Arsenal have officially booked their place at Wembley for the Carabao Cup final after a pulsating 2-1 victory over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium, securing a 4-2 aggregate win.

While the night ended in celebration, the closing stages were defined by a moment of pure tactical tension that saw Mikel Arteta lose his composure just seconds before the decisive blow was landed.

Mikel Arteta was going ‘mad’ before Kai Havertz winner

As Chelsea pushed for a late equaliser to force extra time, the atmosphere in North London reached a fever pitch.

With Arsenal clinging to a narrow lead, the ball appeared to drift out of play during a frantic Chelsea buildup, yet play was allowed to continue.

Former England international Matt Upson, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Live, reported the frantic energy on the touchline.

“Well, 30 seconds ago Mikel Arteta was going mad that the referee had not blown his whistle.

“It has been a high-pressure last 10 minutes.” Arteta was seen frantically gesturing at the fourth official, convinced his side was being denied a blatant stoppage.

However, that frustration leftin an instant. Arsenal intercepted the resulting play, launching a lightning-fast counter-attack while the Chelsea defense was still over-committed in the final third.

Arsenal likely to face Man City in final Wembley showdown

The win means Arsenal will now face one of Manchester City or Newcastle in the final of the competition.

Their most likely opponents are going to be Pep Guardiola’s side who lead 2-0 on aggregate.

The return fixture is at Etihad where the home side are favourites to beat the defending champions and book the place in the final.

Mikel Arteta has a chance to win his first trophy for Arsenal in five years.

Man City have not been at their usual best this season. In contrast, Arsenal look their strongest self and are full of confidence at the moment, with Arteta doing an incredible job at the club.

Could the League Cup be the first of multiple trophies Arsenal will win this season?

The post What Mikel Arteta was seen doing seconds before Kai Havertz’s winner vs Chelsea appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta gave the perfect response when asked about Manchester United legend Paul Scholes criticising his team’s style.

Speaking at his press conference on Monday, Arteta was asked about concerns over his tactics and how entertaining the style of football has been this season.

Arsenal have had their critics, though Arteta mainly insisted that he only hears good things from people he’s spoken to around Europe.

The Spanish tactician was then also asked about Scholes in particular, as the pundit has been particularly outspoken about finding Arsenal boring to watch.

See below as Arteta shrugged it off in pretty damning style, making it clear how little Scholes’ opinion meant to him!

? Mikel Arteta's brilliant reaction to hearing that Paul Scholes is not a fan of Arsenal's style of play! ? pic.twitter.com/I4shy7WBKM

— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) February 2, 2026

Arsenal fans won’t care about style as Arteta’s side close in on titles

Arsenal aren’t exactly playing the free-flowing attacking football that became their trademark under Arsene Wenger for so many years, but that approach didn’t exactly bring much success in the second half of the Frenchman’s reign.

Arsenal fans will just want to see their club get over the line as they chase the Premier League title and close in on the final of the Carabao Cup.

On top of that, Arteta’s approach also has the Gunners top of the Champions League table with eight wins out of eight.

More Stories / Latest News

Arsenal, Man City & Chelsea to enter summer transfer battle for ‘brilliant’ Newcastle star

Feb 3 2026, 11:13

Not Saliba: Real Madrid eyeing ambitous move for defensive Arsenal linchpin

Feb 3 2026, 11:01

The last dance: Seismic update on Cristiano Ronaldo’s potential return to Man United

Feb 3 2026, 9:43

Plenty of teams have enjoyed success with a variety of different approaches down the years, and Arsenal under Wenger were often criticised for not being better at adapting their tactics to grind out results when needed.

Now that AFC are better at that, they seem to be attracting critics too, so Arteta will surely continue to shut out the noise from media figures like Scholes.

The post “Okay…” – Mikel Arteta gives perfect response to Paul Scholes’ bizarre criticism of Arsenal appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Fabrizio Romano has some positive Arsenal transfer news today despite it being a mostly underwhelming Deadline Day for the Gunners and a lot of other clubs.

It seems the Gunners have agreed the signing of Stoke City wonderkid Jaden Dixon, with Romano posting that the deal is done for £3.2m.

See below for details as Romano also claims Arsenal view this as a “massive signing” for a very highly regarded young talent…

???? EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal agree deal to sign England U19 international Jaden Dixon on a four-year deal.

Deal completed for £3.2m plus add-ons. Arsenal view the player as a massive signing beating several clubs to the signings. pic.twitter.com/9z5oX5SEKf

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 2, 2026

Romano posted: “Arsenal agree deal to sign England U19 international Jaden Dixon on a four-year deal. Deal completed for £3.2m plus add-ons. Arsenal view the player as a massive signing beating several clubs to the signings.”

Arsenal have had long-standing transfer interest in Jaden Dixon

This is not the first time Arsenal have been linked with Dixon, with the Daily Mail first reporting on the north Londoners keeping tabs on him almost a year ago.

Still, it now seems a deal is close to going through, so Arsenal can say they’ve got an important bit of business done before this evening’s transfer deadline.

More Stories / Latest News

Liverpool star to ‘assess his options’ in the summer after failing to secure winter exit

Feb 3 2026, 6:43

‘Disgraceful’ – Tottenham star questions team’s depth after lack of signings in January

Feb 3 2026, 6:37

Sources: Chelsea set to demand €100m for influential 25-year-old in the summer

Feb 3 2026, 6:27

Interestingly, it’s not the first time Arsenal have signed a Dixon from Stoke!

Back in 1988, Lee Dixon made the move from Stoke to Arsenal, and he ended up becoming an all-time great for the Gunners, forming part of that legendary back four along with other top defensive players such as Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Nigel Winterburn.

Dixon stayed at Arsenal until his retirement in 2002, winning a total of four league titles and numerous other major honours.

If this Dixon can go on to enjoy even half the career that his namesake had at Arsenal, then he’ll have done very well indeed!

The post “Deal completed” – Fabrizio Romano says Arsenal have secured “massive signing” on Deadline Day appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal have reportedly made an enquiry about Bayern Munich central midfielder Leon Goretzka, though a move currently looks unlikely.

That’s according to a report from talkSPORT, who state that the Gunners had explored the option of landing Goretzka to give them cover for the injured Mikel Merino.

The experienced Germany international is out of contract with Bayern this summer, so looks to be heading out of the Allianz Arena on a free transfer.

This could have given Arsenal an opportunity to sign Goretzka on the cheap, but it seems this now won’t be happening.

What we know about Arsenal’s interest in Leon Goretzka

Consulting our sources in the industry, we can confirm Arsenal have had some interest in Goretzka, but the 30-year-old appears to have made up his mind to see out his Bayern contract and leave for a new challenge in the summer.

This gives Goretzka more time to evaluate offers that come in, and it’s not necessarily clear that he’d get much more playing time at Arsenal than he’s currently getting at Bayern.

At various points in the day, we’ve been informed that it’s “likely” we’ll see Arsenal sign someone as cover for Merino, but with just over an hour left until the window shuts, this now seems increasingly unlikely.

Arsenal also linked with Sandro Tonali

There have also been surprise rumours today about Arsenal eyeing up Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali.

More Stories / Latest News

“Okay…” – Mikel Arteta gives perfect response to Paul Scholes’ bizarre criticism of Arsenal

Feb 2 2026, 22:30

“I’m told…” – Journalist reveals Chelsea interest in Arsenal deal that hasn’t been confirmed yet

Feb 2 2026, 20:44

Transfer window 2026: Every done deal, including Man City signings & Arsenal exits

Feb 2 2026, 20:24

This was confirmed by David Ornstein of the Athletic, but with the reporter also making it clear that Tonali would not be leaving St James’ Park this winter.

Tonali could perhaps be one to watch again in the summer, whereas Goretzka would surely only have been a short-term option as he no longer looks like being at the peak of his powers.

The Sun have also linked Tonali with Chelsea and Manchester City.

The post Enquiry made: Arsenal have explored Deadline Day move to sign Bayern Munich star appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has sent what sounds like a pretty strong and clear message to the club over some Deadline Day business.

The Gunners boss was speaking at his press conference today, and suggested there is an urgent “need” to replace the injured Mikel Merino.

See below for Arteta’s quotes, as posted on X by journalists James Olley and Simon Collings…

Arteta left the door open for Arsenal to make a late move in the market to replace the injured Mikel Merino. Says the club are “actively looking at options” and “when you lose a big player like this, you need to look and we need to do everything we possibly can.”

— James Olley (@JamesOlley) February 2, 2026

Arteta pretty bullish on trying to get someone in:

“When you lose a big player like this. You need to look.

“We need players because we play every two, three days.”

— Simon Collings (@sr_collings) February 2, 2026

“When you lose a big player like this. You need to look. We need players because we play every two, three days,” Arteta said.

Who could Arsenal sign on Deadline Day after Mikel Arteta message?

It will be interesting to see if Arsenal chiefs respond to Arteta’s message, with not a lot of time left to get anything major done.

We’ve already seen surprise stories today about AFC targeting Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali, but those rumours were quickly shut down.

Meanwhile, BBC Sport and others have reported on Arsenal targeting talented young Hearts striker James Wilson.

We’re yet to hear anything more concrete on someone who could replace Merino in midfield, with the Spain international looking like being out for the long-term.

More Stories / Latest News

Official: Chelsea announce two Deadline Day deals in quick succession

Feb 2 2026, 19:10

Deal approved: Liverpool transfer target’s big decision confirmed by Fabrizio Romano

Feb 2 2026, 18:49

“Deal completed” – Fabrizio Romano says Arsenal have secured “massive signing” on Deadline Day

Feb 2 2026, 18:29

Luckily, Arsenal have just got Kai Havertz back from a serious long-term injury, but the club just haven’t had much good fortune in that department in the last year and a half.

Merino is a quality player who’ll be hard to replace, and if anyone else gets injured between now and May then Arsenal could be in real trouble, so it’s easy to see why Arteta seems to be pushing hard for the club to get someone in before the end of today.

The post “Actively looking” – Arteta sends message to Arsenal chiefs over “need” for Deadline Day signing appeared first on CaughtOffside.

After Manchester United beat Arsenal at the Emirates last week, notions about the Premier League leaders losing momentum in the title race appeared in the media. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, however, isn’t interested in what they believe and he knows how to get his team back on track immediately. Mikel Arteta on the narrative that […]

The post Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta not interested in media narratives after defeat to Manchester United (Video) appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta not interested in media narratives after defeat to Manchester United (Video) appeared first on Soccer News.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is reportedly under pressure from the club hierarchy after the recent defeat against Manchester United.

According to Fichajes, the hierarchy has sent a firm message to the manager that he will only continue at the club next season if Arsenal manage to win the league title. The Gunners are currently on top of the league table, but their performances have been mediocre in recent weeks.

Mikel Arteta handed a warning

They have struggled to score despite spending millions of pounds on high-quality attacking players. It will be interesting to see if Arteta can get the best out of his team in the coming weeks. There is no doubt that they have a formidable squad, and they should be doing better.

The Spanish manager has spent more than £1 billion since joining the club in 2019, and he has won the FA Cup and two Community Shields. The trophy haul is quite insignificant given the investment, and he will need to deliver major trophies now. It remains to be seen whether Arsenal can win the league title or the UEFA Champions League this season. They are certainly well placed to win the league title. The likes of Manchester City have been quite mediocre, and Arsenal are firm favourites to go all the way.

The three-word message Arteta gave Arsenal players after Man Utd loss as he tackles “fear of failure”

More Stories / Latest News

Liverpool & Chelsea among clubs to hold talks with soon-to-be free agent defender

Feb 1 2026, 7:13

Liverpool sound out experienced right-back to deal with Frimpong’s injury

Feb 1 2026, 6:57

Report: Arsenal explore swap deal opportunity in ambitious pursuit of Julian Alvarez

Feb 1 2026, 6:35

Can Arteta win the title?

Arteta has done well to rebuild the team following their decline after the departure of Arsène Wenger. However, he needs to deliver trophies now. The club hierarchy has backed him with substantial funds and is now looking for tangible returns.

Arsenal invested in Viktor Gyökeres, Eberechi Eze, and Noni Madueke during the summer transfer window to solve their attacking problems, but all three players have been quite poor. They need to get the best out of their new signings if they want to finish the season strongly.

Mikel Arteta tells these Arsenal players “they have to raise their standards”

The post Arsenal board issue brutal ultimatum to Arteta after Man Utd defeat appeared first on CaughtOffside.

On nights like these, when Europe’s lesser lights drift into London and a rotated Arsenal side strolls to victory, it is tempting to dismiss the occasion as little more than glorified conditioning. But football rarely works in straight lines, and Arsenal’s win over Kairat Almaty offered more than the sterile comfort of a routine triumph. […]

The post Arsenal happy to have Kai Havertz back from injury amid Viktor Gyokeres struggles appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Arsenal happy to have Kai Havertz back from injury amid Viktor Gyokeres struggles appeared first on Soccer News.