Carabao Cup semi-final draw: Arsenal vs Liverpool and Chelsea vs Tottenham

Arsenal will take on Liverpool, and Chelsea will face Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup after a thrilling night in the last eight of the competition.

Liverpool came from 3-1 down to rescue a 3-3 draw against Leicester City thanks to a strike five minutes into added time from Takumi Minamino.

With the game going straight to penalty kicks after full-time, the Reds then edged through into the semi-finals after seeing off the Foxes 5-4 on penalties.

Diogo Jota’s penalty in the shootout sent Liverpool into the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup

The Reds beat Leicester on spot-kicks after equalising at 3-3 in the fifth minute of added time

They will take on Arsenal who booked their semi-final progression on Tuesday night

Arsenal reached the semi-finals in far easier fashion after seeing off League One side Sunderland 5-1 on Tuesday, and will now be looking to reach the final for the first time since 2018 when they were beaten 3-0 by Manchester City.

Liverpool meanwhile are looking at reaching the final for the first time in five years, when they too were beaten by City via spot-kicks.

Meanwhile, the other semi-final sees Chelsea take on Tottenham, with the Blues leaving it late before defeating Brentford 2-0 and Spurs producing an excellent defensive second half display to see off West Ham United 2-1.

Spurs were the beaten finalists last season after a late loss by Manchester City, having beaten the Blues on their way to the final in the fourth round.

Chelsea had to score twice late on at Brentford to confirm their semi-final place

Meanwhile Tottenham put in a gutsy display to defeat London rivals West Ham United

Chelsea who like the other three semi-finalists also saw their previous final end in defeat by City in 2019, will have their own happy memories from that run to Wembley though having defeated Tottenham in the semi-final after a penalty shootout at Stamford Bridge. 

The two-legged semi-finals are scheduled to take place in January, with the first legs at the Emirates Stadium and Stamford Bridge to be played on the week commencing January 3, with the return fixtures a week later on the week commencing January 10.  

Spurs boss Antonio Conte admitted the trophy was now an important target after being paired against his former club.

‘It’s good for Tottenham to reach the semi-finals of this competition. You can see the names of these teams that have reached the semi-finals – Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal with us – so every side wants to try to lift this trophy,’ he said.

‘When I was at Chelsea this trophy was not second, but we used to play young players that did not start in the 11. Now I’m seeing in England to win a trophy is very difficult.

Antonio Conte is now targeting silverware success with Tottenham as a strong priority

‘We have had to beat an important team like West Ham and they eliminated [Manchester] United and [Manchester] City. In England it’s very difficult to win something.’

There had been suggestions that the Carabao Cup would revert to a one-leg semi-final due to the rise of coronavirus positive test results in the UK, but the EFL have insisted they intend to play all of the fixtures under their jurisdiction. 

EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said: ‘Throughout the pandemic, our two priorities have been ensuring the welfare of those involved in EFL competitions and ensuring the fixture schedule can continue where it is safe to do so.

‘We will continue to work with clubs, authorities and other agencies to monitor the Covid-19 case rate and be prepared to respond accordingly, yet for now the view remains that we can continue to deliver games safely where clubs have sufficient healthy personnel in place, on and off the pitch.

‘With club mitigation measures, the mass adoption of booster jabs and Covid certification now required for larger crowds, we are sure many fans will continue to feel confident in attending matches over the Christmas period and we look forward to welcoming them.’