At least Partey can blame jet lag for his indiscretions . . .

Referee Martin Atkinson shows Thomas Partey a second yellow card in last night's Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at the Emirates Stadium. Picture: Ian Kington/AFP via Getty Images

Thanks for coming, lads.

No, really. Thanks for actually turning up for a game that should have been played two weeks ago. Very kind of you.

For the record, the final score in this rearranged Carabao Cup semi-final second leg decider was The Team That Didn't Want To Play In The Premier League At The Weekend 0, The Team That Didn't Want To Play In This Cup A Fortnight Ago 2. 

Team Fortnight wins 2-0 on aggregate and goes through to the final, to be played whenever Jurgen Klopp feels like it, presumably. Definitely against Chelsea, who HAVE been playing on (and now wish they hadn't).

Beforehand, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had been busy insisting he would defend "with teeth and nails" his right to send players off on loan and cancel contracts to dodge matches he didn't fancy.

Sorry, my bad, that should actually have read his right to hit back against people "trying to lie about things that haven’t occurred".

Well, you'd know all about things that haven't occurred, wouldn't you Mikel? Like North London derbies for example...

Now the Premier League has finally woken up and realised that clubs have been taking them for a ride for a whole month or more we should hopefully soon see an end to this nonsense.

Two weeks ago it was Liverpool who cried off because of a Covid outbreak that claimed Jurgen Klopp as well as senior players. Arsenal's official reaction at the time, by the way, was "we are disappointed" though clearly privately it was 'now there's an idea'...

Liverpool were quickly back in action that weekend though, using the kids to see off Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup, and of course the Gunners have a long history of treating the EFL Cup as a floodlit creche when Arsene Wenger was in charge.

Arteta gave 18-year-old prospect Charlie Patino a first-team debut in the previous round and saw him score the final goal in a 5-1 drubbing of Sunderland.

Patino was back on the bench for this one but the starting line-ups featured very few unfamiliar names - with Kaide Gordon the glaring exception. The 17-year-old forward became Liverpool's second-youngest scorer by netting in the Shrews game and was handed a Premier League bow on Sunday by coming off the bench in the 3-0 win over Brentford.

With Sadio Mane and Mo Salah still away on Africa Cup of Nations duty and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain injured, Gordon's elevation was a kick in the teeth for Takumi Minamoto, who paid the price for missing an open goal against 10 men in the goal-less Anfield first leg. At least the Japan winger was allowed to be Liverpool's only recognised attacking option on the bench.

Caoimhin Kelleher over Alisson in goal was Klopp's other big call but at least the Cork man had started a few big games before in the Brazilian's absence.

Gordon, squad number 49, is small for a Premier League player, as Virgil van Dijk proved by pinging a pass attempt off the top of the youngster's head. Gordon struggled to make much early impact, partly because he was often required to help Trent Alexander-Arnold repel the lively Gabriel Martinelli on the Arsenal left.

His big moment came early in the second period when he scooped over with the goal at his mercy. Guilty of leaning back at the vital moment in fact.

By that time Jota had already put Liverpool on course for Wembley. His 19th-minute opener was a fine exhibition of skill as he cut in at speed from the left to avoid challenger after challenger. The shot that followed wasn't much cop but Aaron Ramsdale's attempt to save it was even worse. Poor from a prospective England number one that.

Jota's clincher was pure quality however and VAR did the tie justice by over-ruling a linesman's raised flag. Trent Alexander-Arnold, not for the first time, sent in a peach of a ball from the right flank, Jota chested it down and dinked over Ramsdale, who was blameless this time.

Justice was done, then, as Arsenal were second best on the night, with young stars Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe a double disappointment. The Gunners, whose wait to win this competition stretches back to the 1993-94 season, did manage to extend their remarkable red card record.

No Premier League team has had more dismissals since Arteta succeeded Unai Emery and this tie alone added two to the tally. The Gunners did well to hang on at Anfield when Granit Xhaka was expelled in the first half but Liverpool had already booked a Wembley showdown with Chelsea before Thomas Partey's bizarre late cameo ended with yellow cards for fouls on first Nico Williams and then Fabinho.

Perhaps he can blame jet lag for his indiscretions. It wouldn't be Arsenal's worst excuse of the season. Or week in fact.