League Cup Semi Final...

We are 2 games away from a Wembley final, and our challenge sees us play Newcastle United in the first leg at home tonight.

Arsenals record at this stage has us at 50% - we have won 8 of the 16 semi-finals we have played.

After sitting out the early editions, and getting knocked out early in our first attempt, we got to back to back semi finals in 67/68 and 68/69. A 6-3 aggregate win got us to the 68 final, and the following season we found ourselves facing Tottenham Hotspur. A 1-0 home win was followed by a score draw at White Hart Lane to see us through.

Our first failure at this stage came in 77/78, where a 2-1 defeat at Anfield was followed by a goalless draw at Highbury. Manchester United ended our hopes in 82/83, where they beat us 4-2 at our place and 2-1 at Old Trafford.

Still looking for our maiden League Cup trophy in 86/87 we found ourselves against Spurs in the semi final again. The first leg at Highbury was decided by a Clive Allen goal, and the man who scored 49 in all comps that season netted early in the second leg to put Spurs 2 up on aggregate. We pulled one back just after half time through Viv Anderson and then Niall Quinn levelled the scores. Back then replays were used, and we lost the coin toss for home advantage. Back at White Hart Lane Clive Allen completed his hat-trick to put Spurs back in the lead. With just minutes remaining, Ian Allison equalised and another extra time period loomed. However, David Rocastle had other ideas and after a scramble, Rocky prodded home and sent us to the final - and ultimately our first League Cup.

A year later and it was rather more comfortable, a 4-1 aggregate win over Everton. However, we had to wait another 5 years before winning the trophy and in 92/93 we beat Crystal Palace over the two leg semi. Ian Wright and Alan Smith both scored twice over the 180 minutes and Andy Linighan also on the scoresheet in a 5-1 cruise to the final.

Under Bruce Rioch we made it to the semi final again. We went 2 up against Aston Villa in 37 minutes of the home leg, but 2 Dwight Yorke goals meant we went to Villa Park needing to win. A goalless draw saw us out on away goals.

Arsene Wenger used the competition to blood youngsters - but still had an incredible record of reaching the later stages including 7 semi finals. The first was in 97/98, where despite winning 2-1 at home we went out to Chelsea with a 3-1 defeat at the Bridge. In 2004 it was Middlesbrough, and after losing 1-0 at the Riverside, a Martin Keown red card and a Zenden goal all but killed us off. Edu did give us a glimmer of hope but a Reyes own goal quickly extinguished that.

2 years later we once again lost 1-0 in the first, away, leg to Wigan. Thierry Henry headed in a Kerrea Gilbert cross to take the second leg to extra time and it looked as if a Robin van Persie free kick had won it. However, a very late Jason Roberts goal meant Wigan won on away goals.

In 06/07 we found ourselves against Spurs for the third time in a League Cup semi final. It started badly, 2 down in 20 minutes as Berbatov and a Julio Baptista own goal had the home crowd flying. Not one to dwell on misfortune, Julio Baptista - who had starred in the competition including a 4 goal haul at Anfield the previous round - netted twice in the correct end to ensure the game was level going into the second leg at the Emirates. Adebayor put us in front against his future employers, but Mido took the game to extra time. Another star performer in that years competition, Jeremie Aliadiere, scored in extra time and a Chimbonda own goal settled the match. Not wanting to go against his policy of using youth, Wenger fielded a very young side in the final, including 17 year old scorer Theo Walcott, but were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea.

It was a third consecutive semi final in 07/08 - and a fourth meeting with Spurs. A Walcott equaliser to a Jenas goal at home made it seem as if the second leg would be a tight affair, but once again a young side was brutally found out. Spurs went 5 up in a game most remembered by Arsenal fans for a on-field spat between our strikers Bendtner and Adebayor. The latter did add a goal for us but Spurs progressed and won their most recent trophy in the final.

Ipswich were our opponents in 10/11 and shocked us at Portman Road with a 1-0 win. It was getting frustrating in the 2nd leg before a 2 goal salvo just after the hour put us ahead. A Fabregas effort made it 3-1 and we progressed to the final against Birmingham where surely our trophy drought was to end...

Our next semi final was in 17/18 season and saw us meet and beat Chelsea. A goalless first leg was followed by a 2-1 home win, with Xhaka scoring the decisive goal.

Our most recent semi final experience was in 21/22. Both legs saw us see red, and a battling first leg 0-0 wasn't enough as Liverpool beat us 2-0 at Anfield.



Two legged ties have hardly been Mikel Arteta's strength in his short managerial career, but the League Cup offers an opportunity to get to a final early in the season. Liverpool or Spurs await the winners of this two legged tie, and a win at home tonight will put us on the front foot.