Arsenal took a major step towards the League Cup final as they handed Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior a bruising welcome at Stamford Bridge, securing a 3–2 victory in the semi-final first leg on Wednesday.
The defeat marked a sharp contrast to Rosenior’s debut last weekend, when Chelsea thrashed second-tier Charlton 5–1 in the FA Cup. This time, Arsenal exposed defensive frailties to seize control of the tie and put themselves firmly on course for Wembley.
Ben White opened the scoring for the Premier League leaders in the first half before Viktor Gyokeres doubled the advantage after the break, capitalising on a costly error by Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea showed brief signs of a fightback when substitute Alejandro Garnacho reduced the deficit, but Martin Zubimendi restored Arsenal’s two-goal cushion with a decisive third. Garnacho struck again late on to keep Chelsea’s hopes alive, though Arsenal remain clear favourites ahead of the return leg.
The second leg will be played at the Emirates Stadium on February 3, with the winners advancing to the final at Wembley in March. In the other semi-final, Manchester City claimed a 2–0 away win at Newcastle on Tuesday.
Arsenal extended their unbeaten run to 10 matches in all competitions as they chase their first trophy since lifting the FA Cup in 2020. Manager Mikel Arteta had said his players were driven by last season’s 4–0 aggregate semi-final loss to Newcastle in the competition.
Despite recent near misses — including semi-final exits in the 2025 Champions League, the 2022 League Cup and the 2021 Europa League — Arsenal sit top of both the Premier League and Champions League tables and are into the FA Cup fourth round, making this one of their strongest chances yet to end a five-year silverware drought.
For Rosenior, appointed last week after Chelsea parted ways with Enzo Maresca, the night underlined the scale of the task ahead. The former Hull boss, who impressed with a seventh-place finish at Strasbourg last season, was without key players including Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo, Reece James, Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens and Malo Gusto due to injuries, illness and suspension.
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