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The quarter-finals will not be concluded until Arsenal and Crystal Palace meet next week
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The Carabao Cup semi-final draw set up a potential blockbuster tie between Chelsea and Arsenal, but only if the Gunners can overcome Crystal Palace next week.
Chelsea were the first team to book their place in the last four, surviving a scare at Cardiff as Enzo Maresca’s substitutes powered the Blues to a 3-1 win.
However, Arsenal’s clash with Crystal Palace will not take place until next Tuesday after it was rescheduled due to fixture congestion.
The other semi-final match-up sees holders Newcastle face Manchester City, who respectively saw off Fulham and Brentford to book their place in the last four. Chelsea and Newcastle will be the home teams for the first legs before going away for the second legs.
The semi-finals are the only round of fixtures in the Carabao Cup to take place over two legs. The first legs will take place in mid-January and the second legs will be in early February, before the final at Wembley on 22 March.
Follow all the draw live with The Independent’s live blog below:
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Carabao Cup draw live
- Carabao Cup draw decides semi-final ties
- Chelsea could face blockbuster matchup with Arsenal if the Gunners beat Crystal Palace
- Holders Newcastle are drawn to face Manchester City in the second semi-final
- Arsenal and Crystal Palace will not play quarter-final tie until next week
- First-leg ties will be played in the week commencing 12 January, second-leg matches in week commencing 2 February.
Carabao Cup semi-final draw in full
Here’s the full Carabao cup draw detail then:
Semi-final 1
Chelsea vs Arsenal OR Crystal Palace
Semi-final 2
Newcastle United vs Manchester City
Semi-final first-leg ties will be played in the week commencing 12 January, with the second-leg matches taking place in the week commencing 2 February.
The final will be held at Wembley on 22 March 2026.
Chris Wilson18 December 2025 00:00Why is Arsenal vs Crystal Palace being played next week?
The Carabao Cup quarter-final between Arsenal and Crystal Palace will take place next week rather than this week with the rest of the ties after it was rescheduled due to a fixture pile-up.
Palace faced the mildly ludicrous prospect of playing four games in eight days when the calendar reaches mid-December – hosting Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday 14 December before the Carabao Cup clash with the Gunners on Tuesday 16 December (yesterday), a Conference League match against Finnish side KuPS two days after that and then a league game against Leeds to round off the hellish week on Sunday 21 December.
Eagles boss Oliver Glasner had slated the proposed fixture schedule and claimed it would be harmful to his players.
And Palace were given something of a reprieve, with the quarter-final being moved to Tuesday 23 December instead, as both teams confirmed.
Here’s the full story:
Arsenal v Crystal Palace clash rescheduled from ‘dangerous and irresponsible’ date
The Carabao Cup quarter-final will be played a week later than originally planned after strong complaints from PalaceChris Wilson17 December 2025 23:50Newcastle keep Carabao Cup defence alive with added-time Lewis Miley winner
Lewis Miley’s stoppage-time header sent Carabao Cup holders Newcastle into the semi-finals with a 2-1 win against Fulham.
Yoane Wissa, making his first full start since arriving on Tyneside in the summer, put the Magpies in front with his maiden goal for the club, but Sasa Lukic soon nodded the Cottagers level.
The game looked set for penalties after a cagey second half, but 19-year-old Miley headed home from a corner to secure Newcastle’s spot in the final four as they bounced back from their derby defeat to Sunderland at the weekend.
Newcastle keep Carabao Cup defence alive with added-time Lewis Miley winner
Newcastle 2-1 Fulham: Miley’s late header earned a home victory over the Cottagers after Sasa Lukic cancelled out Yoane Wissa’s long-awaited first goal for the MagpiesChris Wilson17 December 2025 23:40Chelsea survive Cardiff scare as substitutes power Blues into Carabao Cup semi-finals
Here’s how Chelsea got past Cardiff...
Alejandro Garnacho scored twice off the bench as Chelsea reached the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup with a 3-1 victory at Cardiff.
Substitutes Garnacho and Pedro Neto struck second-half goals as Chelsea unleashed the power of their bench against their Welsh hosts.
David Turnbull had equalised after 75 minutes – his first goal for 13 months – to give renewed hope to the last EFL team in the competition.
Chelsea survive Cardiff scare as substitutes power Blues into Carabao Cup semi-finals
Cardiff City 1-3 Chelsea: Two late goals from substitutes Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho killed off the Bluebirds’ hopes of an upsetChris Wilson17 December 2025 23:26Rayan Cherki shows superstar potential as Man City breeze into Carabao Cup semi-finals
So how did each side make the semis? Here’s the report from City’s win tonight...
Take Erling Haaland out of the team and Manchester City still had two of his trademark celebrations. Which, in turn, meant they had a goal to set them on a path to the Carabao Cup semi-finals. If the temptation is to say that Haaland is inimitable, Rayan Cherki delivered his impression of the Norwegian, but more after scoring than in the act of it.
Haaland has many a goal in his repertoire, but probably not the rocket Cherki unleashed from 20 yards, especially as it followed dainty footwork to swerve away from Mikkel Damsgaard. But the tribute was recognisable. First the robot, then the meditative pose. From his vantage point on the bench, Haaland seemed to enjoy it.
In a week in which he dressed up as Santa Claus this week to go out on the streets of Manchester – the Norwegian accent and height meant he fooled few – Cherki showed there are different type of impersonations.
Cherki shows superstar potential as Man City breeze into Carabao Cup semi-finals
Manchester City 2-0 Brentford: Cherki scored a stunner to put City on course to victory while usual bagsman Erling Haaland watched on from the benchChris Wilson17 December 2025 23:10Carabao Cup quarter-final results
Here are the full results from the quarter-finals so far then:
Cardiff 1-3 Chelsea
Man City 2-0 Brentford
Newcastle 2-1 Fulham
Arsenal will face Crystal Palace in the last semi-final on Tuesday, 23 December.
Chris Wilson17 December 2025 23:05Carabao Cup schedule
Semi-final first-leg ties will be played in the week commencing 12 January, with the second-leg matches taking place in the week commencing 2 February.
The final will be held at Wembley on 22 March 2026.
Chris Wilson17 December 2025 23:00Carabao Cup draw live
Chelsea and Newcastle will be the home teams for the first legs and vice versa.
First-leg ties will be played in the week commencing 12 January.
Second-leg matches will take place in the week commencing 2 February.
Chris Wilson17 December 2025 22:55Carabao Cup draw live
SEMI-FINAL 2
Newcastle United vs Manchester City
Chris Wilson17 December 2025 22:52Carabao Cup draw live
SEMI-FINAL 1
Chelsea vs Arsenal OR Crystal Palace
Chris Wilson17 December 2025 22:51Newer1 / 4OlderMore about
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