2026-02-05 11:21:25

Declan Rice has said Arsenal has the “fire in [their] bellies” to end their trophy wait after The Gunners reached the Carabao Cup final.

After beating Chelsea in a 4-2 aggregate win on Tuesday (03.02.26), Arsenal are due to face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley Stadium on March 22, 2026 in the hopes of earning their first silverware since 2020, and Rice has now shared the “extra desire” he and his team have to lift the trophy.

During an interview with ITV Sport, the 27-year-old midfielder said: “Credit to Chelsea to be fair. Since their new manager [Liam Rosenior] has come in they’ve been really, really good.

“They changed the formation tonight and gave us problems. On another night, they could have scored but credit where it’s due, our defence was incredible.

“We have a group who really want it. Whatever team comes at us, we’re ready for it. When you play a team like Chelsea, they throw so many things at you physically and mentally. You’ve got to have that resilience to stay strong and keep going.

“We deserve it. The last three or four years, we’ve been at the top of the Premier League, competing and got really close but haven’t been good enough.

“That’s why this season we have that extra desire and fire in our bellies to go one step further in every competition. There’s a long way to go but to be in a cup final with this club is amazing.”

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta – who won the FA Cup for The Gunners in his first season as the club’s head coach – added the team are “looking forward” to facing The Citizens next month.

Following the game with Chelsea, he said: “I was pleased by the way we competed. We knew there was going to be a real battle out there given the manner that both teams set up and with the aggression that we played.

“The conditions were tough and we knew what we were playing for. We showed resilience and clarity to understand what game we had to play in certain moments.

“We generated tonight a special atmosphere in our stadium that makes such a difference. We’ve been waiting for a few years to get to that position.

“The crowd is going to be there as well, not like last time I was here, so we’re looking forward to it.”

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