Kepa keeps Arsenal in cup contention

LONDON — Kepa Arrizabalaga was Arsenal's League Cup quarterfinal hero on Tuesday, making a decisive penalty shootout save that sent his side through to the semifinal and completed a miserable evening for Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix.

Lacroix's own goal put Arsenal ahead with 10 minutes left at the Emirates Stadium before Marc Guehi snatched Palace's stoppage-time equalizer in the 1-1 draw.

That set the stage for a shootout in which both teams scored their first seven penalties.

William Saliba converted Arsenal's eighth kick, before Kepa dived to his right to save Lacroix's effort and secure an 8-7 victory.

It was a cathartic moment for the Spanish goalkeeper, who infamously refused to be substituted before Chelsea's League Cup final penalty shootout defeat against Manchester City in 2019. Kepa also missed a spot-kick in the Blues' 2022 League Cup final shootout loss to Liverpool.

The Gunners will play west London rival Chelsea in the two-leg semifinals in January and February, with Manchester City facing holder Newcastle in the other last-four clash.

"We generated a lot and should have scored many more goals. When you don't close the games, it can always happen that you concede,"Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said.

"We had some big individual performances. Kepa, his level of commitment with the group is just incredible.

"I think the players were so composed with the penalties, and, in the end, Kepa managed to save one. We are where we want to be."

Arsenal is into the League Cup semifinals for a second successive year as it chases its first trophy since winning the FA Cup in 2020.

The north London outfit has only won the League Cup twice, with its last triumph coming in 1992-93, before any of its current squad was born.

After celebrating Christmas on Thursday, Arteta's men will turn their attention back to the title race, with home games against Brighton and third-placed Aston Villa closing out 2025.

Winning its first English title since 2004 is clearly Arsenal's main aim this season, but lifting the League Cup in March would be a significant boost to a club starved of silverware in recent years.

Arteta made eight changes to the side that won at Everton on Saturday, but still fielded a strong lineup featuring Saliba, Mikel Merino, Eberechi Eze, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus.

Jesus, who ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in January, started for the first time in 345 days after returning to action as a substitute against Club Brugge earlier this month.

Set-piece chaos

Noni Madueke, another of Arteta's changes, should have put Arsenal ahead early on, but he was twice denied by Palace keeper Walter Benitez, who produced an inspired performance.

Benitez dived to his left to keep out Jesus' close-range header with another fine save and repelled another blast from Madueke.

By the time Jurrien Timber headed wastefully over from 10 yards, Arteta must have been wondering if Arsenal would ever make the breakthrough.

Arteta sent on Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard in the second half, the latter making an immediate impact with a cross that Jesus nodded narrowly wide.

Arsenal finally broke the stalemate in the 80th minute.

Not for the first time this season, it was a Gunners set-piece that did the damage, as Saka's corner caused chaos and Lacroix, under pressure from Saliba, poked past Benitez as he tried to clear. But, Palace gave Arsenal a taste of its own set-piece medicine, equalizing with its first shot on target in the 95th minute.

Adam Wharton's freekick was headed down by Jefferson Lerma and Guehi slotted home from close range, sending the match to a shootout, and Arsenal to the semifinals, courtesy of Kepa.

AFP