Arsene Wenger benched Alexis Sanchez and lost Jack Wilshere to injury but Arsenal held Chelsea to a 0-0 EFL Cup semi-final draw.
Chelsea and Arsenal played out a draw for the fourth time in as many meetings this season as the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final finished goalless at Stamford Bridge.
The London teams reconvened seven days on from a scintillating 2-2 Premier League draw at Emirates Stadium but this encounter failed to hit those heights, instead repeating the scoreline from a September stalemate on this ground.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who watched the match from the press seating as he continued to serve a touchline ban, deployed reported Manchester City target Alexis Sanchez as a second-half substitute and is likely to be the happier of the two managers.