Chelsea are able to push forward on what will surely be their final attacking move of the game, but Fabregas' attempted pass down the right wing is slightly overhit and fails to find Moses, despite the Nigerian's best efforts to try and keep the ball in play.
90' +4
A lofted pass is fired down the left flank and into the path of Alonso, who tries to get the better of Bellerin out wide. He's unable to do so, though, as his fellow Spaniard sticks to him like glue and comfortably comes out on top.
90' +2
It's all Chelsea at the moment as they continue to dominate possession inside the Arsenal half of the pitch. Rudiger eventually tries to cut in from the left flank after pushing forward, but he loses the ball under pressure and the visitors are able to hold on once again.
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be five minutes of added time.
Chance for Batshuayi! The corner is fired into the heart of the visitors' penalty area and nodded over to Batshuayi, who, with his back to goal, is in a decent position but can't quite hit the target with his looping effort and ends up sending it wide of the goal.
89'
Fabregas went down inside the penalty area in the build-up to Chelsea's last chance on goal, and the referee eventually heads to the VAR to see whether or not he was tripped over by Welbeck. It takes a bit of time to come to a decision, but the referee eventually allows play to continue with a corner after deciding that the midfielder wasn't brought down.
88'
Fabregas hits the post! The Spaniard makes a great run into the right-hand side of the Arsenal box as he latches onto a clever pass from Willian. He then chips a deft cross towards Batshuayi, but it ends up deflecting off a defender and onto the outside of the post before it can find the striker.
87'
M. Batshuayi enters the game and replaces Álvaro Morata.
That will be Morata's final involvement in the game, as he's been replaced by Michy Batshuayi for the final few minutes.
86'
Mohamed Elneny gets yellow.
A long-range effort from Xhaka fails to trouble Courtois, who easily collects the ball before kick-starting a Chelsea attack over on the left wing. Morata muscles his way through the middle of the pitch and past Elneny, who then cynically fouls the striker from behind and earns himself a booking.
84'
T. Bakayoko enters the game and replaces E. Hazard.
Sanchez bursts deep into the Chelsea half of the pitch before being clumsily fouled from behind, resulting in another free-kick for Arsenal in a promising position. This time it's sent short and poked over to Elneny, who quickly shoots but has his 20-yard effort easily blocked on the edge of the box.
83'
Chelsea have made a late change, with Tiemoue Bakayoko coming on to take the place of Hazard.
Minute
Description
82'
With little under 10 minutes remaining, the pace of the game has slowed down somewhat. Chelsea have been on top for most of the second half but are now struggling to impose themselves, as Arsenal are doing well to hold onto the ball in the middle of the pitch as they continue to frustrate the home side.
80'
Sanchez takes the resulting free-kick and curls a deep cross into the penalty area and over to the far post, where Mustafi goes close to latching onto the ball in a promising position but can't quite reach it with his outstretched leg.
79'
N. Kanté gets yellow.
Welbeck, who is starting to get into the game again after being quiet since the break, quickly skips into the Chelsea half of the pitch and takes on Kante, who clumsily fouls the forward from behind and earns himself a yellow card.
77'
Arsenal are caught out over on the left flank, where Hazard is left in acres of space and manages to dart straight into the box. He gets himself into a good position and shoots from close range, but Rob Holding is there to block the effort before it can test Ospina at the near post.
75'
Decent effort by Willian! The Brazilian is set up by Fabregas 25 yards away from goal and quickly manages to unleash a thumping strike. It's well hit by the substitute, but Ospina has it covered and is able to save the shot without too many problems.
73'
Space opens up for Iwobi, who hasn't had many chances to impress inside the final third of the pitch but is presented with a decent opportunity to carve out a chance on goal. He isn't able to do so, however, as he ends up poking a tame pass-cum-shot straight into the hands of Courtois after doing so well to reach the edge of the box.
71'
Luckily for the visitors, Chambers is able to return to the pitch as Chelsea push forward on yet another determined attacking move. A low cross from Moses is fired into the Arsenal penalty area and towards the near post, where Mustafi does well to make sure it can't find a blue shirt in front of goal.
70'
There are more concerned looks over on the Arsenal bench as Chambers goes crashing to the ground. He seemed to stretch awkwardly as he tried to dispossess Hazard on the edge of the box, and it's left him in need of medical attention.
69'
Wasted opportunity by Hazard! Morata bursts down the left wing as Chelsea quickly counter-attack, and he ends up cutting inside before sending a deflected pass into the path of Hazard. The Belgian has a great chance to shoot from the edge of the penalty area, but he instead holds onto the ball before misplacing an attempted pass over to Willian.
68'
Willian enters the game and replaces D. Drinkwater.
Chelsea have made their first alteration of the night, with Drinkwater making way for Willian.
67'
Another excellent chance for Christensen! The corner is a good one and perfectly picks out Christensen at the near post. Ospina completely misses the ball and allows the Dane to get a header away, but the defender's effort fails to bounce into the back of the net and instead goes wide.
66'
A. Sánchez enters the game and replaces A. Lacazette.
Thumping strike by Moses! Chelsea keep pushing forward as they continue putting pressure on the Arsenal back line, and they win themselves a free-kick after Azpilicueta is pushed to the ground by Welbeck. The set-piece initially fails to result in a chance on goal before the ball bounces out to Moses, who quickly shoots but has his low effort knocked over the crossbar by the outstretched leg of Mustafi.
65'
Arsenal have made their second change of the night, with Alexis Sanchez coming on to replace Lacazette.
64'
Fabregas makes a good run into the middle of the Arsenal penalty area as he tries to latch onto a swinging cross from Azpilicueta, but he's beaten to the ball by a clever piece of play by Chambers, who then blasts the ball out for a throw-in.
62'
Space opens up for Morata and once again the Spaniard is able to burst towards the visitors' box on a marauding run. He looks set to unleash a shot, but he holds onto the ball for slightly too long and eventually has it poked away from him by a well-timed interception from Xhaka.
61'
Almost an opportunity for Welbeck! Maitland-Niles, who hasn't been presented with too many chances to push forward, darts down the left wing before chipping a clever cross into the heart of the Chelsea penalty area. Welbeck rises high, but he can't quite reach the ball and loses out to Courtois.
60'
Alonso gets himself into a good position out wide and looks set to whip a cross into the penalty area, but he's unable to control a cross-field pass and ends up knocking the ball out for a throw-in before he's able to do so.
58'
Another great chance for Morata! Mustafi rises high as he tries to beat Morata to the ball out wide, but he mistimes his jump and allows the striker to burst into the box. The Spaniard heads towards the near post and pokes a shot under the onrushing Ospina, but it can't quite hit the target and rolls into the side-netting instead.
57'
Mohamed Elneny enters the game and replaces J. Wilshere.
Wilshere drops to the floor once again and eventually has to gingerly make his way off the pitch to be replaced by Mohamed Elneny.
56'
Wilshere is able to momentarily return to the pitch and Chelsea quickly push forward on a determined attacking move. Morata is left in a pocket of space and manages to get a shot away from 25 yards out, but it's well saved by Ospina and fails to result in the first goal of the game.
55'
There are a few concerned faces on the Arsenal bench as Wilshere receives treatment inside the penalty area. He seemed to tweak his ankle slightly after successfully closing down an Azpilicueta cross, and it's left him in a spot of bother.
54'
Another excellent chance for Chelsea! A wonderful cross from Fabregas sails towards the near post and looks set to pick out Alonso, but it ends up sailing just a few inches over the top of his head. The ball then finds its way to Morata, who is taken by surprise and can't sort his feet out in time, denying him the opportunity to shoot.
52'
It's Alonso who steps up and shoots from the resulting free-kick, but his effort on goal ends up smashing into the wall and bounces behind for a corner. They're unable to make that count as well, as it's easily dealt with by the visitors.
51'
G. Xhaka gets yellow.
A sloppy pass from Wilshere can only find Rudiger, who quickly bursts forward on a marauding run. It looks as if the defender is going to reach the edge of the Arsenal penalty area, but Xhaka brings him crashing to the ground with a mistimed sliding challenge and earns himself a yellow card as a result.
49'
Chelsea keep putting pressure on the Arsenal back line as they continue their good start to the second half. Fabregas swings a lovely cross into the box that perfectly picks out Morata, but the Spaniard can't quite chest the ball down to Hazard and the visitors are able to hold on.
47'
And now Christensen goes close to scoring! Another corner for Chelsea results in another chance on goal for the hosts. A curling cross from Kante is nodded on by Alonso and picks out Christensen, who is in a great position at the far post but can't quite hit the target with his close-range header.
46'
We're underway once again!
Early chance for Chelsea! The home side immediately go on the front foot and win themselves a corner over on the right wing through Moses. A low cross narrowly misses Alonso before finding Kante, who immediately unleashes a rocket of a shot that smashes into Christensen before it can test Ospina.
45' +1
Chelsea come back once again as they push forward on one final attacking move before the half-time break, but a swinging cross from Moses over on the right wing fails to pick out a team-mate in front of goal and is easily dealt with by Ospina.
45'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be one minute of added time.
Great opportunity for Fabregas to open the scoring! Chelsea send the corner short and patiently work the ball over to Azpilicueta. The Spaniard lifts a beautiful ball over the top of the Arsenal defence and towards Fabregas, who is all alone in front of goal but can only send his downward header straight into the hands of Ospina.
44'
Morata picks up the ball over on the right flank and is immediately barged into by Mustafi, who once again fouls the Spaniard and gives away a free-kick in a promising area of the pitch. Fabregas can't quite make his cross count, however, as Welbeck is there to nod the ball behind for a corner.
43'
Christensen pushes into the Arsenal half of the pitch before teeing up Fabregas. The Spaniard immediately knocks a clever pass through the Gunners' back line and towards Hazard, who looks set to take on Ospina but is quickly closed down before he's able to do so.
41'
Welbeck twists and turns over on the left wing before taking on Moses, who charges into the Arsenal forward and gives away a free-kick in a dangerous position out wide. Xhaka steps up and crosses, but his ball into the box is sent too deep and sails straight into the hands of Courtois.
39'
A few Arsenal players appealed for a penalty after it looked as if Maitland-Niles was caught by an outstretched leg from Moses in the aftermath of Iwobi's chance on goal. The referee quickly goes to the VAR, but very little contact was made and play quickly resumes with a goal-kick.
38'
Chance for Iwobi! Chelsea aren't able to clear their lines after a poor attempted clearance by Rudiger. The ball bounces straight to Iwobi, who then quickly unleashes a curling strike, but it's well saved by Courtois before it can creep into the left-hand side of the net.
37'
Mustafi is penalised for dragging Morata from behind, resulting in a free-kick for Chelsea 25 yards away from goal. It's Fabregas who steps up and knocks the ball over to Kante, who quickly shoots but sends his effort sailing high over the top of the crossbar.
35'
A poor pass from Fabregas can only find the feet of former team-mate Wilshere, who quickly tries to kick-start an Arsenal counter-attack. He bursts down the right wing and takes on Antonio Rudiger, who easily barges the midfielder out of the way and makes sure the ball rolls out for a throw-in.
33'
Hazard cuts inside quickly from the left flank and pokes a clever pass straight into the feet of Fabregas inside the Arsenal box. The former Gunner immediately spins and fizzes the ball across the face of goal, but it's overhit and fails to find a team-mate.
31'
The visitors win themselves another corner over on the left wing, and this time Xhaka's cross into the penalty area is a much better one. It swings in high and manages to pick out Mustafi, who gets a head on the ball but can't hit the target with his looping effort.
30'
The corner is eventually fired towards the near post by Xhaka, but, not for the first time this evening, the midfielder's ball into the box is a poor one and Chelsea are easily able to deal with the danger.
29'
Arsenal win themselves a corner over on the left flank, but before it can be taken there's a slightly coming together between Chambers and Azpilicueta inside the penalty area. The Spaniard claims that the centre-back pushed him to the ground, and the referee quickly consults the VAR for the first time tonight before giving the two a slight talking to.
28'
Moses goes close! Maitland-Niles slips at the vital moment and allows Moses to dart into the box on another great run. The wing-back's initial cross is blocked before he's able to get a shot away, and it forces Ospina into making a smart diving save at the near post.
27'
After dealing with the danger, Chelsea quickly push forward on a counter-attack over on the right wing. They work the ball forward really well before Alonso cuts into the penalty area and shoots, and his low effort results in a corner after brushing the foot of Chambers.
26'
After spending the opening exchanges on the back foot, it's now Arsenal who are seeing most of the ball in advanced areas. Once again, Wilshere manages to carve out a pocket of space for himself in the middle of the pitch before lifting a chipped pass into the box, but it's easily dealt with by Andreas Christensen before it can find a team-mate.
24'
Almost a costly spill by David Ospina! Moses cuts inside quickly from the right wing and easily manages to skip past Ashley Maitland-Niles on the edge of the penalty area. He then unleashes a thumping strike that Ospina fumbles, but the goalkeeper is just about able to pounce on the ball before Morata can knock it into the back of the net from a few yards out.
22'
Chance for Lacazette! Jack Wilshere is left in far too much space in the middle of the pitch, allowing him to lift a lovely pass over the top of the hosts' defence and into the path of Lacazette. The Frenchman runs onto the ball and shoots from just outside of the box, but there's far too much power behind his effort and it sails high over the top of the crossbar.
21'
Xhaka comes out on top on the halfway line and quickly charges forward on a marauding run. He then sends a clever pass through the Chelsea back line and towards Danny Welbeck, who battles with Victor Moses but is beaten to the ball by the Nigerian before fouling him from behind.
19'
Iwobi does well to skip past both Fabregas and Alonso as he heads through the middle of the pitch, but he's eventually fouled from behind by N'Golo Kante and wins his side a free-kick in a promising position. Xhaka steps up and shoots, but his low effort is poor and deflects well wide of the goal.
17'
Alexandre Lacazette manages to penetrate the penalty area after good play by Arsenal over on the left flank. He's quickly closed down by Azpilicueta and tries to tee up a team-mate under pressure, but he's unable to do so and the Spaniard manages to shepherd the ball safely into the hands of Thibaut Courtois.
15'
After a decent spell of possession for Arsenal, Chelsea win the ball back through Azpilicueta, who immediately tries to set up Morata deep inside the visitors' half of the pitch. His lofted pass is a decent one and manages to find the striker, but Shkodran Mustafi is there to deal with the danger with a well-timed interception.
13'
Chelsea lose the ball inside the Arsenal half of the pitch, allowing the visitors to hit them on a quick counter-attack. They do well to work the ball over to Alex Iwobi on the right-hand side of the penalty area, but he can't quite find a way through a sea of blue shirts and a promising attack is swiftly brought to an end.
11'
The resulting set-piece initially fails to result in a chance on goal for Chelsea, who quickly push forward once again over on the left flank. Alonso gets himself into a good position after clever play by Fabregas, but he slips before he can send a cross into the box and Bellerin is able to shepherd the ball behind for a goal-kick.
10'
Vital touch by Calum Chambers! Cesar Azpilicueta isn't closed down quickly enough by the visitors and is allowed to lift a lovely pass into the heart of the Arsenal penalty area. It looks set to find Marcos Alonso in front of goal, but Chambers is just about able to get a head on the ball to nod it behind for a corner.
8'
Hector Bellerin bursts down the right wing on his first decent attacking run of the game and does well to win Arsenal a corner. It's fired in low by Granit Xhaka, but the Switzerland international's cross is poorly hit and can only find Fabregas at the near post.
6'
Crisp, one-touch passing from Chelsea looks set to result in another chance on goal for the home side. Hazard knocks a clever ball back to Cesc Fabregas, who then tries to tee up Danny Drinkwater, but the midfielder is too slow to get to the pass and gifts possession back to Arsenal.
4'
An attempted Arsenal attacking move fails to come to anything and Chelsea are able to quickly counter-attack once again. Morata and Eden Hazard initially link up well just outside of the visitors' box, but the Belgian can't quite penetrate the penalty area and is well dealt with by the Gunners' defence.
2'
Early chance for Alvaro Morata! Chelsea quickly win the ball and push forward on a swift attacking move over on the left wing. Morata charges into the penalty area and heads towards the near post before shooting, but his close-range, toe-poked effort ends up rolling into the side-netting.
1'
We're off! Arsenal get us underway, attacking from left to right.
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s EFL Cup semi-final first leg between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
It’s exactly a week since these two sides last met in what proved to be an extremely tight and somewhat controversial affair. Chelsea were seconds away from leaving the Emirates with all three points only for Hector Bellerin to blast in a late equaliser, and tonight the Blues will be hoping to get revenge on their London rivals as they attempt to reach their second League Cup final in four seasons.
Despite failing to find a way past Arsenal in any of the last four meetings between the two sides - a run that includes defeats in both the Community Shield and last season’s FA Cup final - Chelsea head into tonight’s big clash in impressive form. The Blues have lost just one of their last 16 games across all competitions, while their strength at home has resulted in nine of their last 10 clashes at Stamford Bridge ending in victories.
As for Arsenal, it’s been a bruising few weeks. The Gunners were hoping to pick up a morale-boosting victory against Championship side Nottingham Forest on the weekend only for a young and largely second-string team to lose 4-2, leaving Arsene Wenger’s men in desperate need of a positive result here tonight. The demoralising defeat at the City Ground has left them with just one win from their last five outings.
Whereas Chelsea have impressed at home this season, Arsenal have tended to struggle on the road. They start the evening with just three wins from 12 domestic away games, with only Crystal Palace and Burnley being narrowly beaten since they won handsomely against Everton back in October. It’s also now over six years since the Gunners last picked up a victory in this part of west London.
There’s just under 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this this evening…
Chelsea substitutes: Eduardo, Luiz, Zappacosta, Bakayoko, Willian, Pedro, Batshuayi.
Chelsea XI (3-5-1-1): Courtois; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; Moses, Fabregas, Kante, Drinkwater, Alonso; Hazard; Morata.
Arsenal substitutes: Macey, Mavropanos, Mertesacker, Elneny, Nelson, Walcott, Sanchez.
Arsenal XI (3-4-2-1): Ospina; Chambers, Mustafi, Holding; Bellerin, Wilshere, Xhaka, Maitland-Niles; Iwobi, Welbeck; Lacazette.
Antonio Conte has decided to make nine changes to the Chelsea side that drew against Norwich City on the weekend, with Thibaut Courtois, Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen, Victor Moses, Cesc Fabregas, N’Golo Kante, Marcos Alonso, Eden Hazard and Alvaro Morata all returning to the starting line-up to replace Willy Caballero, David Luiz, Gary Cahill, Davide Zappacosta, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Kenedy, Willian, Pedro and Michy Batshuayi, respectively.
Meanwhile, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has made six alterations to the team that featured in their last outing, with Mathieu Debuchy, Per Mertesacker, Mohamed Elneny, Joe Willock, Theo Walcott and Reiss Nelson making way for Calum Chambers, Shkodran Mustafi, Hector Bellerin, Jack Wilshere, Granit Xhaka and Alexandre Lacazette.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: CHELSEA 0-0 ARSENAL
It's been an closely fought and competitive first half, with both sides enjoying decent chances on goal. Chelsea have arguably been the better of the two sides, with Moses and Fabregas both being presented with decent opportunities to open the scoring, but Arsenal have also caused problems for their opponents, particularly on the break. With 45 minutes to go, this game remains firmly in the balance.
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: CHELSEA 0-0 ARSENAL
The hosts, who had won nine of their last 10 home games heading into tonight's clash, will certainly be the more frustrated of the two sides after managing to carve out the best opportunities on goal. They enjoyed a few decent periods on the front foot but weren't able to find the back of the net, with Hazard and Morata looking slightly off the pace inside the final third. They huffed and puffed but, in the end, weren't able to make their chances count when it mattered.
Arsenal had similar problems in front of goal but will no doubt be pleased to come away from Stamford Bridge with a goalless draw under their belts. They desperately needed a positive performance after Sunday's struggles and were certainly much better than they were at the City Ground, with their back line putting in a commanding display during the second half.
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