Paul Merson was left stunned by Chelsea’s approach in the second leg of their 1-0 Carabao Cup semi-final defeat by Arsenal.
The Gunners booked their place in the Carabao Cup final as Kai Havertz’s stoppage-time goal sealed a 1-0 win and a 4-2 aggregate win.
Liam Rosenior’s side, needing a goal to equalize in extra-time after a five-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge in the first leg, took a conservative approach to keep the game alive in the closing stages but hardly laid a glove on Arsenal.
Chelsea had 14 shots, but only two on target, with an expected 0.68 goals.
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Highlights of the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg between Arsenal and Chelsea.
Merson said: “I’m stunned. I can’t believe what I’ve just seen. Chelsea are not a bottom five team. They’ve got World Cup winners.
“(Wesley) Fofana is crying. He should be crying because they never made it. They went out with a whimper in the semis. It didn’t work. Go out bright, don’t go out like that.
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Kai Havertz scored in the dying seconds of the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against his former club Chelsea to secure Arsenal’s place in the final at Wembley.
“They played in a different gear. This is the semi-final of the cup.”
“Chelsea forced the players to mix it up with Arsenal. And they didn’t. If they lost the game 3-0 but they had shot after shot and Kepa was brilliant and they broke three times, that’s how it is.
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Clinton Morrisons gives his verdict on Arsenal’s semi-final win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup.
“I’ve played in those kinds of games where you get lost and you think we just won and we didn’t quite make it.”
More to come…