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:
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
00:00 , Chris WilsonHere’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.
Why is Arsenal vs Crystal Palace being played next week?
23:50 , Chris WilsonThe 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
Newcastle keep Carabao Cup defence alive with added-time Lewis Miley winner
23:40 , Chris WilsonLewis 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
Chelsea survive Cardiff scare as substitutes power Blues into Carabao Cup semi-finals
23:26 , Chris WilsonHere’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
Rayan Cherki shows superstar potential as Man City breeze into Carabao Cup semi-finals
23:10 , Chris WilsonSo 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
Carabao Cup quarter-final results
23:05 , Chris WilsonHere 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.
Carabao Cup schedule
23:00 , Chris WilsonSemi-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.
Carabao Cup draw live
22:55 , Chris WilsonChelsea 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.
Carabao Cup draw live
22:52 , Chris WilsonSEMI-FINAL 2
Newcastle United vs Manchester City
Carabao Cup draw live
22:51 , Chris WilsonSEMI-FINAL 1
Chelsea vs Arsenal OR Crystal Palace
Draw getting underway
22:50 , Chris WilsonJamie Redknapp and Shay Given will be conducting the draw...
Draw getting underway
22:47 , Chris WilsonRight, finally we’re about to see the draw get done. The draw is coming next on Sky.
A reminder that Man City, Chelsea, Newcastle and one of Arsenal or Crystal Palace make up the last four (or five anyway).
Newcastle dealt crushing Tino Livramento injury blow in Carabao Cup clash
22:38 , Chris WilsonTino Livramento has been dealt a crushing injury blow after the full-back limped off late in Newcastle’s Carabao Cup quarter-final with Fulham.
The England international has already spent eight weeks out this season with a knee ligament injury, returning at the beginning of November.
However, he went down in the 74th minute of the game nursing a fresh problem before the Newcastle physio entered the pitch to try and treat the issue.
Newcastle dealt crushing Tino Livramento injury blow in Carabao Cup clash
Closing in on the draw
22:29 , Chris WilsonThe draw is supposedly set for 10.35pm, so we should be finding out the ties any moment now...
Closing in on the draw
22:16 , Will CastleJust a few minutes until we find out who will face who in the Carabao Cup semi-finals!
Chelsea, Newcastle, Manchester City, and one of Arsenal and Crystal Palace will feature in the final four.
A reminder that 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.
Newcastle book their place in the semi-finals!
22:13 , Will CastleNewcastle get it done in the Carabao Cup thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Lewis Miley, with the holders overcoming Fulham 2-1.
Miley’s winner came after Sasa Lukic’s header cancelled out Yoane Wissa’s opener in the first half.
Next up, the draw!
Why is Arsenal vs Crystal Palace being played next week?
22:10 , Will CastleThe 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
Newcastle snatch it at the death!
22:05 , Will CastleMoments after Newcastle were denied by a stunning save from Benjamin Lecomte, Lewis Miley rises from the corner and heads home what is surely the winner for Newcastle!
The holders lead Fulham 2-1 with four minutes of added time to play and look like they’re heading for the Carabao Cup semis.
Penalties looming at St James's Park
21:56 , Will CastleWe’re into the final 10 minutes at Newcastle, where the Magpies are still drawing 1-1 with Fulham.
The hosts had a goal disallowed due to offside before things got even worse for Eddie Howe, with Tino Livramento limping off injured. He has already missed eight weeks of the season with a knee problem.
Is this one heading for penalties?
Enzo Maresca remains coy over whether he feels supported by club after Chelsea win
21:45 , Will CastleEnzo Maresca remained coy over whether he feels supported by Chelsea after the Blues survived a scare at League One’s Cardiff City to progress into the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
Maresca caused a stir over the weekend when, following Chelsea’s routine 2-0 victory over Everton, he used his post-match press conference to claim out of the blue that he had endured the “worst 48 hours” at the club since joining in the build-up to that game.
He refused to address the situation in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Cardiff trip and remained defiant after full-time, though he was sure to highlight that he feels he’s always had the support of the supporters.
"Tonight the focus has to be that we reached the semi-final,” he told Sky Sports. “The support from fans has always been there, overall tonight the focus has to be that we won and we are in the semi-final.
"We are in semi-final, we will wait for tomorrow night to see what the next step is to get to the final and hopefully we can reach the final."
How Chelsea booked their place in the semi-finals
21:30 , Will CastleAlejandro 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.
But Neto spared Chelsea’s blushes eight minutes from time with a low drive and Garnacho put the seal on victory for the five-time winners in stoppage time.
Full report from the Cardiff City Stadium:
Chelsea survive Cardiff scare as substitutes power Blues into Carabao Cup semi-finals
Manchester City book place in semi-finals
21:28 , Will CastleGoals from Rayan Cherki and Savinho have ensured Manchester City breezed past Brentford to become the second team to book their place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals!
They join Chelsea as the only teams currently certain of their involvement in the final four.
It remains 1-1 between Newcastle and Fulham as we approach the hour mark at St James’s Park.
Why was Abdukodir Khusanov not sent off for Man City against Brentford?
21:22 , Will CastleManchester City centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov was lucky not to receive a red card early into his side’s Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with Brentford on Wednesday night.
On 16 minutes, he came rushing across and wiped out forward Kevin Schade when the German was clean through, but the referee only chose to brandish a yellow.
Brentford players swarmed around referee Darren England and pleaded for the Uzbekistani to be sent off, but England held firm and stuck with his decision.
By the laws of the game, Khusanov committed a red card offence as he “denied the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity”, as per Law 12 of Ifab’s rulebook.
Usually, such a clear and obvious error from the referee would be referred to VAR.
However, there is no VAR in the Carabao Cup until the semi-finals - the next round - due to the fact the technology is only available at Premier League venues.
Why was Abdukodir Khusanov not sent off for Man City against Brentford?
When are the Carabao Cup semi-finals?
21:15 , Will CastleSemi-Final first leg: w/c 12 January 2026
Semi-Final second leg: w/c 2 February 2026
Final: Sunday 22 March 2026
Manchester City strengthen grip on semi-final spot
21:06 , Will CastleManchester City have doubled their lead at the Etihad after Savinho’s deflected effort fortuitously looped over the Brentford keeper into the net. It’s 2-0 with 15 minutes to go there.
It’s still all square between Newcastle and Fulham, which is now at half-time. A reminder that the draw will take place after full-time at St James’s Park.
No more chance of a Football League fairytale
21:00 , Will CastleWe’re about half an hour away from the Carabao Cup semi-final draw from getting underway.
One thing is for sure: we won’t be getting a Football League fairytale after Cardiff were dumped out of the competition last night.
The League One leaders were the last remaining team who played in a division below the Premier League.
It means we won’t be getting a repeat of Bradford or Cardiff themselves, the only two lower league teams in the last 20 years to get all the way to Wembley for a shot at silverware.
Carabao Cup draw ball numbers
21:00 , Will Castle1 - Chelsea
2 - Manchester City or Brentford
3 - Newcastle United or Fulham
4 - Arsenal or Crystal Palace
Manchester City dealt gutting injury blow as starlet winger forced off in Carabao Cup
20:54 , Will CastleOne of the stories of the night so far.
Pep Guardiola has been dealt a potential injury blow after Manchester City’s starlet winger Oscar Bobb was forced off inside 20 minutes of their Carabao Cup quarter-final tie with Brentford.
Bobb, 22, has had tough luck with injuries after fracturing his leg early into the 2024/25 season, having enjoyed a breakout year at the Etihad the campaign before.
He missed 200 days and 48 games with the injury, returning in March 2025 but struggling to hit the ground running as he regained his fitness.
The Norwegian hasn’t been able to properly get going this term, making just a handful of starts in the Premier League and may have been dealt a hammer blow in his bid to return to favour after leaving the field early against the Bees with a leg problem.
Manchester City dealt gutting injury blow as starlet winger forced off in Carabao Cup
Carabao Cup odds
20:45 , Will CastleTo win Carabao Cup. Odds before quarter-finals (via Bet365)
Arsenal 12/5
Man City 12/5
Chelsea 7/2
Newcastle 11/2
Crystal Palace 12/1
Fulham 18/1
Brentford 25/1
Around the grounds
20:34 , Will CastleYou join us with both of tonight’s Carabao Cup quarter-final ties underway.
Manchester City lead Brentford 1-0 at half-time thanks to a Rayan Cherki stunner. They have had their fair share of luck, though, with defender Abdukodir Khusanov very lucky to escape a red for taking out Kevin Schade as the last man - the absence of VAR paying dividends. They are about to get back underway at the Etihad - you can follow that game here.
And up at St James’s Park, Fulham have just drawn level with Newcastle through Sasa Lukic, cancelling out Yoane Wissa’s long-awaited first goal for the Magpies to make it 1-1.
Carabao Cup quarter-final fixtures
20:30 , Will CastleMan City v Brentford | Wednesday 17 December, 7.30pm
Newcastle v Fulham | Wednesday 17 December, 8.15pm
Arsenal v Crystal Palace | Tuesday 23 December, time TBD
Is the Carabao Cup semi-final on TV?
20:15 , Will CastleThe draw will take place on Wednesday 17 December (tonight) and is expected to occur after Newcastle vs Fulham has concluded, starting at around 10.30pm GMT.
How to watch the Carabao Cup semi-final draw
Viewers in the UK can watch the draw live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports News, as well as streaming service Sky Go. It will also be available for free via the Carabao Cup social media channels.
Carabao Cup semi-final draw live
20:00 , Will CastleThe Carabao Cup semi-final draw takes place tonight with the remaining teams set to discover who stands in their way from a trip to Wembley.
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.
They will be joined by two more teams tonight with Manchester City hosting Brentford and holders Newcastle facing Fulham, though Arsenal’s clash with Crystal Palace will not take place until next week after it was rescheduled due to fixture congestion.
The draw for the last four - the only round of fixtures in the competition that takes place over two legs - will get underway after full-time at Newcastle-Fulham, which kicks off later than usual at 8:15pm GMT.
Good evening
15:44 , Will CastleHello there and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the Carabao Cup semi-final draw.
We will be discovering the two-legged ties for the last four in a short while, with Chelsea the only team to have secured their place so far.
Stay tuned for all the build-up and updates from the draw!
