'Best vitamins' for Gunners in bid to end title drought

Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal will use the “magical” feeling of reaching the English League Cup final to fuel their Premier League title charge.

Arteta’s side beat Chelsea 1-0 in the semi-final second leg at home as Kai Havertz netted with virtually the last kick of the game to seal a 4-2 aggregate victory.

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.

In their first final for six years, Arsenal will face Manchester City or Newcastle at Wembley on March 22.

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

"It’s the best vitamins that we can put in our bodies because we’re playing every three days,” Arsenal manager Arteta said. “The fact that you work so hard to achieve those moments and to have these moments together, it’s just magical.

"Winning helps in every sense. Confidence, energy, you call it. We’re going to be there in a few weeks.

"In the meantime, we know that we need to just put it aside, because three days later, we’re going to have a massive game here in the Premier League, and we’re on all fronts. That’s where we want to be. So let’s keep moving.”

After three successive second-place finishes in the Premier League and a host of semi-final defeats, reaching a final offers Arsenal a chance to prove they are more than perennial bridesmaids.

Now they are on the cusp of winning the club’s first trophy since the 2020 FA Cup.

"We are so happy. Over the two games, we deserved to go through,” Arteta said. 

"We have an excellent group. The quality, obviously, is there. This is about learning from previous experiences.”

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE