Chelsea endured a turbulent night in the Carabao Cup semi-final opener as goalkeeping lapses played a decisive role, even though Alejandro Garnacho struck twice to limit the damage.
Robert Sanchez struggled early on, misjudging Declan Rice’s corner and allowing Ben White to nod home from close range inside seven minutes to give Arsenal the lead.
Soon after the interval, another costly moment followed when a delivery slipped through Sanchez’s grasp, enabling Viktor Gyokeres to finish and put the visitors two goals clear.
Garnacho provided a swift reply, steering Pedro Neto’s cross beyond the goalkeeper, but Arsenal quickly restored their cushion through Martin Zubimendi’s clever movement and composed strike from the edge of the area.
The former Manchester United winger then volleyed in again after Kepa Arrizabalaga’s clearance fell kindly, ensuring Chelsea head to the return fixture at Emirates Stadium on 3 February trailing by just one goal.
Rosenior’s first major examination
Liam Rosenior’s opening home match as Chelsea head coach came amid significant challenges, many of them outside his influence.
Several key players were unavailable, with Cole Palmer, Reece James, and Malo Gusto sidelined, while Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens withdrew late due to illness, and Moises Caicedo served a suspension.
Despite those setbacks, Chelsea matched the Premier League leaders for long spells before the break, with Enzo Fernandez and Estevao Willian both forcing saves.
Rosenior’s tactical ideas showed promise, particularly in the pressing that led to Garnacho’s first goal and the decision to assign Wesley Fofana a close-marking role on Martin Odegaard.
Still, repeated concessions from set plays, combined with discontent voiced by supporters towards the club’s hierarchy, underlined the scale of the task facing the new manager, who has now overseen just three wins in the past 13 matches.
Arteta’s depth and growing momentum
For Arsenal, the evening underlined the strength in depth available to Mikel Arteta as his side took a significant step towards Wembley.
Eight changes were made from the FA Cup win at Portsmouth, yet the back four featuring White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Jurrien Timber again proved dominant at dead-ball situations.
White’s opener contributed to a remarkable tally, with Arsenal now having scored 24 times from set pieces in all competitions this season, including 18 from corners.
Gyokeres also enjoyed a timely boost, ending a 16-game wait for an open-play goal and supplying the pass for Zubimendi’s strike.
While the EFL Cup is not the club’s primary focus, Arteta has stressed the value of an early trophy, and this victory marked Arsenal’s first single-match semi-final success in nine attempts, extending their unbeaten run to 10 games.
