Arsenal advanced to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup following a thrilling 8-7 victory in a sudden-death penalty shootout against Crystal Palace.
Arsenal controlled the first half, with Crystal Palace’s backup goalkeeper Walter Benítez making several impressive saves. However, after the break, the dynamics shifted as Palace improved their performance.
The breakthrough for Arsenal came when Palace failed to clear a corner from Bukayo Saka, resulting in Maxence Lacroix inadvertently scoring an own goal with just ten minutes remaining.
In a dramatic twist, Palace equalized in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Marc Guéhi finished off a brilliant header from Jefferson Lerma, resulting from a set-piece taken by Adam Wharton.
Both teams were perfect in their first seven penalty attempts, but William Saliba gave Arsenal the lead in the shootout before Kepa Arrizabalaga saved Lacroix’s attempt, cementing Arsenal’s victory.
Arsenal’s next challenge will be against Chelsea for a spot in the final at Wembley. The first of the two-legged semi-final will take place at Stamford Bridge on January 14, with the return leg scheduled for February 3 at the Emirates.
Noni Madueke, who was one of eight players changed by Mikel Arteta, narrowly missed out on multiple goals thanks to Benítez’s outstanding performance.
In the opening minutes, Madueke’s left-footed shot was soft and easy for Benítez to handle. Later, a close-range attempt from Madueke was deflected away by Benítez midway through the first half.
Three minutes after, Benítez made an incredible double save from Gabriel Jesus’ header, who was making his first start in 345 days, and Madueke’s follow-up effort.
Just before half-time, Benítez yet again denied Madueke with a quality reaction save, preventing a goal from a shot that had navigated through a crowd of Palace players.
It was Arsenal’s game, holding a staggering 80 percent possession, yet they couldn’t find the net before halftime.
Wharton’s long-range effort just missed the target on the hour mark, as Palace began pressing for an unexpected lead. Arteta responded by bringing on Saka and Martin Ødegaard, subs for Madueke and former Palace player Eberechi Eze, who struggled throughout the match.
Making an immediate impact, Ødegaard supplied a cross that Jesus nearly converted with a header, but it went just wide. Play was briefly halted for six minutes as defender Chris Richards suffered a serious ankle injury and had to be stretchered off. After the restart, Jesus had another chance but sent his strike over the bar.
At the other end, Saliba’s last-ditch sliding tackle thwarted Jean-Philippe Mateta, who was poised to shoot, before Kepa cleared from the resulting corner.
Arsenal then mounted a rapid counterattack, with Martinez tipping a Jesus shot over the bar. Saka’s corner led to blocked efforts from Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber, before Lacroix inadvertently scored the own goal that gave Arsenal the lead.
But the drama continued when Guehi managed to guide a header from Lerma through Kepa’s legs in the 95th minute, bringing the match to a tense conclusion.
In an intense 12th minute of stoppage time, Benítez denied substitute Declan Rice to push the match to penalties, but it was Kepa who emerged as the hero by saving Lacroix’s decisive shot.