Without Gyokeres, Arsenal rescue midfielders in League Cup on penalties | OneFootball

Last Tuesday, December 23rd, Arsenal secured their place in the League Cup semi-finals only after a penalty shootout, following a dramatic draw in regular time against Crystal Palace. After having resolved the Gunners' last match, Viktor Gyokeres did not leave the substitutes' bench.

The Premier League leaders took the lead in the 80th minute, benefiting from an own goal by Maxence Lacroix, following a corner taken by Bukayo Saka. However, in stoppage time (90'+5), Marc Guéhi restored hope for the FA Cup holders by equalizing.

With no extra time scheduled in the competition, the decision went straight to penalties. After a long and tense series, the winner was only decided on the eighth penalty, when Lacroix allowed Kepa to make a save, after William Saliba had converted the last shot for Mikel Arteta's team and the former Sporting player, who did not miss any attempt.

Arsenal, winners of the competition in 1986/87 and 1992/93, will now face rivals Chelsea in the semi-finals. The Blues, five-time champions, eliminated Cardiff away (3-1). The other spot in the final will be contested between Newcastle, the current trophy holders, and Manchester City, eight-time winners, after they knocked out Fulham (2-1) and Brentford (2-0), respectively.

The semi-finals of the 66th edition of the League Cup will be played over two legs, in January and February 2026, with the final scheduled for March 22nd at Wembley Stadium. Now, Viktor Gyokeres' Arsenal turns their attention back to the Premier League, where they have a match scheduled against Brighton next Saturday, December 27th.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.