Arsenal defeated Crystal Palace 8-7 on penalties after a 1-1 draw to reach the 2025-26 Carabao Cup semi-finals.
Maxence Lacroix missed the final penalty in the shootout which had gone to sudden death with both teams having converted each of the 15 previous penalties between them before his miss, which handed Arsenal victory.
Lacroix earlier diverted Riccardo Calafiori’s 80th-minute knockdown touch into his own net to put Arsenal ahead in a scrappy contest.
Palace however forced penalties after Marc Guehi swept Jefferson Lerma’s header into the net in the 95th minute from Adam Wharton’s free-kick, after William Saliba had fouled Justin Devenny.
Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta post-match praised Palace for pushing them throughout the game but admitted that their late conceded goal was always a possibility.
“Very happy to be in the semi-final. We played against a team that is very difficult to generate chances against. We generated a lot and should have scored many more goals than the one we scored. When you don’t close the games, it can always happen. A set-piece, a long throw or a wide free-kick, it can happen.
“I think the players were so composed with the penalties and in the end, Kepa managed to save one. We are where we want to be.”
Arsenal will now meet fellow London opposition, Chelsea in the semi-final with the first leg of their tie scheduled for Wednesday 14 January at Stamford Bridge, followed by the return leg on Tuesday 3 February at Emirates Stadium, with both matches commencing at 8pm GMT.
Just under two months from their victorious league meeting at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal once again started on the front foot with control on the ball and Palace pinned back into their own half.
That early pressure nearly told just three minutes in after Noni Madueke latched onto a forward direct pass, yet he struck his shot straight into Walter Benitez’s arms.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners continued to dominate possession throughout the first half but failed to find that crucial final touch, as Gabriel Martinelli fired wide in the 14th minute, before Madueke and Gabriel Jesus saw shots blocked.
Riccardo Calafiori meanwhile rifled over the bar from a 28th-minute set-piece after Martinelli’s cross had initially been put behind.
Arsenal continued to dominate the first half but lacked much accuracy to beat Benitez by the break as Palace mounted a resilient organised defensive effort, which saw Oliver Glasner’s Eagles shut the Gunners out as Jurrien Timber headed Martinelli’s cross over the bar in the 43rd minute.
Palace eventually found their attacking edge early in the second half as Lerma nodded wide in the 49th minute, before Adam Wharton then rifled wide ten minutes later.
Arsenal goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga almost conceded a careless goal after Lerma’s long throw was allowed to casually bounce through the box, and almost landed across the goal line if not for the Spaniard’s save on the line.
That chance sparked a reaction in Arsenal as the hosts soon began to regain control, from which a 69th-minute corner was recycled to substitute, Leandro Trossard but his cross was nodded wide by Jesus.
Palace nevertheless continued to pile on the pressure and won a 78th-minute corner which was scrappily cleared, and led Trossard to break forward to tee up Jesus, but the Brazilian’s curled shot was tipped over by Benitez.
The subsequent corner was knocked down by Calafiori and fell for Saliba to thump in from close range, yet Lacroix got his foot onto the ball first and carelessly diverted into his own net to put the hosts ahead.
Arsenal looked on course to see out the tie to reach the semi-finals of this competition in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2005-08 seasons, until Saliba fouled Devenny in the 94th minute.
Wharton stepped up and curled a free-kick into the box which Lerma nodded down towards Arrizabalaga, yet Guehi was alert to get a ruthless touch to slide the ball in to restore parity and force a penalty shootout.
Both teams converted each of their five regulatory penalties to send the shootout to sudden death, where the first two sets of additional penalties were scored before William Saliba converted Arsenal’s eighth spot-kick.
Arrizabalaga then dived correctly to his right side to save Lacroix’s penalty to seal a 8-7 win for Arsenal in the shootout.
- Martin Odegaard fired his penalty into left corner. 1-0
- Jean-Philippe Mateta fired his penalty down middle. 1-1
- Declan Rice fired his penalty down middle. 2-1
- Devenny fired his penalty into left corner. 2-2
- Bukayo Saka fired his penalty into right corner. 3-2
- Will Hughes fired his penalty down middle. 3-3
- Trossard fired his penalty into top right corner. 4-3
- Borna Sosa fired his penalty into left corner. 4-4
- Mikel Merino fired his penalty down middle. 5-4
- Lerma fired his penalty down middle. 5-5
- Calafiori fired his penalty down middle. 6-5
- Wharton fired his penalty into right corner. 6-6
- Timber fired his penalty into top left corner. 7-6
- Christantus Uche fired his penalty down middle. 7-7
- Saliba fired his penalty into left corner. 8-7
- Lacroix fired his penalty towards the bottom left corner but saved. 8-7
What’s Next?
Arsenal turn their attention back to their Premier League title challenge as they host Brighton on Saturday 27 December at 3pm GMT.
Palace meanwhile will entertain Tottenham in a festive London derby at Selhurst Park on Sunday 28 December at 4:30pm.
Teams
Arsenal: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Riccardo Calafiori, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Eberechi Eze (Odegaard 67′), Christian Norgaard, Mikel Merino, Noni Madueke (Saka 67′), Gabriel Jesus (Rice 86′), Gabriel Martinelli (Trossard 59′)
Substitutes: David Raya, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Viktor Gyokeres, Leandro Trossard, Ethan Nwaneri, Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Marli Salmon
Crystal Palace: Walter Benitez, Jaydee Canvot (Clyne 46′), Maxence Lacroix, Marc Guehi, Chris Richards (Hughes 75′), Jefferson Lerma, Adam Wharton, Tyrick Mitchell (Sosa 101′), Eddie Nketiah (Devenny 46′), Yeremy Pino (Uche 86′), Jean-Philippe Mateta
Substitutes: Dean Henderson, Christantus Uche, Nathaniel Clyne, Will Hughes, Romain Esse, Borna Sosa, Kaden Rodney, Justin Devenny, Jaiden Drakes-Thomas
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