Rice praises Chelsea's grit as Arsenal edge Chelsea to reach Carabao Cup final in a dramatic fashion
3 February 2026
Overview
The English star hails Arsenal's stubborn defense.
Declan Rice, Arsenal's midfielder, praised Chelsea's performance in Tuesday's Carabao Cup semi-final second leg, stressing that his side has a squad hungry for victory.
Arsenal reached the Carabao Cup final after a dramatic 1-0 derby win over Chelsea at the Emirates, sealing the tie on the night with a 4-2 aggregate.
The German Kai Havertz struck the only goal of the night for the Gunners in the 90+7th minute, keeping Arsenal's record intact and sending them to Wembley.
Arsenal had taken a 3-2 lead from the first leg at Stamford Bridge, making the aggregate 4-2 as they booked the March 22 final date.
They will wait to learn who wins the other semi between Manchester City and Newcastle, with City holding a 2-0 advantage from the first leg.
Rice told ITV1 after the game that Chelsea deserve credit and that the visitors changed their approach tonight, causing problems, though our defense was superb.
He added that Arsenal have a hungry group and are ready to face anyone, noting the physical and mental battles Chelsea can impose.
The England international stressed the need to stay solid and push on together.
He claimed they deserved it after years of leading the league and contending fiercely, and while they have fallen short before, they are hungry to go further this season.
In short, despite the long road ahead, reaching a Cup final with this club already feels amazing.
Punchline: If Arsenal's defense were a sniper, Chelsea would be left wondering where the shot came from.
Punchline 2: Wembley awaits—where nerves meet popcorn and the trophies finally get a proper introduction.
