SATV, Kathmandu, Feb. 5: Arsenal reached the League Cup final for the first time in eight years as Kai Havertz sealed a 1-0 win against Chelsea in the semi-final second leg on Tuesday.

Mikel Arteta's side had put themselves in pole position in the first leg and Havertz came off the bench to finish the 4-2 aggregate victory in the closing moments at the Emirates Stadium.

It was a cathartic triumph for the Gunners, who had lost their previous four semi-finals in the 2025 Champions League and League Cup, the 2022 League Cup and the 2021 Europa League.

Arsenal haven't won the League Cup since 1993, losing in their last three final appearances.

Now they have the chance to end that drought by winning the club's first trophy since the 2020 FA Cup. 

That remains the sole silverware won by Arteta since he was hired in December 2019.

"We knew it was going to be a real battle out there. That resilience, that clarity to understand what kind of game we had to play, we did so well," Arteta said.

It is shaping up to be a memorable season for Arsenal, who are six points clear at the top of the Premier League and reached the Champions League last 16 by winning all eight of their group matches.

Despite their success, Arsenal have attracted criticism for their reliance on goals from corners and set-pieces.

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior had won six of his seven matches in all competitions since arriving from Strasbourg to replace Enzo Maresca. 

But Rosenior was unable to solve his Arsenal conundrum, with the Gunners handing him the only two defeats of his brief reign.

"Arsenal know they were in a game, over both ties. We dominated the areas we wanted to in the second half, but we didn't find that quality moment," Rosenior said.

Barca reach Copa semifinals

Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araujo scored in each half as Barcelona beat second-division Albacete 2-1 on Tuesday to reach the semifinals of the Copa del Rey.

Albacete had shocked Real Madrid in the round of 16, eliminating the Spanish powerhouse in what was the debut of new coach Álvaro Arbeloa.

It was Barcelona's 16th win in its last 17 matches across all tournaments, with its only setback a loss at Real Sociedad in the Spanish league last month.

Barcelona has reached the Copa's last-four in four straight seasons. It won last year's edition in a final against Madrid.

"We knew it wouldn't be easy," Araujo said. "Copa matches aren't decided until the very end. They found a goal and it's normal for them to come at you in the final minutes. The team handled it well. We're in the semifinals and that's what's important."

Albacete, which also eliminated first-division Celta Vigo in the round of 32, sits 12th in the second division. It reached the semifinals of the Copa in 1994-95.

"We are very proud," Moreno said. "Who would have imagined we could knock out Celta, Real Madrid and put up a good fight against Barcelona?"

Milan close gap on Inter 

AC Milan closed the gap on city rivals Inter at the top of Serie A with a convincing 3-0 win at Bologna on Tuesday. Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christopher Nkunku, from the penalty spot, scored in the first half with Adrien Rabiot sealing the win in the second period.

The win moves second-placed Milan five points behind Inter and four points clear of third-placed Napoli. Massimiliano Allegri's side, coming in off the back of a 1-1 draw with Roma last time out, were in charge early on and went ahead after 20 minutes.

Leverkusen into Cup semis

Martin Terrier, Patrik Schick and Jonas Hofmann scored as Bayer Leverkusen moved past St Pauli 3-0 at home on Tuesday to reach the German Cup semi-finals. 

Leverkusen lacked fluidity but were too good for struggling St Pauli, who have now won just one of their past nine games and sit second-last in the Bundesliga. The victory sends the two-time German Cup winners through to the final four of the competition for the third straight season.

"St Pauli didn't have the quality to make things dangerous for us today, because we really didn't play a good game," Leverkusen captain Robert Andrich told Germany's ZDF network.

"But it's the cup, I don't give a stuff. We've got one more game to go and then we're in Berlin again.

"We could go into details -- there's some things to improve -- but the cup is about winning and that's what we did today."(AFP)