8 duels won, 3 tackles: 49-touch star had his best game for Arsenal vs Chelsea, not Havertz

Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie produced a fine defensive showing during the 1-0 win over Chelsea in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final at the Emirates Stadium.

Gunners manager Mikel Arteta went with an unchanged back four against the Blues. Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Hincapie kept their respective places.

Hincapie came up against Liam Delap at left-back. He was also presented with a stiffer challenge of handling Estevao and Cole Palmer in the second half. He comfortably saw out all three players.

The Ecuador international ace won an impressive eight out of 10 duels contested. He managed three successful tackles alongside three recoveries and four clearances.

The Bayer Leverkusen loanee had 49 touches and 23 accurate passes.

Hincapie did not provide much going forward, as Arsenal were comfortable preserving their lead. He could have still scored. Blues goalkeeper Robert Sanchez made a sublime save to deny him.

The 24-year-old has come under criticism from a small section of the club’s faithful, but certainly proved his credentials yesterday with a rock-solid defensive display over 90 minutes.

In our view, it was his best performance of the campaign and his Arsenal career. Kai Havertz grabbed the headlines with a dramatic 97th-minute winner, but Hincapie was exceptional.

Arsenal progressed to their first Cup final since 2020. They had a slender 3-2 lead after the first leg of the League Cup semi-final and never looked like conceding last night.

A 4-2 aggregate victory will now see them face either Manchester City or Newcastle United in the final at Wembley on March 22. Hincapie will be hoping to start at left-back.

There are more than six weeks left before the Wembley showdown. Arteta is likely to pick his left-back based on league form, and Hincapie may need to earn his position.

Arsenal’s immediate focus will shift to the Premier League encounter against Sunderland on Saturday. The club have the opportunity to extend their six-point lead at the top of the table with a victory.

Manchester City and Aston Villa are six and seven points adrift of the Gunners. They face tricky away challenges against Liverpool and Bournemouth, who have recently hit top form.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com

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