Arsenal survived a dramatic night at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday as they edged **Crystal Palace in a tense penalty shootout to reach the Carabao Cup semi-finals, where they will face Chelsea in January. The Premier League leaders resisted a spirited fight from Palace before prevailing 8-7 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
The quarter-final tie was delayed from last week due to Palace’s involvement in the UEFA Europa Conference League and served up a gripping contest. Arsenal dominated possession and territory throughout the 90 minutes, creating several promising openings but were repeatedly denied by Crystal Palace goalkeeper Walter Benítez, whose performance kept the match alive.
Arsenal finally broke the deadlock in the 80th minute when defender Maxence Lacroix turned the ball into his own net under pressure from an Arsenal attack, giving the home side a fortunate but deserved lead. Palace, however, refused to go quietly. Deep into stoppage time, Marc Guéhi capitalised on a set piece to head in a dramatic equaliser and force the game into penalties.
The penalty shootout was an epic affair, with both teams keeping cool under pressure as each kick was converted — until Arsenal keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga became the hero. With the score poised at 7-7, Kepa saved Lacroix’s spot kick, the only miss of the shootout, securing Arsenal’s place in the last four.
“We knew it was going to be tough,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after the win. “Crystal Palace made it hard for us, and their keeper made some great saves. But the character in this team showed again, and we go forward to a big semi-final tie now.” (Club sources)
It was a night of mixed emotions for Palace, who had earlier suffered a setback when defender Chris Richards was stretchered off with a serious foot injury, leaving the visitors short at the back and adding to their mounting fitness concerns. Manager Oliver Glasner later confirmed Richards would need stitches and reported concerns about his availability for upcoming fixtures.
Despite the loss, Glasner was proud of his side’s fight. “We kept believing until the very end,” he said. “We showed resilience to get the equaliser and take it to penalties. It’s just unfortunate that one kick went against us.” (Club press conference)
Now Arsenal’s attention turns to the semi-final against London rivals Chelsea, with the two-legged tie scheduled to kick off in mid-January, the first leg at the Emirates Stadium on January 14 and the second at Stamford Bridge in early February.
