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Chelsea vs. Arsenal final score: Carabao Cup semifinal result, stats as Gunners triumph despite Garnacho brace

Dom Farrell

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Chelsea vs. Arsenal final score: Carabao Cup semifinal result, stats as Gunners triumph despite Garnacho brace image

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Under-fire striker Viktor Gyokeres scored one and made another as Arsenal held off a spirited Chelsea to win the first leg of their Carabao Cup semifinal, 3-2, at Stamford Bridge.

Newly installed head coach Liam Rosenior led Chelsea for the first time on home turf, and his injury-hit side matched Arsenal for periods of the match, only to be undone by dreadful starts to each half.

Ben White, with his first goal since scoring against Chelsea in April 2024, and Gyokeres were the beneficiaries, and the tie looked to have gotten away from the Blues by the time Martin Zubimendi scored Arsenal's third.

But a brace from substitute Alejandro Garnacho on either side of Zubimendi's goal kept faint Chelsea hopes alive ahead of the return leg at the Emirates Stadium three weeks from now.

Chelsea vs. Arsenal final score

 FulltimeGoalscorers
Chelsea2Garnacho 57', 83
Arsenal3White 7', Gyokeres 49', Zubimendi 71'

Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
Referee: Simon Hooper

Starting lineups:

Chelsea (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Robert Sanchez (GK) — 34. Josh Acheampong (5. Benoit Badiashile), 29. Wesley Fofana, 23. Trevoh Chalobah, 3. Marc Cucurella — 8. Enzo Fernandez, 17. Andrey Santos — 41. Estevao, 20. Joao Pedro, 7. Pedro Neto —38. Marc Guiu (49. Alejandro Garnacho)

Arsenal (4-3-3, right to left): 13. Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK) — 4. Ben White, 2. William Saliba, 6. Gabriel, 12. Jurrien Timber — 8. Martin Odegaard, 36. Martin Zubimendi, 41. Declan Rice — 7. Bukayo Saka, 14. Viktor Gyokeres, 19. Leandro Trossard

MORE: Newcastle vs. Man City results: Semenyo and Cherk give Guardiola's men advantage

Rosenior was without captain Reece James, Cole Palmer, Malo Gusto and Liam Delap, and could have done without his team gifting Arsenal an early lead. Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez got underneath a left-wing corner from Declan Rice, and White headed home unchallenged. It was Arsenal's 24th set-piece goal of the season, and none will have felt quite so easy.

After his team worked their way into an engaging affair, Sanchez was culpable early in the second period when he failed to claim a low White cross and left Gyokeres with a tap-in for a first goal from open play since November 1.

Chelsea looked in danger of being swept away before the midway point of the tie, but Rosenior sent on Garnacho for the ineffective Marc Guiu, and the former Manchester United youngster crashed one in via the post from Pedro Neto's chipped right-wing cross.

Gyokeres turned provider with some smart hold-up play that was matched by a smooth touch and finish from Zubimendi. Sanchez atoned partially for his earlier woes with a superb reaction save to deny substitute Mikel Merino on the volley.

What looked like becoming 4-1 ended up 3-2, though, when Arsenal were on the receiving end of a set-piece goal. Ex-Chelsea No. 1 Kepa Arrizabalaga came into traffic and did not claim it, and Garnacho peeled away to fire in from the loose ball.

Chelsea vs Arsenal stats

ChelseaStatArsenal
9Shots17
4Shots on target6
55%Possession45%
495Passes356
6Corners9
12Fouls13
4Yellow cards4
4Offsides2

Chelsea vs. Arsenal live updates, highlights, and commentary

Fulltime

Arsenal get over the line in a game where it looked like they might be commanding winners. Twice they led by two goals and twice Alejandro Garnacho shaved their advantage. Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior will take plenty of heart from this as he goes around Stamford Bridge applauding the crowd. Still, Arsenal are hugely in command of this one with the home leg to come. Thanks for joining us.

90+4 mins: Jesus is brought down by Hato. That's surely a penalty...but it's offside.

90+1 mins: As Zubimendi sizes up a free-kick, we learn there will be five added minutes. He goes short to Saka, who works it back to White. The right-back's cross is dreadful and Chelsea have the ball.

88 mins: Saliba is forced into conceding a corner. Adarabioyo heads over from Neto's delivery at the near post with Kepa down in a heap.

86 mins: Estevao drives menacingly forward and Kepa saves. Chelsea really fancy this again.

84 mins: The VAR check for a foul on Kepa is brief and lets the goal stand. It feels like there have been words at Stockley Park since last night's Manchester City vs. Newcastle debacle.

83 mins: GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!! Alejandro Garnacho!!!!!!

Garnacho keeping Chelsea in the tie almost single-handedly! Kepa comes into a crowd of players, doesn't make contact and the Argentina winger clatters home the loose ball.

77 mins: Saliba plants the header from Rice's corner into the turf and over.

76 mins: Sanchez has a lot to answer for tonight but that's a fabulous save with his foot to keep out Merino's volley. Arsenal are hungry for more here.

75 mins:  Jorrel Hato, who scored an absolute screamer at the weekend, replaces Fofana in the Chelsea defence.

71 mins: GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!! Martin Zubimendi!!!!!

That's a body blow for Chelsea and might very well decide the whole tie. Gyokeres holds up play nicely, lays off to Zubimendi, who first touch is assured and he drills home.

67 mins: Rice slaps the kick miles over. Definitely not one from his Real Madrid collection last season. Odegaard hands the armband to Saka as he makes way, with Martinelli on for Trossard.

65 mins: Badiashile brings down Saka and is booked. This free-kick is very much in shooting range. Mikel Merino and Gabriel Martinelli are getting ready to come on.

61 mins: Estevao left fly from the right-hand corner of the box and Saliba gets his head to it to deflect behind. Arsenal give Fernandez a couple of bites at a decent delivery and he can't oblige.

57 mins: GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!! Alejandro Garnacho!!!!!!

Now then... Game on? Neto floats a cross over to Garnacho, who controls and smashes home via the near post. Stamford Bridge erupts.

56 mins: Saka's corner is boomed under the bar. Sanchez deals with it, but there'll be another. Rice goes deep this time and the danger passes for now.

55 mins: Sanchez pushes a rasping Odegaard drive behind to partially atone for his nonsense.

53 mins: Guiu and Acheampong make way for Garnacho and Badiashile. The former swap should mean Joao Pedro reverting to centre-forward.

51 mins: Alejandro Garnacho will be joining us shortly for Chelsea. The Arsenal fans chirrup, "You're getting sacked in the morning" in Rosenior's direction. What japes.

49 mins: GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!! Viktor Gyokeres!!!!!!

Gyokeres gets the goal he's been craving, a first from open play since November 1. Once again, Sanchez is culpable after Saka slots the overlapping White down the right flank. The Chelsea goalkeeper can't stop the ball on the greasy surface and leaves Gyokeres with a tap-in.

Kickoff: 2nd Half

We're back underway. No changes for either side just yet.

Halftime

Chelsea acquitted themselves pretty well there and there was little to choose between the sides from open play. However, the hosts gifted Ben White his first goal since April 2025 and Arsenal have won every game when they have scored first this season.

45 mins: Chelsea have a corner to defend on the stroke of halftime. Saka's deliveries from the right have been less potent and there's a foul in there in any case. One minute to be added on.

42 mins: Estevao goes surging through midfield and Trossard makes a cynical foul. An obvious example of a player taking the yellow card, which duly comes.

40 mins: Saliba marauding towards the Chelsea box. The blue shirts back off and he tries his luck. That's not a bad attempt, which glances the top of the netting.

38 mins: Odegaard flings a ball into the box that Gyokeres heads high and wide. Barely half a chance.

34 mins: The Chelsea defence do well to shepherd a raiding Timber away from goal. Eventually, the ball sits up for Timber to thrash over from outside the box.

31 mins: The host go up the other end, Estevao cuts inside and forces Kepa to push his shot behind. Arsenal look a little disconcerted from the corner but manage to clear the danger.

30 mins: Rice with another corner from the left. Sanchez gets under it this time and makes a clean catch,

28 mins: Chelsea contruct a lovely, intricate passing move around the Arsenal box. Joao Pedro drags a shot across the face of goal and cannot believe there's no one following in to finish.

26 mins: Estevao slots a lovely pass down the right wing for Acheampong, who stings Kepa's palms before the offside flag goes up.

24 mins: The cross is blocked and Zubimendi attempts an acrobatic volley on the rebound, which flies over.

23 mins: Fernandez needlessly bundles Odegaard over in a crossing position. You're playing Arsenal, pal. Get a clue.

16 mins: Chelsea come out of this Arsenal corner intact as the referee spots a foul.

15 mins: Chelesa scrambling as Zubimendi gets forward on the break. Gyokeres holds play up before going for goal himself. It's deflected behind.

12 mins: Fernandez lines up an attempt from about 25 yards that curls gently into Kepa's gloves.

10 mins: This is the 23rd time Arsenal have scored first in a game this season. They've won every won of the previous 2-2. Yikes.

7 mins: GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!! Ben White!!!

Set Piece FC strike again. Rice's corner loops over a flapping Sanchez and White nods home unmarked. That's Arsenal's 24th goal from a set piece this season and very probably their easiest.

3 mins: Corner to Chelsea on the left. Fernandez swings it in, looking to catch Kepa out, but it hits the side-netting at the near post.

Kickoff: 1st Half

Declan Rice, who represented Chelsea as a schoolboy, gets Arsenal underway. They go long, Gyokeres makes a nuisance of himself and Saka drills a low cross at a tumbling Sanchez.

5 mins: The teams are in the tunnel and the atmosphere is crackling. Here they come.

30 mins before kickoff: Liam Rosenior has made bold, positive communication a feature of his early days in charge at Chelsea, and tonight is no exception. He's been speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live.

I would love to be here for six years and longer. In order for that to happen I need to win. It's as simple as that.

I've got ideas of what I want the team to look like in a year or two or three years time. But I think I have got enough resources and tools with me now to win. I've made that clear to the players.

Every session that I take, every meeting that I take, every game that we play is the most important thing. I'm not making it [Arsenal tie] any bigger than the fact it's the next game - and we have to win.

1 hour before kickoff: Chelsea have no equivalent to Arsenal's good Saliba news. Reece James, Malo Gusto and Cole Palmer are all out after late checks. There's no Cole Palmer, either. Marc Guiu leads the attack with Joao Pedro playing as the No. 10. Andrey Santos, who thrived under Rosenior at Strasbourg, partners Enzo Fernandez in central midfield.

1 hr 15 mins before kickoff: The teams are in. William Saliba starts for Arsenal. Leandro Trossard gets the nod on the left wing despite Gabriel Martinelli's weekend hat-trick at Portsmouth.

1 hr 30 mins before kickoff: When Chelsea battled to a 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Stamford Bridge at the end of November, the post-match conversation centred around whether the Blues were the most likely Premier League challengers to Arsenal. However, that was the start of a run of two wins in nine matches across all competitions that cost Enzo Maresca his job. There is one bit of continuity, though. Moises Caicedo, who was sent off in that match, is suspended tonight.

Declan Rice Moises Caicedo

2 hours before kickoff. Hello and welcome to AllSportsPeople' live coverage of the Carabao Cup semifinal, first leg between Chelsea and Arsenal. Manchester City won 2-0 at Newcastle in the first leg of the other semifinal on Tuesday. Can either of these London giants claim a similarly imposing advantage?

Chelsea vs. Arsenal kick off time

The Carabao Cup semifinal, first leg off in London at 8 p.m. Local time.

Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories:

 DateKickoff time
USAWed, Jan 143:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. PT
CanadaWed, Jan 143:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. PT
UKWed, Jan 148:00 p.m. BST
AustraliaThu, Jan 157:00 a.m. AEDT
IndiaThu, Jan 151:30 a.m. IST

Chelsea vs. Arsenal lineups, team news

Rosenior said he would make late checks on Cole Palmer, Reece James  and Malo Gusto  after all three sat out the Charlton game. They all miss out, along with Liam Delap​​​​​​. In the latter's absence, Marc Guiu  starts at centre forward, with Joao Pedro  as the No. 10.

Mosies Caicedo  misses out through suspension as he serves the second match of a two-game ban for yellow card accumulation. Andrey Santos, who thrived under Rosenior at Strasbourg, starts alongside Enzo Fernandez in central midfield.

Chelsea starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Sanchez (GK) — Acheampong, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella — Fernandez, Andrey Santos — Estevao, Joao Pedro, Neto —Guiu

Chelsea subs: Jorgensen (GK), Badiashile, Adarabioyo, Hato, Essugo, Buonanotte, Garnacho, George, Mheuka

Kepa Arrizabalaga  is set to start against his former club as Mikel Arteta's preferred cup goalkeeper.

William Saliba  and Leandro Trossard  sat out the Portsmouth match, but both start. The Gunners will be relieved Saliba has pulled through, with Riccardo Calafiori, Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie remaining among the defensive absentees.

Arsenal starting XI (4-3-3, right to left): Kepa (GK) — White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber — Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice — Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli

Arsenal subs: Raya (GK), Jesus, Eze, Martinelli, Norgaard, Madueke, Merino, Havertz, Lewis-Skelly

Chelsea vs. Arsenal live stream, TV channel

Here is how to watch the match in some of the world's major regions:

RegionTVStreaming
USA—Paramount+
Canada—DAZN, Fubo
UKSky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports FootballSky GO, Sky Sports website
AustraliabeIN Sports 2beIN Sports Connect
India—FanCode

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