half substitute Estavao tried penetrating into the Arsenal defense, it proved abortive.
And in the second half, towards the end of the game, Chelsea’s approach to the game changed entirely, they started throwing aimless balls into the Arsenal box which met resistance forces from William Saliba and Gabriel.
Statistically, Chelsea actually dominated large portions of the game, particularly in the second half. However, they were plagued by a lack of composure in the final third:
Chelsea registered 14 shots, but only 2 were on target.
Midfielders like Enzo Fernández and Marc Cucurella were forced to take desperate long-range shots because the forwards, including Liam Delap, Estavao and João Pedro, couldn’t penetrate the box.
Arsenal was the opposite, they only had 5 shots all game but were clinical when it mattered most, specifically through Kai Havertz at the death.
2. Tactical Overthinking from Liam Rosenior
Chelsea came into the game, especially in the first half with a defense mindset. Liam Rosenior opted for a more balanced formation, 3-5-2 formation; trying to ensure that Arsenal doesn’t score an early goal that will eventually ruin their chances of a comeback.
This formation made the coach leave out key attacking options like Estavao, Cole Palmer and even Alejandro Garnacho who scored two goals in the last match against Arsenal and opted for more defensive minded players.
This approach completely sapped Chelsea of their usual attacking rhythm. By the time the big names were subbed on in the 61st and 75th minutes, Arsenal’s defense was well-settled and confident. Chelsea essentially wasted an hour of football playing ‘not to lose’ rather than ‘trying to win.’
3. The 97th minute gamble
Just as the clock ticked deep into the final whistle, Chelsea players grew more impatient, and pushed forward even more without minding the risks.
The coach made offensively tactical substitutions, substituting Gusto and Andrey Santos for attacking options like Josh Acheampong and Garnacho respectively,
And when the fourth official signaled the additional minutes, all Chelsea players including the tall defenders pushed into the Arsenal’s box, trying to convert the forced crosses from Estavao or Garnacho
This left them one-on-one at the back. When Arsenal intercepted the ball, Declan Rice had acres of space to pick out a pass.
Kai Havertz, the former Chelsea man, was the beneficiary of this tactical exposure. He showed the composure Chelsea lacked all night, rounding Robert Sánchez to seal the 4-2 aggregate win. It was a classic case of a team being punished for a necessary, but ultimately fatal, tactical gamble.
However, after the home and away victory by Arsenal, they will play either Manchester City or Newcastle United at the EFL Cup final in Wembley.
