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The Gunners took advantage of Maxence Lacroix’s misfortune.
Arsenal will face Chelsea in the EFL Cup semi-finals after overcoming Crystal Palace on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
The Gunners dominated the first half of the only remaining quarter-final, but found Palace goalkeeper Walter Benitez in superb form.
Although Palace improved significantly in the second half, Arsenal finally broke them in the 80th minute when Maxence Lacroix inadvertently put his own net on a corner.
Marc Guéhi briefly spared his blushes by equalizing in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Yet further misfortune was to befall Lacroix as he was the only player among 16 shooters to see his shot on goal saved, with Kepa Arrizabalaga darting to his right to send Arsenal into a home-and-away clash with his former club.
Benitez frustrates Arsenal
The tone was set for the first half when Noni Madueke headed through on goal in the third minute, only to shoot straight at Walter Benitez, who blocked an effort from the same player 20 minutes later as Arsenal continued to dominate.
Benitez then produced a superb low save to his left to deny Gabriel Jesus’ header, and his reflexes came to the rescue as he thwarted Madueke again, parrying his shot at the far post, with Jurrien Timber’s header just before half-time summing up a frustrating half for the Gunners.
Palace were noticeably more comfortable in defense after the break, although it was only when Adam Wharton headed wide from distance just before the hour mark that they recalled their attacking threat.
The Lacroix evening to forget
The visitors suffered a setback when defender Chris Richards was forced off the field with an injury after a long delay and, after two more Jesus-asking chances, Arsenal took the lead when a scramble at a corner led to Lacroix going past his own goalkeeper.
Yet Richards’ injury-related stoppage gave Palace nine minutes of added time to restore balance, and Guehi did so by turning into Kepa’s legs after Jefferson Lerma’s knockdown.
Benitez produced more heroics to deny Declan Rice a winner at the death, but the Palace goalkeeper couldn’t get close to an Arsenal penalty in a remarkably high-level shootout, and Lacroix’s nightmarish evening was capped when he failed to display the same composure as the previous 15 shooters.
Beaten in the EFL Cup semi-final last season by eventual winners Newcastle United, Arsenal have unfinished business in this competition but will need to be more clinical if they are to overcome Chelsea and book a date at Wembley in March.
