Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal Vs Chelsea: 5 things we learned – Excellent result; troubling developments

By Andrew Dowdeswell

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 03: Shkodran Mustafi of Arsenal reacts during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on January 3, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 03: Shkodran Mustafi of Arsenal reacts during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on January 3, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 10: Arsene Wenger, Manager of Arsenal looks on from the stands during the Carabao Cup Semi-Final First Leg match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on January 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 10: Arsene Wenger, Manager of Arsenal looks on from the stands during the Carabao Cup Semi-Final First Leg match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on January 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

1. The Carabao Cup is now a priority

Rarely has Arsene Wenger played his strongest team in the Carabao Cup, formerly the League Cup. He has always valued the FA Cup, the league, and the European tournaments ahead of the midweek knockout competition. But given the current context of results, this was very different.

With Arsenal already out of the FA Cup thanks to their third-round, 4-2 loss to Forest at the weekend, the best chance of a trophy this season came in Wenger’s least-liked competition. Win one double-legged semi-final and you’re at Wembley. That is the thinking and Wenger prescribed to it.

Other than Alexis Sanchez, who was perhaps resigned to the bench because of exceptional reasons, Wenger played his strongest possible team. There were many injuries to contend with — Mesut Ozil was a late omission with a knee problem, and so this looked like a weakened Arsenal side. But with the options that were available to him, Wenger threw every resource he had at this game. It paid off.

Next: Arsenal Vs Chelsea: Player ratings

Arsenal will now host Chelsea in a week’s time. They have a great chance of proceeding through to the final and potentially securing a trophy before February is done with. This competition, oddly enough, is now a priority for this team, and I am quite happy for it to be so.