Softfootball understands that Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah believes Chelsea can still take something positive from their Carabao Cup semi-final 1-0 defeat to Arsenal following their 3-2 Premier League victory against West Ham, even though the disappointment of missing out on Wembley is still very fresh.
The Blues exited the competition 4-2 on aggregate, but the tie itself was far closer than the final score might suggest. At the Emirates Stadium, Chelsea showed real fight. From the first whistle, it felt like a team that believed a comeback was possible.
The game stayed relatively even, especially in the first half, with Arsenal struggling to create clear openings. Chelsea had moments too. Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Enzo Fernandez all found themselves in promising positions, yet that final touch, or the extra second needed, just never arrived.
As Chelsea pushed late on for an equaliser on aggregate, they were caught out, with Kai Havertz scoring a late goal to seal Arsenal’s place in the final.
Speaking after the match, as reported by the club via their official X account, Chalobah didn’t hide how much the result hurt.
He said:
It’s disappointing not to get to the final,It was a chance for us to get to another final and win another trophy, but it was just the final details in the attacking third. There really wasn’t much in the game.
From a defensive point of view, Chelsea did plenty right. Limiting the Premier League leaders to just two shots on target is no small achievement, and Chalobah was quick to praise the team’s discipline and work rate.
He added:
I thought we nullified them really well, especially in the first half. The boys stuck to the game plan and worked hard for each other.
Still, football often comes down to small margins. Chalobah admitted that Chelsea need to be more decisive going forward, particularly in big matches like this.
He concluded:
They didn’t really hurt us in that final part of the game,It was about finishing attacks, getting shots off. We needed more of that.
Despite the setback, the defender stressed the importance of moving on quickly. Chelsea, he feels, can’t allow one result to derail their momentum.
