Ian Wright was a happy man after Arsenal booked their place in the final of the Carabao Cup with a win over Chelsea.
It was a fairly uneventful semi-final second leg at the Emirates Stadium. The Blues refused to attack for large parts of the fixture even though they were behind on aggregate, and Arsenal allowed them to sit back as well.
Liam Rosenior probably felt that his side could nick a goal late on and take the game to penalties, but it was Kai Havertz who found the net with virtually the last kick of the game.
Thanks to that, Arsenal won the game and kept a clean sheet, thus improving their already impressive record at the back.
Kai Havertz scored Arsenal’s first 90th minute match-winner in a 1-0 result since 2017, who scored the last?
Clue: It last happened against Burnley in the 2017/18 season.
Ian Wright blown away by Arsenal’s clean sheet stat in 2025/26
Everyone knows that Arsenal have the best defence in the Premier League.
The Gunners have held that record in each of the last two seasons, and they are almost certain to do it again this campaign.
In the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday night, Arsenal recorded their 20th clean sheet of the season.
They have reached that mark in 38 games in all competitions – 20 fewer than last term.
Arsenal legend and pundit Ian Wright was asked if this Gunners’ defence is up there with the iconic backline that he was part of over two decades ago.
He replied on ITV: “Exactly, without a doubt. What helps that is going on and winning things.
“That defence won everything, not the Champions League, but they won everything domestically and rightly so because they were magnificent.
“This defensive force, they’re brilliant as well. But again, it will all be judged on what you end up getting for it.
“But 20 clean sheets? Come on. That’s amazing! That’s brilliant.”
How many clean sheets will Arsenal end the 2025/26 season with?
Arsenal could prove Sir Alex Ferguson right in 2025/26
Sir Alex Ferguson is one of the greatest managers football has ever seen.
The legendary Manchester United boss won it all back in the day. He knows what it takes to win the big trophies, and it looks like Mikel Arteta has listened to one of his most popular statements.
Many years ago, Ferguson famously said: “Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles.”
Arsenal are proving him right so far. Their attack hasn’t really been firing this season, but as the stat above shows, their defence has been unbelievable.
That could be the reason why they win the Premier League at the end of the campaign.
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