LONDON: Arsenal moved closer to their first League Cup final since 2018 by beating London rivals Chelsea 3-2 in the opening match of their semi-final at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
Mikel Arteta’s side dominated for long periods and goals from Ben White, Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi should have all but tied the tie.
But Chelsea showed plenty of fight in Liam Rosenior’s home opener and a brace from substitute Alejandro Garnacho kept their hopes alive.
With 17 attempts on goal to Chelsea’s 10, Arsenal will feel they should have gone home with a greater margin of victory and everything will be to play for in north London on February 3.
“I have to congratulate the players for their performance against a very good opponent. It’s a really difficult place to come. That’s why I really appreciate what the team has done again,” Arteta said.
“We had two huge chances to score the fourth and the result would have been very different. At that point they created a chance and scored a goal. So it’s a very different feeling. The game is on.”
Arsenal are now 10 games unbeaten in all competitions as they move closer to their first trophy since the 2020 FA Cup.
The Gunners had lost their previous four semi-finals in various competitions, including the League Cup last year.
As well as leading the Premier League, Arsenal are still chasing glory in the Champions League and FA Cup.
But after so many failures in the last four games in the recent past, Arteta will not take anything for granted.
“It’s another stage. We’re only at half-time. We know the big fight we’re going to have at the Emirates in a few weeks because they’re a top team,” he said. “What we do every three days is impressive. »
Chelsea were guilty of sloppy marking in White’s opener with a header in the seventh minute before goalkeeper Robert Sanchez tipped over White’s cross early in the second half, leaving Gyokeres to score in the 49th minute.
Rosenior responded by sending on Garnacho and he made an immediate impact, scoring from close range after Arsenal failed to clear in the 57th minute.
Zubimendi restored the Gunners’ two-goal lead in the 71st minute after more lackluster defending from Rosenior’s men before Garnacho brought Chelsea back into the tie, heading past Kepa from a half-cleared corner in the 83rd minute.
Rosenior, who took over as manager of the club on January 6 following the dismissal of Enzo Maresca, said he should be held responsible for goalkeeper Sánchez’s mistakes.
“I’m asking Rob to do things he’s never done before,” Rosenior told reporters. “I told him before the match, and I said it very clearly, when my players make mistakes, I’m responsible. It’s my fault.
“He will improve his understanding. This is Rob’s first match with me, I worked two days with him. My job is to help them, not blame them.”
Chelsea, eighth in the Premier League with 31 points – 18 behind leader Arsenal – will next face Brentford on Saturday.
Published in Dawn, January 16, 2026
