Advantage Arsenal but Chelsea stays in cup fight
Arsenal edged towards its first Carabao Cup final since 2018 as it beat Chelsea 3-2 in the opening leg of their semi-final at Stamford Bridge, but the tie remains very open based on Chelsea's fighting performance.
Ben White, Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi were all on target for Mikel Arteta's dominant side but a double from substitute Alejandro Garnacho has kept Chelsea's hopes alive.
With 17 goal attempts compared to Chelsea's 10, Arsenal will feel it should have gone home with a bigger margin of victory and it will be all to play for in north London on 4 February (AEDT) in the second leg.
White headed in from a trademark Arsenal corner routine in the seventh minute after Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez missed an attempted punch.
Chelsea huffed and puffed in response but did not look like troubling Arsenal and was in real trouble shortly after the break as big-money summer signing Gyokores netted for just the second time in his past 11 appearances.
Sanchez fumbled White's low cross and the ball squirmed free for the Swede to tap in.
Rosenior reacted by sending on Garnacho and he made an immediate impact as Pedro Neto's cross reached him beyond the far post and he steadied himself before firing in from an angle.
But Zubimendi went one better, finishing off a silky Arsenal move with a sublime goal to restore the Gunners' two-goal cushion in the 71st minute.
That looked to have knocked the stuffing out of the hosts but Garnacho remained lively and when the ball dropped to him on the edge of the area he bounced a shot through a crowd late on to narrow the gap again.
"We didn't play very well in the second half," White said. "We let them pressure us and it wasn't up to our standards so a bit disappointing in the second half. But it's a win."
Top of the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League and into the fourth round of the FA Cup, Arsenal is still in contention for four trophies, but the Carabao Cup represents the earliest chance to win its first silverware since 2020.
Gyokeres recognised he must maintain high standards to retain his place as Arsenal's centre-forward.
"That's what I need to do, and I can do it more often. We won today and we keep going," he said.
"There's still a second leg, but of course, it's good to come away with a win and an advantage for the second leg. We still have to give a good performance in the second match.
"I think it was a tough game. We defended well. They were, as always, dangerous when they had counter-attacks, but I think we defended well.
"We were unfortunate to concede two, but offensively we scored three, so we're happy with that."
Meanwhile, Liam Rosenior hailed the fighting spirit Chelsea showed for his first home match in charge since replacing Enzo Maresca as coach.
"It's half-time [in the tie]. I was very happy with the engagement, the commitment of the players," he said.
"They gave everything. It was every open game. Disappointed to concede from a corner. Disappointed with the third goal as well, because we were right back in the game, and we were on top at that moment.
"We switched off from a restart from a central free-kick, but I can't fault the players. We've had illness in the squad, we've picked up a few knocks this week, but what the squad has shown is that they are willing to run and fight for each other."
Garnacho, who scored with both of his shots on goal after his 53rd-minute introduction, also scored twice off the bench to secure Chelsea's win over Cardiff City in the last eight.
"I said he would be important off the bench, and he proved that," Rosenior said.
"I've got an outstanding squad. What I need them to do is be engaged, whether they start the game or whether they come off the bench. Garna showed his quality.
"I think Pedro Neto was magnificent. Estevao was outstanding as well. We need to make sure if we perform well individually, we don't concede as many goals."
