Arsenal will take a narrow advantage back to the Emirates after beating Chelsea 3–2 at Stamford Bridge yesterday in a breathless Carabao Cup semi-final first leg that swung from control to chaos and back again. For long spells Mikel Arteta’s side looked on course to build a commanding lead, but two quick-fire goals from substitute Alejandro Garnacho dragged Chelsea back into the tie and ensured the second leg remains wide open.
Arsenal started like a team determined to silence the home crowd early, pinning Chelsea deep and forcing a series of hurried clearances. The opener arrived from a set-piece and came with a heavy slice of controversy for the hosts. A delivery into the box wasn’t dealt with cleanly and Ben White was the first to react, finishing after Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez misjudged his attempt to gather and left the ball invitingly loose in the danger area. It was the kind of moment that instantly changes the temperature of a cup tie, and it visibly rattled Chelsea’s back line.
Chelsea tried to respond with energy rather than fluency, but Arsenal’s pressing continued to cause problems and a second goal followed early in the second half in eerily similar fashion. Sánchez again failed to take command of his box, spilling a routine situation under pressure, and Viktor Gyökeres pounced from close range to double the lead. The Swede’s finish was simple, but his work in the build-up and his willingness to attack second balls were central to Arsenal’s sharpness all night.
At 2–0, Arsenal looked comfortable, moving the ball with authority and keeping Chelsea at arm’s length. Yet the tie turned on a period where Arsenal didn’t kill the game. Chelsea, missing several key names and still adjusting under new head coach Liam Rosenior, found a spark from the bench. Garnacho’s introduction changed the tone immediately — he ran at defenders, forced Arsenal to retreat a few yards, and gave Stamford Bridge belief.
Still, Arsenal appeared to have landed the decisive punch when Martín Zubimendi made it 3–0 with the goal of the night. Picking the ball up around the edge of the area, he slalomed away from two challenges and drilled a fierce finish from roughly 12 yards that left Sánchez with no chance. It felt like the moment the tie tilted heavily in Arsenal’s favour.
Chelsea refused to fold. Garnacho struck his first after latching onto a loose ball and finishing with real conviction to make it 3–1, and suddenly Arsenal’s composure was tested. The second arrived not long after, with the winger again finding space in the box and applying a clinical touch to reduce the deficit to a single goal. Those two strikes transformed the closing stages into a frantic affair, with Chelsea pushing and Arsenal trying to regain control through possession and game management.
There were late flashpoints too. Chelsea thought they had a route back through pressure and set pieces, while Arsenal looked for a fourth on the counter. In stoppage time, tensions boiled over following a robust challenge, with a heated exchange involving Enzo Fernández and Zubimendi after the whistle that required players and staff to step in before it escalated.
After the match, Arteta was pleased to win at Stamford Bridge but made it clear he wasn’t satisfied with how his team let Chelsea back into the contest. He praised Arsenal’s authority for much of the night — especially their start and their ability to create chances — but pointed to the two goals conceded as a reminder that the job is only half done. His message was essentially that Arsenal earned the lead, yet should have made the second leg more comfortable with better control in key moments.
Rosenior, in his first home match in charge, took a different view: frustration at the mistakes that put Chelsea in a hole, pride in the response that kept them alive. He defended Sánchez publicly, stressing that responsibility sits with the team and the structure as much as the goalkeeper, and he highlighted the spirit shown once Chelsea had nothing to lose. Rosenior also pointed to the impact of his substitutions and the lift Garnacho gave the stadium, suggesting the late momentum is something they must carry into the return leg.
Arsenal leave with a one-goal cushion and plenty of reasons to feel confident, but Chelsea’s late surge ensured this semi-final still has bite. With the second leg to come at the Emirates, both managers know the same thing: the tie is far from finished.
