Arsenal defeat Roseniors Chelsea in initial League Cup semi-final clash

Arsenal spoilt Chelsea boss Liam Roseniors opening home fixture by edging to a 3 to 2 triumph in Wednesdays League Cup semi-final opener, positioning themselves nearer to Wembley.

Chelseas team had triumphed 5 to 1 over Championship outfit Charlton in Roseniors initial outing during the FA Cup third round just over the weekend.

However Arsenal made certain his debut on the Stamford Bridge touchline proved far from pleasant.

Ben White opened the scoring for the Premier League frontrunners during the opening period, while Viktor Gyokeres capitalised on an error from Chelsea shotstopper Robert Sanchez to net the second following the break.

Alejandro Garnacho entered as a substitute to reduce the deficit for Chelsea, prior to Martin Zubimendi adding Arsenals third strike.

Garnacho offered Chelsea a spark of optimism with his further effort late in the contest.

Nevertheless Arsenal head into the return fixture at Emirates Stadium on February 3 as strong contenders to progress to the March Wembley showdown.

Manchester City secured a 2 to 0 success at Newcastle during the opening match of the opposite semi-final on Tuesday.

Arsenal remain undefeated across their previous 10 outings in various tournaments while pursuing their initial piece of silverware since the 2020 FA Cup.

Gunners head coach Mikel Arteta noted his squad drew inspiration from their 4 to 0 overall loss to Newcastle in last terms League Cup semi-finals.

They suffered semi-final exits in the 2025 Champions League, the 2022 League Cup, plus the 2021 Europa League too.

Leading the Premier League and Champions League standings, alongside advancing to the FA Cup fourth round, Arsenal could scarcely possess a superior opportunity to halt their lack of trophies.

Rosenior, dismissed from Hull in 2024, joined Chelsea recently to succeed Enzo Maresca, having gained acclaim for guiding French side Strasbourg to seventh position in the prior campaign.

The 41 year olds arrival at Stamford Bridge faced challenges from missing Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo, Reece James, Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens, and Malo Gusto owing to a mix of injuries, sickness, and bans.

Specialists in dead-ball situations

Although he mentioned concentrating on facing Arsenal from the instant he assumed control last week, Chelsea appeared utterly underprepared as they were surprised early in the seventh minute.

Arsenals expertise in set-pieces has emerged as their key offensive strength across the past couple of seasons, and Rosenior joined their recent list of casualties in the seventh minute.

Declan Rice delivered a corner towards the six-yard area, and with Sanchez misjudging his effort to claim it, the free White possessed ample opportunity to direct a header low into the goal.

Whites initial strike since 2024, when he scored versus Chelsea, marked Arsenals 24th from dead balls, encompassing 18 from corners, in all events this term, the highest among clubs in Europes leading five divisions.

Chelsea sought to hit back, yet Kepa Arrizabalaga denied efforts from Enzo Fernandez and Estevao Willian.

Arsenal extended their advantage in the 49th minute courtesy of Sanchezs glaring mistake.

Whites clipped pass across goal ought to have been straightforward for Sanchez, yet he allowed it to escape his hold, enabling Gyokeres to finish into the unguarded target for his first open-play effort in 16 outings.

This provided a scarce instance of justification for the criticised Swedish forward, who has managed only eight goals from 26 outings since transferring from Sporting Lisbon the previous year.

Rosenior introduced Garnacho in place of Marc Guiu, and the adjustment yielded quick results.

Garnacho netted in the 57th minute, powering in from near distance following Arsenals incomplete clearance.

Zubimendi re-established the Gunners two-goal buffer in the 71st minute.

The Spanish playmaker controlled Gyokeres pass and astutely created room for a precise effort from 10 yards.

Garnacho hauled Chelsea nearer once more, firing beyond Kepa from a partially dealt corner in the 83rd minute.