My grandfather (mum's side) was a big football fan, but a Norwich City fan. When I was born, he suggested to my dad that I'd be a Norwich City fan too. My dad didn't follow football at the time, but he decided that no, since we lived next to Highbury, I would be an Arsenal fan. Smart choice.

Feel like I can’t let it slide that Rice got back-to-back assists home and away to eliminate Chelsea in the semi-final. So here I am, acknowledging it.

Fun fact: No Arsenal player has scored more than once in the League Cup campaign. Goals: 1. Eze 2. Trossard 3. Nwaneri 4. Saka 5. Lacroix (o.g.) 6. White 7. Gyokeres 8. Zubimendi 9. Havertz

By the way, 4 minutes added time at Stamford Bridge in the PL game and 6 today is the perfect case study to show they just make the numbers up.

Chelsea thought they could play for a 0-0 and beat us in the third leg.

Chelsea fans kept singing “from Stamford Bridge to Wembley”. My brothers you will NOT be there.

Really weird of Chelsea not to give Palmer any minutes against us again today.

That game literally couldn’t have ended in a better or funnier way. Whole stadium screaming “Havertz” while the Chelsea fans jam up the exits.

Arsenal fan Dominic Solanke being the Spurs player to turn up is pretty funny.

There are occasions when I'm forced into the realisation of just how much time I spend thinking about Arsenal and going to matches. Reading this post and instantly knowing off the top of my head that the three games are Brighton, Wolves, and Manchester City is one of them.

I feel midway between being annoyed that I have to wait until tomorrow for our rivals’ games and also knowing it’s probably better to let the tension build and have them overthinking things.

Big performance. Went from worrying about Leeds’ recent upturn in form and their excellent record at Elland Road to wishing we could play them every week.

Ampadu starting a fight after being embarrassed in football terms, never understand why fans fall for that nonsense.

Jesus now too. Arsenal forwards stepping up today.

Gyokeres goal, Martinelli assist, Madueke assist earlier. Seems like the Arsenal forwards saw all those post-United graphics.

Just the kind of goal you want to see Gyokeres scoring more often, pouncing on a chance in the six-yard box. Good stuff.

Thank you for that, Calvert-Lewin.

Hard to see why that foul on Gabriel isn’t a yellow. He’s so late.

Zubimendi!! He’s surprisingly good in the air, you wouldn’t think it for a player his size but I back him over almost everyone in our team not named Gabriel.

The assistant putting his flag up immediately for a tight offside like that… why?

We still really need Calafiori back in that lineup, but encouraging that Havertz is fit enough to start after his performance in midweek. This will be an entirely different challenge though.

Good for Benfica but that result sucks for us. Confirms City top-eight and Marseille (Nwaneri) elimination.

Not the battering we wanted or that the first half suggested it would be, but still a lot of wish fulfilment for the fans. Havertz and Gyokeres playing together, Eze starting, youth players coming on. All good fun.

Havertz and Calafiori off obviously, no surprises there. Good to have them both back though.

Ødegaard and Hincapié coming on for the second half.

KAI!!

Gyokeres already!!

Perfect fit for the “we will never use this exact lineup again” genre. Great to see Havertz and Calafiori back. Nice to see so many youth players on the bench, this is definitely the game for it.

I’m sorry but it’s nonsense when people talk about the fans after performances like that. The fans were fully behind the team when the players on the pitch gifted United an equaliser and they were cheering and singing Merino’s song when we gifted them a winner. It’s THEIR fault.

It truly is Arsenal vs Arsenal in this title race.

Think that’s about the best lineup we could’ve hoped for in the circumstances, with Calafiori and Havertz clearly not ready yet.

I laughed.

Oh City are in a proper dogfight to avoid the knockout play-off round now.

Shoutout to the (presumably Arsenal) fans in the Inter end who were doing Gyokeres’ celebration towards the Arsenal end.

Top two secured. Home games in the second leg of every tie we play until the final. No play-off round game. Only thing left to play for is 1st place and perfect record, not much sporting benefit to that but you do get more money.

Was sad getting a corner on Rice’s side then remembering Rice isn’t on, then remembering Gabriel isn’t on, then seeing the corner hit the first man. Never mind, still got Saka on the other side and the towering presence of Trossard.

Good to see a few changes, though clearly not wholesale. Glad Mosquera is fit enough to start now. Would like to see Jesus score. My phone service will probably go at some point soon, this stadium isn’t great for using the internet.

We dropped two points and somehow gained one at the top anyway. If we can get serious we really should win this title.

Unless you blow a team out like we did with Real Madrid or PSV last season, winning a first leg feels a bit underwhelming. Celebrating it feels like celebrating being ahead at half-time. Maybe that’s just me.

Wild performance from Sanchez. Misses the ball for our first goal, palms it to Gyokeres for our second, but then makes a worldie save from Merino.

Nice one. The two-goal lead would’ve felt better but any lead to take home for the second leg will do. Long-awaited Gyokeres g+a, and if the throw-in coach had anything to do with the quick throw leading to his goal then he’s already earning his money.

Probably the first half we would’ve wanted. Only a couple of Chelsea chances, an early goal for us, decent number of good attacking moves. Still only 1-0 and this game is far from done, but taking a lead back to the Emirates would be ideal.

So basically our normal PL team but with Kepa in goal, Timber at LB and White at RB. Mostly going strong.

Missed the game for a triple-birthday family holiday abroad. Thank you to the media for inspiring Martinelli to a hat-trick with all the nonsense they’ve spouted this week. So good to have Havertz back at last, hope he can be big for us in the second half of the season.

Hard to think of an Arsenal performance anywhere close to that bad this season. Don’t even know why Liverpool were running down the clock, the win was there for them.

Hate to be talking about added time in another Anthony Taylor match but it’s genuinely nonsensical that they can add on 2 minutes, Mac Allister wastes the first faking injury, then it ends dead on 2 minutes.

No surprises here, the expected team. I know he was ineffective in the away game but we’ve still lucked out with Ekitike being unavailable, definitely their biggest threat. Just need to get the three points ahead of the break for the cup games.

Brighton have given City 1/6 points and us 3/3 points so far. Bowing to the next seagull I see.

Tomorrow is huge.