Arsenal vs Sunderland LIVE: Carabao Cup result, final score and reaction

Tonight’s match is the first of four Carabao Cup quarter-finals to be played over the next two nights. Tomorrow sees Tottenham take on West Ham, Brentford face Chelsea, and Liverpool welcome Leicester to Anfield.

Sunderland are the lowest ranked side left in the competition with the League One side the only non-Premier League club to make it this far.

Heach coach Lee Johnson confirmed in a pre-match press conference that Leon Dajaku will have an x-ray after picking up an injury against Ipswich Town and that there has been one positive test of Covid-19 for an unnamed player in the Sunderland squad.

Charlie Patino is the next Arsenal academy graduate touted to follow in the footsteps of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe. The 18-year-old midfielder is expected to make his senior debut tonight and has posted a picture of his matchday kit in the dressing room on Instagram.

Mikel Arteta heaped praise on Gabriel Martinelli in the build-up to tonight’s tie. After the commotion over Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang being stripped of the captaincy, the Brazilian has filled the void excellently and has scored four goals in his last six Premier League appearances.

“He (Martinelli) trains incredibly hard, he is always willing to do more and he is not scared or afraid to take risks - and that is what I like about him,” Arteta said.

“You cannot play every action at 100mph, it is impossible. It is not very efficient for you because you burn yourself out after a few minutes, and then you’re just chasing a situation and not reading exactly what is needed.

“Gabi is doing much better at that. We have to try to do that without losing the passion, the energy and this capacity he has to just affect the game with the way he acts on the pitch.

“Every time the ball is 50/50 he is going to chase it and he’s going to use his body, his speed, his technical ability to get away from you and you have to be careful, because he can attack you one v one, he can attack your back, he can make movements off the ball. He is a real threat in front of goal.

Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage as Arsenal host Sunderland in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

Mikel Arteta’s side have been in fine form of late, with three successive Premier League victories propelling the Gunners into the top four. The Spaniard is likely to heavily rotate his line-up tonight, with the club’s focus firmly set on a return to European football, although the Carabao Cup still represents a good chance to win some silverware.

Arsenal have, at least in theory, benefitted from receiving the gentlest available draw, with Sunderland the lowest-ranked side left in the last-eight by a considerable margin. Lee Johnson’s side have now gone unbeaten in their last seven League One games, though, and will relish the chance to cause an upset at the Emirates.