Danny Welbeck scored the only goal of the game through the only on-target attempt of the game as Arsenal beat West Ham United 1-0 in the EFL Cup quarter-finals.
The scrappiest of games was settled through the Englishman's close-range finish shortly before the interval - his first goal in the competition since October 2009.
West Ham offered little response in the second half, as the Gunners made it through to the last four for a 15th time.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the EFL Cup quarter-final tie between Arsenal and West Ham United at the Emirates Stadium. United head into this match on a real high after collecting seven points from the last nine on offer in the Premier League - a run that includes a goalless draw against tonight's opponents last week - while the Gunners have stuttered a little and will now use the cup competitions as a chance to add some silverware to their collection.
This certainly looks like being a far more competitive match than it would have been this time last month, with the Hammers now on stable footing under new boss David Moyes. Credit to the former Manchester United manager as, following a tough start at the London Stadium, he has done exactly what he promised by putting some points on the board. Now comes the added bonus of a nice little cup run.
ARSENAL TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Ospina; Debuchy, Chambers, Holding, Kolasinac; Coquelin, Elneny; Willock, Walcott, Welbeck; Giroud
SUBS: Macey, Sheaf, Dasilva, Reine-Adelaide, Nelson, Akpom, Nketiah
Starting with a look at the home team, Arsene Wenger has changed things around completely but this is still a strong-looking XI. As expected, David Ospina - and not youngster Matt Macey - comes in between the sticks in the absence of Petr Cech, while Mathieu Debuchy, Rob Holding, Calum Chambers are handed starts in the four-man defence. There is also a spot for Sead Kolasinac, who was not involved against Newcastle United at the weekend.
No real surprise to see Wenger go with Olivier Giroud through the middle, meanwhile, with the Frenchman's agent today admitting that a January exit is a real possibility. Giroud has been handed just one Premier League start all season, being overlooked in favour of Alexandre Lacazette - who, ironically, he is preferred to at international level - but he has stepped up to the plate when called upon in the cup competitions. Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott are also included in attack.
Walcott is another who has quietly gone about his business, scoring four goals and setting up two more in seven cup outings this term, but injuries and illness of late have restricted him to just 47 minutes of Premier League playing time. Players with points to prove pretty much all over the team, in fact, which shows a full 11 changes from the win over Newcastle last time out. Mohamed Elneny and Francis Coquelin are drafted in to protect the back four.
WEST HAM UNITED TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Hart; Masuaku; Reid, Collins, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Rice, Obiang, Quina; Ayew, Chicharito
SUBS: Adrian, Zabaleta, Arnautovic, Carroll, Sakho, Haksabanovic, Makasi
Moyes has not gone quite so wild with his changes, making six in all from the 3-0 win at Stoke City last time out. Among those to drop out this evening is Manuel Lanzini, who saw his two-match ban for simulation at the weekend upheld a little earlier. Goalkeeper Adrian also makes way, as confirmed by Moyes in his pre-match press conference, meaning a first start in five for England international Joe Hart.
Six changes does not necessarily equate to a weaker side, however, as Javier Hernandez is welcomed back up top and so to is Andre Ayew, who has played a part in more goals in the EFL Cup this term than any other player - three of his own and one assist. Andy Carroll will also likely be introduced from the bench at some point, having recovered from a back problem to make the matchday squad tonight.
Arguably the biggest team news as far as the visitors are concerned is a first start being handed to Domingos Quina. Winston Reid is also back after serving a one-match ban, taking over the captain's armband from Mark Noble tonight, and Declan Rice comes in for Pablo Zabaleta at full-back. Moyes has certainly freshened his side up for this latest match in what is a gruelling run - will it be enough to get the job done?
Arsene Wenger has made the customary 11 changes for this EFL Cup tie, ensuring that he keeps his players as fresh as possible for the festive Premier League fixtures. A weakened side it might be, but the likes of Olivier Giroud, Sead Kolasinac and Danny Welbeck feature and Arsenal will still be considered strong favourites against a West Ham United side showing six changes.
Arsenal head into this match unbeaten in their last four, but two of those games have ended all square in the Premier League to kill off their title hopes for good. The gap on Manchester City now stands at 19 points, with the midway point right on the horizon, so Wenger must console himself with another battle for the top four. It is a battle the Gunners lost last season, of course, but will it be enough to appease supporters?
Probably not, you would imagine, as expectations were as high as ever heading into the 2017-18 campaign. A lack of Champions League football meant that Arsenal would remain fresh for the Premier League, potentially seeing them emulate Leicester City and Chelsea from the last two seasons by using that to their advantage. Not quite - the North Londoners are battling for the top four and face a huge match against Liverpool on Friday.
Arsenal, two-times winners of this competition, sit one point and one place behind Liverpool ahead of that huge Premier League clash on Friday night. There are just three points between Tottenham Hotspur, Burnley, Arsenal and Liverpool in seventh to fourth, in fact, so any sort of slip up over Christmas and the New Year could well prove costly. It does essentially mean that the EFL Cup, FA Cup and Europa League should - should - take on added significance.
The Gunners' second-string side has so far breezed through in Europe with little trouble to set up a last-32 showdown with Swedish side Ostersunds in February. Pass that test, which they should even with a weakened side, and perhaps Wenger will then throw in some of the Premier League regulars. The FA Cup also gets under way in a few week's time, with Nottingham Forest of the Championship providing Arsenal's third-round test.
In terms of their EFL Cup progress, Arsenal got the better of lower-league opponents Doncaster Rovers in round two and then Norwich City in round three. Walcott scored the only goal of the game in the first of those home matches, but the fixture against Norwich proved to be far more difficult as a late Eddie Nketiah goal was required to force extra time, before the youngster then added a second to win the match in the additional 30 minutes.
Nketiah became the first Arsenal player to score under Wenger to be born after the Frenchman took charge in North London. A dramatic moment it was, but it is not quite enough to earn him a start for this quarter-final tie - Welbeck, Giroud and Walcott are instead preferred in what appears to be a three-man frontline. Wenger has talked up the importance of rotation, which he has put to good use tonight with those 11 changes.
Wenger knows just how gruelling this time of the year can be, with a further 11 games to come between now and the end of next month should they pass this test. One man Wenger may have to do without is Giroud, who looks increasingly like being on his way out of the Emirates Stadium in the coming weeks - likely on loan, but possibly on a permanent deal if a side like Everton comes forward with a big offer. Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, absent tonight, may also be sold on.
Arsenal welcome Liverpool and Chelsea to the Emirates Stadium during the festive period - two games that will go a long way to determining their top-four hopes, starting with the visit of the Reds in three days' time. With the turnaround in matches being so quick, thanks in large to the match being moved for television purposes, it is no great surprise to see Wenger heavily rotate this evening.
DID YOU KNOW? Arsenal have lost each of their last four home matches in the EFL Cup against Premier League opposition, including a 2-0 defeat here at the hands of Southampton 12 months ago. The last time they saw off West Ham United in this competition, meanwhile, they went on to be knocked out in the following round.
This is not a competition Wenger has had a great deal of success in, having reached the final on just two occasions. Arsenal lost both of those, meaning that this is a trophy that has so far eluded the Frenchman, though there have been 14 quarter-final appearances during his two decades at the helm. The Gunners have made it through on six of the previous 13 occasions, where their direct is less impressive.
Arsenal have managed to win the competition on two occasions, last doing so under George Graham in 1992-93, while West Ham have never lifted the trophy. The Hammers have made it to the final twice before - 1966 and 1981. They are aiming to make it through to the semi-finals for the second time in five seasons, though, having reached that stage just once in the previous 23 campaigns.
Little wonder that West Ham are being backed by around 7,000 travelling supporters this evening, then, with those in attendance desperate to see this cup run continue for at least another month or so. The Hammers have so good memories from this ground, where they became the first team to ever beat Arsenal here in a competitive fixture in April 2007 and also won here on the opening day of the campaign a couple of years back.
Overall the Hammers' record is not so impressive at the Emirates Stadium, though, losing seven of their nine trips here by an aggregate score of 19-4. They certainly head here in good spirits, however, thanks to their turnaround in fortunes in recent times that has seen them collect seven points from the last nine on offer in the Premier League. Victories against Chelsea and Stoke sandwiched the goalless draw against the Gunners six days ago - a great return.
West Ham now find themselves five points adrift of the top half, which will no doubt be their focus as we approach the second half of the campaign. Moyes's men have a nice run of fixtures to look forward to, as well, as they face Newcastle United, Bournemouth and West Bromwich Albion before another trip to Wembley Stadium to take on rivals Tottenham Hotspur on January 4 in a rearranged fixture.
West Ham were victorious on their most recent trip to Wembley, of course, thanks to a stirring comeback against the Lilywhites. United were two down at the break in the last round of this competition, only for Andre Ayew to pull one back from nowhere to kickstart a turnaround that would see another goals scored in the next 15 minutes. Slaven Bilic was the architect of that famous win, but he will instead be watching on from home tonight.
West Ham have made it through three round in all, having also defeated Cheltenham Town and Bolton Wanderers prior to that Spurs win. It is now a case of the Hammers keeping this momentum going, knowing that a place in the semi-finals of the competition will no doubt also spur them on in the Premier League. The top flight, as ever, remains the top priority, though supporters will no doubt be dreaming of another day out at Wembley.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! This is the third meeting between these two sides in this competition, with West Ham United winning a third-round tie in 1966 and also progressing at this same stage in January 1998. More recently, the sides faced off at the London Stadium six days ago in a goalless draw, while the most recent encounter here saw West Ham United go down to a 3-0 loss eight months ago.
With kickoff now less than five minutes away at the Emirates Stadium, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Arsene Wenger: "Some players are a little bit on the edge. We have so many quality players who did not start on Saturday. You cannot say that you prefer to play a player who has played three games in six days to a guy who is at the same level and is completely fresh. The players who will start are basically all international players."
David Moyes: "Adrian has been very good around the place and he's ready to play. Ideally we would have changed one or two players, but we're a bit short and our priority is the Premier League, but nothing would give me more pleasure than reaching a cup final."
Wenger explaining exactly why he felt the need to heavily rotate this evening, with 11 changes made in all from the 1-0 win over Newcastle United. West Ham, similarly, change more than half of their starting lineup three days on from beating Stoke City. A fresh feel to both sides, then, for what should be an entertaining all-Premier League affair in North London.
KICKOFF! Plenty of noise being made by the hefty away contingent as we get under way at the Emirates Stadium. This is one of two quarter-final ties taking place tonight, with Manchester City facing Leicester City in the East Midlands.
Arsenal seeing a fair bit more of the ball in the opening stages, as expected, with West Ham in no particular hurry to get forward. The Gunners had a good chance to counter, only for the offside flag to frustratingly halt them in their tracks.
An early injury scare for Hernandez, who leapt for the ball and appeared to be caught by Chambers. Does not appear to be anything too serious, though, with the Mexican able to run it off on his return to the starting lineup.
A first start for Quina tonight, feeding the ball through for Hernandez down the left. The cross came in but was blocked behind for a throw deep in the Gunners' half, which was eventually hooked clear of danger by Mohamed Elneny.
Giroud strays offside for the second time in the first nine minutes. A slow start to the match at the Emirates Stadium, which is never all that surprising when widescale changes are made. Still awaiting the first shot of note.
Decent play from the hosts to win a corner down the right through a Debuchy cross. Walcott with the cross into a good area around 10 yards out, but West Ham were able to clear their lines. Arsenal starting to probe away at the moment.
Arsenal passing the ball around nicely in midfield, but they are unable to really get Walcott, Giroud or Welbeck on the ball in dangerous areas of the pitch. Atmosphere has gone very flat around the ground all of a sudden.
SHOT! Liveliest moment of the match so far, as Welbeck picks out the ball 25 yards from goal and brings it forward. Once reaching the end of the box he put his foot through it, and the ball deflected off Collins for a corner kick.
Patience seems to be the key for Arsenal here, much like it was six days ago at the London Stadium. They were held to a goalless draw on that occasion, of course, and an identical scoreline tonight will ensure we play a period of extra time.
The returning Joe Hart yet to have anything to do in the opening quarter of the match, which has also been the case for Arsenal's back-up stopper David Ospina. Arsenal have seen around 70% of the ball in the opening 19 minutes here.
Collins, one of those to retain his place in the West Ham side tonight, just about manages to get the ball clear. Arsenal seriously dominating possession now but, with 21 minutes on the clock, they have still not created anything of note.
A serious lack of creativity in the Arsenal midfield thus far, despite Welbeck and Walcott willing to drop deep. There has been a goal in the other game taking place tonight, incidentally - Bernardo Silva giving Man City the lead at Leicester.
A nice straightforward header back to Hart ends Arsenal's latest attacking move. A very familiar theme developing here, as the Gunners continue to dominate without doing anything with the ball. Plenty of time for that to change, of course.
Close to the half-hour mark in North London and there is still just that one shot at either end, which Welbeck sent well wide via a Collins deflection. Would barely deserve a mention in any other game, but this has been very flat.
It has now been just over five hours since West Ham last conceded a goal. Not bad going considering they could not keep them out at one point, though those defensive struggles now appear to be behind them for the time being.
Just waiting for this game to spring back into life, with neither side doing much of anything so far. Nothing at all to get supporters out of their seats, as we move past the half-an-hour mark at a subdued Emirates Stadium.
Welbeck takes out Ayew in an attempt to break up the West Ham attack. An update on the possession stats, considering nothing else has happened so far - Arsenal with 66% of the ball in the opening third of a quiet quarter-final tie.
Play constantly being broken up, with another tackle coming in via Debuchy on Masuaku. It came to little in the end, but at least it gave the home supporters a little something to get worked up about - they felt there was little contact made.
SHOT! Full-back Sead Kolasinac cuts in from the left and miscues a shot over the crossbar. Pretty disappointing attempt in the end, but at least we have our second effort of the match... now just for one on target before the interval!
CHANCE! The match has finally burst into life as, moments after that Kolasinac shot, the Bosnian sent in a peach of a cross that Walcott met completely unmarked 12 yards out. The diving header, though, ended wide of the target.
GOAL! ARSENAL 1-0 WEST HAM UNITED (DANNY WELBECK)
Well if nothing else Arsenal have been efficient. A first chance of the match, a first attempt on target of the match - a first goal of the match. Debuchy did well to nod a cross into the centre, where Welbeck was able to bundle it over the line at the second attempt.
A scrappy goal it may have been, but that is the first one that West Ham have conceded in 319. Arsenal needed a breakthrough goal before the break and they have got it. West Ham now need to offer up some sort of response.
SHOT! West Ham very much holding on now. Giroud could not quite get on the end of Debuchy's cross, but it eventually found its way to the feet of Willock who could not keep his composure - high over the crossbar from 18 yards or so.
HALF TIME: ARSENAL 1-0 WEST HAM UNITED
A first half that improved in the final six or seven minutes ends with Arsenal taking a one-goal lead into the break, courtesy of a scrappy Danny Welbeck goal. West Ham United did not register an attacking moment of note in the opening 45 minutes and will have to give a better account of themselves in the second 45.
A deflected Danny Welbeck shot, which ended well wide of the target, was the only attacking moment of note in an extremely flat opening half an hour to the contest. The game struggled to flow due to a number of sloppy passes, not helped by the combined 17 changes made to the starting lineups - a full 11 of those by Arsenal.
With eight minutes of the first half to go Arsenal finally managed to wake up, as Sead Kolasinac cut in from the left and blasted one over, before setting up Theo Walcott for what looked certain to be the opener. Walcott was completely unmarked when meeting the ball with his head 12 yards out, but he could not steer it on target.
The Gunners did not have to wait too much longer for their breakthrough moment, though, thanks to a scrappy finish from Welbeck under the crossbar after Mathieu Debuchy nodded the ball into a dangerous position. Joe Willock was unable to keep his composure from the next opening, sending a shot into the stands from the edge of the area.
BENCH WATCH!
ARSENAL SUBS: Macey, Sheaf, Dasilva, Reine-Adelaide, Nelson, Akpom, Nketiah
WEST HAM UNITED SUBS: Adrian, Zabaleta, Arnautovic, Carroll, Sakho, Haksabanovic, Makasi
RESTART! We are back up and running at the Emirates Stadium, where kickoff for the second half was delayed by around four minutes. One of the officials, Stuart Burt, picked up a back injury and has now been replaced by the fourth official.
Word has it that one of the original fourth official's friends is now in charge of the electronic board on the touchline! Fingers crossed Wenger and Moyes do not come face to face at any point. Like in the first half, Arsenal have started on top.
A change of officials but no change in personnel at the break - it is as you were in terms of the two teams' lineups. Elneny chips a free kick into the area, with the ball deflecting behind for a fourth Arsenal corner of the evening.
Still plenty of movement down on the touchline, where there is a second change of fourth official! At least that is providing some entertainment at the moment, as events on the field have been dire bar a six or seven minute spell.
The Gunners awaiting their first effort of the second half; West Ham their first of the match. Not been a classic, in truth, though the home fans will not care a great deal if they can see this one through for a place in the semi-finals.
Arsenal win another corner, which Holding could not quite get on the end of. Giroud did, but he was unable to tee up a teammate inside the box and United cleared their lines. A second Gunners goal would surely kill off this tie.
Approaching the hour mark in North London, so Moyes - and possibly Wenger - will be thinking about making a change or two. Andy Carroll is among those back involved tonight, and he has just been sent to warm-up down the touchline.
Hernandez, given little to feed off tonight, is left unhappy after being quite clearly shoved off the ball by Holding. Referee Kevin Friend felt otherwise, waving for play to continue. Up the other end, Walcott was unable to make the most of being in possession in a good position.
The second half has been a more exaggerated version of the first in these opening 17 minutes. West Ham offering little threat and Arsenal not doing much better, as Coquelin drags a shot into a sea of bodies from long range.
CLOSE! Promising moment for West Ham as, after Debuchy clattered into Masuaku, Kevin Friend blew his whistle to signal a free kick. Cresswell and Hernandez step over the ball, with the former curling it narrowly wide from 25 yards.
WEST HAM UNITED SUBS! Moyes with a double change, bringing on Carroll and Sakho for Hernandez and Cresswell. A change in personnel for the remaining 25 minutes - or possibly more, if the Hammers can force extra time.
On the field for all of 60 seconds, Carroll clatters into Coquelin. The Arsenal midfielder landed very awkwardly and looks to be in a fair bit of pain, but that is one of those you would expect him to run off once back on the field.
West Ham showing a little more about themselves now, boosted by that double change up top. The 7,000 or so travelling supporters have responded to that by belting out their club anthem, knowing that this one is far from other at this point.
Welbeck's goal - his first in the EFL Cup since October 2009 - remains the difference between the two sides as we enter the final quarter of the match. Elsewhere, Man City continue to lead Leicester by a goal to nil at the King Power Stadium.
YELLOW CARD! Welbeck gets to the ball marginally ahead of international teammate Hart, who is fortunate to escape with just a yellow card. The contact was outside the box, though, and Welbeck was running away from the goal.
Wenger holding off making any changes for the time being, which is a tad surprising. Moyes has turned to his bench twice already and may be weighing up a third, with his side requiring a goal in the next 14 minutes to remain alive.
Sakho gets away from Coquelin but is unable to pick out a teammate with his right-sided cross. Arsenal countered and Giroud appeared to pull up with a hamstring injury - bad news for Arsenal if this is anything serious.
ARSENAL SUB! Giroud is unable to continue and will likely play no part in the rest of the Gunners' festive programme, either. Reiss Nelson on in his place, with Walcott seemingly being moved into a central-attacking position.
Near enough Arsenal's best moment of the half, as Willock charges into the box and spots Walcott. The Englishman was unable to shoot and instead teed it up for Elneny, but the shot did not make it as far as Joe Hart's goal. Real frustration!
WEST HAM UNITED SUB! A change Moyes probably should have made 10 minutes earlier, even with his side's weekend league fixture in mind, as Arnautovic comes on for Quina. Sakho and Carroll clatter into Ospina to leave him in a little pain.
ARSENAL SUB! Ospina is fine to continue following some treatment from the physio - no need for Matt Macey just yet. A second Arsenal change now as another youngster in Ben Sheaf comes on for Joe Willock. Time fast running out for the visitors.
Two minutes of time to go at the Emirates Stadium, where Arsenal lead through the game's only shot on target - that coming from all of one yard out via the boot of Danny Welbeck. One of the most forgettable games you are ever likely to witness.
ARSENAL SUB! Pelenda Dasilva is on for Coquelin, who picked up what appeared to be a groin injury. Not a great night on the injury front as far as the Gunners are concerned, having also lost Olivier Giroud a little earlier.
Arsenal just a couple of minutes away from booking their place in the last four of the competition. The sooner the referee blows for full time the better - this has been a real shocker. Zero shots on target in the second half; one over the 92 minutes.
FULL TIME: ARSENAL 1-0 WEST HAM UNITED
Referee Kevin Friend brings the match to its conclusion. Arsenal are through to the semi-finals of the EFL Cup for a 15th time - and a first in seven years - thanks to a scrappy Danny Welbeck goal. West Ham United offered nothing and can therefore have few complaints.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from North London. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while updates from the other EFL Cup tie between Leicester City and Manchester City - now into extra time - can be followed here. Thanks for joining!
