London: In a night of drama at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal scraped into the EFL/Carabao Cup semi-finals after a breath-taking 8–7 penalty shoot-out win against Crystal Palace — following a 1–1 draw in 90 minutes.
It looked comfortable for the home side late on when Maxence Lacroix unintentionally diverted the ball into his own net in the 80th minute — a corner-kick clash that finally broke Palace’s stubborn resistance.
But in true cup-tie fashion, the visitors responded in the fifth minute of stoppage time. A well-worked free-kick saw Marc Guehi react fastest to poke home the equaliser, forcing the tie into a tense shoot-out.
What followed was a penalty marathon: 15 consecutive kicks were scored before the drama reached its climax. When Lacroix stepped up to take Palace’s final effort, Arsenal keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga guessed right and held on to deny him — sealing an 8-7 victory for the Gunners.
“Emotionally, you have to be focused,” said Kepa after the match, describing the mental shift needed after conceding late and heading into penalties. “Credit to the guys — they took amazing penalties.”
The win keeps Mikel Arteta’s side on course for silverware, and next up is a heavyweight semi-final showdown with London rivals Chelsea in January.
Despite Palace’s courageous fighting spirit — particularly from goalkeeper Walter Benítez in the early stages — it was Arsenal’s nerve under pressure that ultimately decided this classic cup tie.
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