Arsenal’s 2025/26 League Cup Campaign: A Journey of Highs and Heartbreak

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·20 de junio de 2026

Arsenal’s 2025/26 League Cup Campaign: A Journey of Highs and Heartbreak

While Arsenal ultimately ended their 22-year wait for a Premier League title, the 2025/26 campaign also saw Mikel Arteta’s side embark on an impressive League Cup run that ended just one game short of silverware.

From early victories over lower-league opposition to dramatic knockout ties and a long-awaited return to Wembley, Liam Harding looks back on Arsenal’s memorable League Cup journey.

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Arsenal Navigated A Challenging Route To Wembley

Arsenal reached their ninth League Cup final during the 2025/26 campaign, a season driven by the ambitious pursuit of a historic quadruple and their first Premier League title in 22 years.

The run began in late September with a trip to League Two side Port Vale. New signing Eberechi Eze, following his £67.5 million move from Crystal Palace, opened his account for the club in just the eighth minute. Leandro Trossard sealed a comfortable 2-0 victory in the 86th minute with a clever strike from the edge of the box into the bottom corner.

In the fourth round, the Gunners faced a tougher test against Brighton & Hove Albion, exorcising the ghosts of a home defeat to the Seagulls three years earlier. Two second-half strikes from Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka secured a commanding 2-0 win.

The quarter-final draw pitted Arsenal against Crystal Palace in a dramatic encounter. The Eagles held firm until the 80th minute, when Maxence Lacroix turned the ball into his own net. However, a stoppage-time equaliser from Marc Guéhi forced the tie to penalties.

After a tense shootout, Arsenal progressed 9-8, with Lacroix’s evening ending in further misfortune as he missed the decisive spot-kick.

The semi-finals delivered a London derby against Chelsea.

In the first leg at Stamford Bridge, Ben White and Viktor Gyökeres gave Arsenal a 2-0 lead early in the second half. Despite a spirited brace from Alejandro Garnacho, a clinical finish from Martin Zubimendi ensured Arsenal took a 3-2 advantage back to North London.

The second leg at the Emirates was a more cautious affair, settled only in added time when Kai Havertz swept home the winner against his former club to secure a 1-0 victory and send Arsenal through 4-2 on aggregate.

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Manchester City End Arsenal’s League Cup Dream

Reaching their first League Cup final since 2018, Arsenal faced Manchester City at Wembley with the chance to add another trophy to an already historic campaign.

Unfortunately, history repeated itself.

A lacklustre performance saw the Gunners fall to a 2-0 defeat, with Nico O’Reilly scoring twice in quick succession around the hour mark to leave Arsenal chasing a game they never truly looked capable of recovering.

After the match, a visibly gutted Arteta told Arsenal’s media team: “Very sad. A very hard one to take.”

His words perfectly summed up the disappointment of falling at the final hurdle.

While the season ultimately ended in Premier League glory, the defeat cemented Arsenal’s bittersweet record in the League Cup. With seven runners-up medals and only two triumphs, the last coming in a 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in 1993, the Gunners now hold the unwanted record for the most final defeats in the competition’s history.

Yet viewed within the context of the wider season, Arsenal’s journey to Wembley demonstrated the depth, resilience and winning mentality that would eventually propel Arteta’s side to Premier League glory.

The League Cup may have ended in heartbreak, but it formed an important chapter in one of the greatest seasons in the club’s modern history.

What are your memories of Arsenal’s 2025/26 League Cup campaign? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ADMIN COMMENT

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