Arsenal are through to the Carabao Cup final after beating Chelsea 1-0 at the Emirates in the second leg.
Mikel Arteta’s side left it incredibly late to excite the Emirates, as before Kai Havertz’s 97th-minute winner, Arsenal were playing for a draw.
The Gunners had every right to do so, as the hard work was done at Stamford Bridge, where Arteta’s squad won 3-2.
Havertz’s last-minute winner masked how dreary Arsenal’s performance was against Chelsea; however, it’s not only the German who deserves the headlines.
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Piero Hincapie was so good against Chelsea
Even Declan Rice wasn’t very good against Chelsea, which was a rarity for Arsenal fans to see.
Viktor Gyokeres also had a night to forget, but on the other end of the spectrum was Piero Hincapie.
Arsenal’s left-back options are a weak point, but against the Blues, Hincapie changed the narrative.
Describe Piero Hincapie’s performance vs Chelsea in THREE words
The Ecuadorian won eight of the 10 duels he contested and contributed with nine defensive actions.
As well as being defensively solid, Hincapie was aggressive going forward as well, giving Malo Gusto a real job to contain him in the wide areas.
It became clear why Arteta wanted to add the defender to the Arsenal squad in the summer transfer window, as his maverick-like approach made the difference for the Gunners in the London derby.
Hincapie’s arrival was so important for Arsenal’s season
Hincapie’s performance against Chelsea wasn’t only superb as it contributed to sending Arsenal to a cup final, but also because of what it meant for Riccardo Calafiori.
Fill in the blank: ______________ starts at left-back for Arsenal when everyone is fit…
Hincapie or Calafiori…
Calafiori is returning from injury, and had Hincapie not been signed, Arteta’s options in the position would be too slim to allow for the Italian to ease back into the action.
For Arsenal to have two quality left-backs to rotate between has made all the difference to the Gunners’ season as a whole.
It was a night that Hincapie can be proud of, as he’s booked his place in his first-ever cup final with Arsenal.
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