Mikel Arteta has described Arsenal's 1-0 Carabao Cup semi-final triumph over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium as "magical", as the Gunners completed a 4-2 aggregate victory.
The decisive moment, which secured his side's progression to the final at Wembley, arrived deep into added time when Kai Havertz found the net during the seventh minute of stoppage time, breaking away to seal the result.
Throughout the contest, the Gunners were forced to withstand considerable late pressure from their London rivals before the former Chelsea forward delivered the knockout blow.
The match itself produced relatively few clear-cut opportunities, with Arsenal demonstrating resilience to see out the tie.
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Arteta said: "It’s the best vitamins we can put in our bodies."
"We’re playing every three days. The fact that we worked so hard to achieve this moment and to have this moment together, it’s just magical.
"You can see the joy, the smiles, the energy in the dressing room."
A buoyant atmosphere inside the ground helped Arsenal over the line, with the mood transformed from the nervousness that appeared to affect the team during January’s goalless draw with Liverpool and defeat to Manchester United here.
Mikel Arteta has described Arsenal's 1-0 Carabao Cup semi-final triumph over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium as 'magical'
|GETTY
Arteta said: “The crowd was brilliant. They brought so much energy and belief to the team in different moments when it was very much needed. We deserve to be together at Wembley in a few weeks.
"The energy was very good. From the beginning I sensed that it was different."
Saturday’s 4-0 win away to Leeds, which ended a three-game winless run in the Premier League and sent the team six points clear, also seemed to restore much of the confidence that fired their ascent to the summit during the first half of the season.
Questions will likely continue to surround Arteta and his team until the 22-year wait for the title is ended, but with the Gunners top of the Premier League, the manager and his side will be looking to continue their winning momentum.
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Mikel Arteta picked up a yellow card after stern words with the fourth official | REUTERSHe said: "It’s about learning from previous experiences. Today was a very different game from the (first leg) at Stamford Bridge. We dealt with it really well, the way the team competed and understood what we had to do. Really impressive. Now let’s win the final."
For Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior, defeat ended a five-game winning run.
He said: "In the first leg, I’m not making excuses, but we had an illness go through the camp on the day of the game - we had four players missing - and I’d been in charge for three days.
"I cannot fault the application, intensity or the fight of the players."
Five things to know about Mikel Arteta | REUTERSHe added: "What we need to do is remember this is the start and I’m really, really happy with a lot of things I’m seeing.
"You want to get the results, but we need to make sure we rest and recover and we keep improving as we go."
The victory marks Arsenal's first appearance in a Wembley final since Arteta's inaugural campaign as manager, when the club claimed the FA Cup in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic restrictions that left the stadium empty.
The Gunners will now face either Manchester City or Newcastle in the final, scheduled for March 22.
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