EFL Cup review: Arsenal edge past Chelsea in five-goal thriller

Football writer Tom Hancock reflects on Wednesday night's EFL Cup semi-final first leg between Chelsea and Arsenal.

Arsenal edged London rivals Chelsea in an entertaining EFL Cup semi-final first leg to take a slender lead back to Emirates Stadium and condemn Liam Rosenior to defeat in his first home game as Blues head coach.

Having scored three goals from corners in Sunday’s 4-1 FA Cup third-round win at Portsmouth, Arsenal were at it again inside seven minutes. Ben White took full advantage of Robert Sanchez’s failure to claim a seemingly routine catch to nod in Declan Rice’s inswinger with ease.

Asserting their status as the Premier League’s set-piece masters, Mikel Arteta’s side have found the net from dead-ball scenarios a whopping 24 times this season – including 18 from corners.

With an unprecedented quadruple still possible and having rotated heavily for the trip to Championship opposition last time out, Arteta went strong at Stamford Bridge, selecting nine of the 11 players who started Arsenal’s previous league game, the 0-0 draw with Liverpool.

White – in for the injured Piero Hincapie – and ex-Chelsea man Kepa Arrizabalaga – continuing as the Arsenal’s cup goalkeeper – were the two who didn’t start against Liverpool, and the latter did well to keep out Estevao’s powerful strike as the Blues chased an equaliser.

The Gunners weren’t far away from going in 2-0 up at half-time, though, William Saliba almost doubling their lead in stunning fashion with an 18-yard curler which dipped on to the roof of Sanchez’s net.

Sanchez wasn’t quite called into action on that occasion, but he was as Arsenal had their first shot of the second half – only to let White’s low cross slip through his hands and allow the waiting Viktor Gyokeres to convert from close range.

A classic poacher’s finish, it will have been a welcome confidence boost for the Swede, who hadn’t scored from open play in 16 appearances.

Garnacho gives Chelsea hope

Just as Arsenal were threatening to take the tie away from Chelsea, the hosts sprung into life, Alejandro Garnacho making an almost instant impact from the bench with his third goal in two EFL Cup outings.

Pedro Neto’s floated cross evaded its apparent target, Enzo Fernandez, but Garnacho was on hand at the back post to control the ball and fire it through the legs of Kepa.

The Gunners were soon back in control, however, Martin Zubimendi the beneficiary of Gyokeres’ first Arsenal assist after some great movement around the box.

On his first appearance in this competition, Zubimendi continued his impressive debut campaign in England by beating two defenders and smashing the ball past Sanchez, much to the delight of his manager, who said at full-time of Zubimendi:

“He’s a player who can do whatever he wants. We need to keep unlocking that, this system, with his brain. When he gets into the final third and the box, he’s so composed. What he’s done today is phenomenal.”

And the visitors might have been out of sight a matter of minutes later. Substitute Mikel Merino’s volley looked goal-bound, but Sanchez somewhat redeemed himself for his earlier errors by making a sharp reaction save with an outstretched leg which Rosenior described as an “absolutely world-class” piece of goalkeeping.

That save was made to look all the more important when Garnacho made it two braces as a substitute in as many EFL Cup games. Arsenal failed to clear their lines from a Chelsea corner and the Argentinian capitalised with an assured finish through a crowd of players.

Watch: Highlights of Arsenal's win

Slender advantage for Arsenal

Though this tie is far from done and dusted, it’s advantage Arsenal at half-time, then, as the Gunners won for the first time in nine semi-final matches.

And if Chelsea are to reach Wembley, they will have to do what no visiting team has managed so far in 2025/26: win at Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal’s home form is imperious – they’ve won 13 out of 16 in North London this season – but Arteta is braced for another Chelsea challenge, acknowledging: “It’s another step; it’s just half-time and we know the fight we’re going to have at the Emirates in a few weeks.”

His opposite number will be counting on more of the same “determination and intensity” from his players as they try to overturn the first-leg deficit. “That was what made me so happy,” Rosenior said. “I thought Enzo Fernandez was outstanding with Andrey Santos. Marc Guiu gave everything. I want that in a team, a team that never gives up.”

Chelsea will also have to do what they’ve never done in three previous EFL Cup semis: win on aggregate after losing the first leg at home, with the second leg to be played at Emirates Stadium on 3 February.

Chelsea report | Arsenal report

What next for Arsenal and Chelsea?

Next up in the Premier League on Saturday, leaders Arsenal head to struggling Nottingham Forest and Chelsea are involved in another London derby at home to in-form Brentford.

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