This is our 18th League Cup semi-final appearance; as we look to make it through to the final for the ninth time, here's a look at our previous eight victorious semi-final outings...
### 1967/68
**Beat Huddersfield Town 6-3 on aggregate**
We first made it to the semi-final in just the second year we entered the competition, in the 1967/68 season.
We met Huddersfield Town, then a mid-table side in Division 2, and the other semi-final also featured a second-tier team in Derby County. Both ties went to form. We were at Highbury for the first leg, and goals from Bob McNab, John Radford and George Graham gave us a narrow advantage to take up north for the return match.
Bertie Mee’s side scored three more at Leeds Road, with three more players – Jon Sammels, Jenkins and Frank McLintock – on the scoresheet to ensure a 3-1 win on the night and a 6-3 aggregate victory.
We met Leeds United at Wembley Stadium – our first appearance in a cup final for 16 years. But we fell to a 1-0 defeat, earning Leeds their first trophy under Don Revie.
### 1968/69
**Beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on aggregate**
We made it all the way back to the final again the following season, this time meeting Tottenham in the semi-final. Both north London sides were to finish in the top six that season (us in fourth, Spurs in sixth) and we completed the league double over them, as well as knocking them out of the League Cup.
John Radford scored the only goal of the first leg at Highbury, and Raddy was on target again in a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane on December 4 to send us through to the final, where we were to meet Division 3 Swindon Town.
It was Swindon’s first ever appearance at Wembley, and they ran out surprise 3-1 winners after extra time. Bobby Gould’s late equaliser proved to be a consolation on a forgettable March afternoon.
### 1986/87
**Beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in a replay after drawing 2-2 on aggregate**
It was nearly 20 years before we next won a League Cup semi-final, and once again Tottenham were the beaten side.
We had lost semi-finals in 1978 (2-1 on agg to Liverpool) and in 1983 (6-3 on agg to Manchester United) before getting through to the last four again in 1986/87. We were drawn against Spurs, and had the first leg at home on February 8.
The visitors secured a 1-0 win though, and were big favourites to reach Wembley by the time they went 2-0 up on aggregate in the return at White Hart Lane. As the Spurs PA announcer read out the tickets details for the final during the half-time break, George Graham’s men were plotting their comeback, and scored through Viv Anderson and Niall Quinn to set up a replay, back at White Hart Lane, three days later.
Clive Allen scored his third goal of the tie to put the hosts in front yet again, but late goals from Ian Allinson and David Rocastle completed a comeback for the ages, and send us to the final.
We went on to lift the trophy for the first time, defeating Liverpool 2-1, who had also taken the lead in that game at Wembley as well.
### 1987/88
**Beat Everton 4-1 on aggregate**
We made it back-to-back semi-final wins, knocking out defending league champions Everton at that stage in 1988.
As League Cup holders we stormed through the early stages, scoring 11 goals without reply to reach the last four, then winning 1-0 in the first leg of the semi at Goodison Park.
Perry Groves scored the only goal of the game, and we completed the tie in fine style back in north London, winning 3-1 with goals from Michael Thomas, David Rocastle and Alan Smith that set up a final against Luton Town.
We lost 3-2 at Wembley Stadium, having missed a penalty when 2-1 up with ten minutes remaining.
### 1992/93
**Beat Crystal Palace 5-1 on aggregate**
Five years later we were back in the semi-final, taking on Crystal Palace, who had defeated Liverpool and Chelsea to reach the last four.
Ian Wright scored the first goal of the first leg, back at the home of his former club, with a tenth minute penalty. Alan Smith made it 2-0 before half time and scored again after Simon Osborn had pulled one back for the hosts.
Andy Linighan and Wright again both scored by half time in the second leg at Highbury to send us back to Wembley, where we would face Sheffield Wednesday.
Steve Morrow was the matchwinner that day, and we would also defeat Wednesday in the FA Cup final to become the first club ever to win the domestic cup double.
### 2006/07
**Beat Tottenham Hotspur 5-3 on aggregate**
We then suffered a run of four semi-final defeats in a row – losing on away goals to Aston Villa in 1996, before Chelsea (1998), Middlesbrough (2004) and Wigan Athletic (2006) all bested Arsène Wenger teams over two legs.
In 2007 we returned though, to make it three out of three League Cup semi-final wins over Tottenham. Wenger stuck with his policy of playing a much-changed, youth-based side in the competition, having seen his Young Guns beat Liverpool 6-3 at Anfield in the quarter-final.
But we were 2-0 down within 20 minutes of the start of the semi-final at White Hart Lane. Julio Baptista had scored four in the last round against Liverpool, but his own goal put us 2-0 down here.
The Brazilian made amends though, with two in the right end in the final half hour, to send us into the second leg all square.
Emmanuel Adebayor netted in the first semi-final staged at Emirates Stadium, but Mido’s late equaliser sent the tie to extra time.
Jeremie Aliadiere put us back in front before Pascal Chimbonda’s own goal sealed the win to set up a final with Chelsea, which our young side would lose 2-1 in Cardiff.
### 2010/11
**Beat Ipswich Town 3-1 on aggregate**
We reached our fourth League Cup semi-final in the space of five years in 2008, but lost to Tottenham, before bouncing back in 2010/11 against Championship side Ipswich Town.
We lost the first leg 1-0 at Portman Road, but came roaring back in the final half hour at Emirates Stadium.
Nicklas Bendtner began the comeback before Laurent Koscielny headed us in front in the tie with 25 minutes remaining. Cesc Fabregas sealed the win after swapping passes with Andrey Arshavin, and sent us through to the final against Birmingham City, who defeated West Ham in their semi.
We went into the final as hot favourites to end a six-year trophy drought against the Blues, but were beaten by a last-minute Obafemi Martins goal after Robin van Persie had cancelled out Nikola Zigic’s opener.
### 2017/18
**Beat Chelsea 2-1 on aggregate**
Arsène Wenger made it back to Wembley during his last season in charge, as his seventh appearance in the semi-final ended in victory over Chelsea.
The first leg at Stamford Bridge was a fiercely competitive, close encounter, finishing goalless after 90 minutes.
Eden Hazard put Chelsea ahead after just seven minutes of the second leg at Emirates Stadium, before an own goal from Antonio Rudiger put us level. We then began to dominate, and deservedly ran out 2-1 winners.
Granit Xhaka got the winner on the hour mark, when Alex Lacazette’s pull-back bounced off Rudiger into our midfielder’s path, but we would go on the lose 3-0 to Manchester City in the final.
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