Arsenal 1-0 (4-2 agg) Chelsea: Player ratings as Gunners seal Carabao Cup final spot

Arsenal progressed to the final of the Carabao Cup as a dramatic second leg 1-0 win with Chelsea saw them overcome their London rivals 4-2 on aggregate.

Mikel Arteta made three changes to the side that romped to a 4-0 win at Leeds United, bringing in Kepa Arrizabalaga, Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Martinelli. David Raya, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard dropped to the bench while Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard were absent.

The Gunners were the first to go close when Eze picked the ball up out wide and played it into Piero Hincapié. The Ecuadorian struck first time with his effort curling into the net, but Robert Sanchez got across well to keep it out.

Chelsea looked the more eager side in the opening half-hour as they put plenty of pressure on the hosts in search of the goal that would bring the tie level. Martinelli was then played in by a ball over the top, but he was forced to take more touches than he would have wanted, allowing Malo Gusto to recover and block.

Enzo Fernandez tried to take matters into his own hands when he found space to strike from range, but Kepa did well to punch away the effort to ensure his side maintained their advantage at the break.

Arsenal looked to have upped the ante after the break as they looked a bit more lively in attack, but that soon faded with the game returning to the same quietness seen before half-time.

Both managers looked to breathe life into their team with substitutions, with Liam Rosenior appearing to be more eager to do so, but neither side could find a way through.

VAR cancelling out penalty appeals from both sets of players in the late stages eradicated further chances of breaking the second leg deadlock.

The opener finally came and it was right at the death as a helpless Chelsea allowed the Gunners to hit on the counterattack with three against one. Declan Rice found Kai Havertz in acres of space for him to take the ball round Sanchez before sliding it into an empty net, sealing his side's spot in the final.

The victory sends Arsenal into just their second ever final under Mikel Arteta, having last reached the stage when they defeated the Blues 2-1 in the 2020 FA Cup final.

Here are the Arsenal player ratings from their semi-final win over Chelsea.

Arsenal 1-0 (4-2 agg) Chelsea player ratings

Goalkeeper & Defenders

Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK) - 6.5/10 - Made a good save to deny Fernandez from range. Didn't have much to do barring that, but did have one nervy moment when he played Zubimendi into some trouble.

Jurrien Timber (RB) - 7/10 - Solid defensively, but didn't seem to make the same overlapping runs he usually does. Potentially with the fear of leaving space for Chelsea to get in behind.

William Saliba (CB) - 7/10 - Stayed tight on Pedro, but was guilty of committing a few fouls and playing some loose passes. Improved after the break and looked solid.

Gabriel Magalhaes (CB) - 7.5/10 - Played a really nice ball over the top for Martinelli to race on to. Saw a header blocked well by Cucurella. Looked the more comfortable of the two centre backs.

Piero Hincapié (LB) - 7/10 - Denied a stunning opener by a good Sanchez save. Looked to support in attack with frequent runs while also doing his defensive job relatively well.

Midfielders

Eberechi Eze (CM) - 6/10 - Failed to take his chance in a creative midfield position. Was involved on the odd occasion and tracked back to help out in defence, but didn't offer much.

Martín Zubimendi (CM) - 7/10 - Decent performance at the base of midfield. Sent a teasing cross into Gabriel at the back post late on, but the subsequent header was blocked.

Declan Rice (CM) - 7.5/10 - Looked lively in the first-half as he put pressure on the Chelsea players when on the ball, but he wasn't able to replicate that after the break. Unusually quiet performance from him until he assisted Havertz for the winning goal.

Forwards

Noni Madueke (RW) - 6.5/10 - Had a few bright moments on the right side but struggled mostly and was withdrawn midway through the second-half.

Viktor Gyökeres (ST) - 6/10 - Struggled to get involved in the first-half, barring an ambitious strike from the edge of the box. Made a few attacking runs, but still struggled to make an impact. Taken off with 20 minutes to play.

Gabriel Martinelli (LW) - 6.5/10 - Collected a neat ball over the top and raced through on goal, but was forced to take extra touches, allowing Gusto to recover and block.

Substitutes

• Kai Havertz (on 69' for Gyökeres) - 7/10
• Leandro Trossard (on 69' for Madueke) - 6.5/10

Player of the match: Gabriel Magalhaes