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10 hours ago
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It was the latest display of Arsenal’s power and aggression, their remorselessness. And when it was over, this Carabao Cup semi-final felt firmly within their grip. But for a late goal from the Chelsea substitute, Alejandro Garnacho, his second of an eventful cameo, it would surely have been over.
Even so, it was difficult on this evidence to predict anything other than Arsenal progressing into the final; moving closer to a rare piece of silverware under Mikel Arteta – one to pave the way for others this season.
Arsenal brought the physical fight. There were times when they seemed to bully Chelsea, when they made Liam Rosenior fret on his first home game as the Chelsea manager. They scored the opening goal from a set-piece, of course, Ben White converting from a Declan Rice corner – Arsenal’s 24th from a set-piece this season. And they got a second from Viktor Gyökeres, the Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez dreadfully at fault as he was for the opener.
Chelsea battled, especially Garnacho, even if his first goal was the prompt for Arsenal to score again, Martín Zubimendi providing a flash of silk amid the steel with a ice-cold finish. It was another game when the Chelsea support aimed chants against their ownership. Garnacho gave the final scoreline an unexpected gloss from a Chelsea point of view. Arsenal are in charge.
It was comfortably the biggest game of Rosenior’s managerial career, albeit that is a line which will be repeated quite a bit in the coming weeks and the first thing to say is he could have been luckier with his player availability. The headline absentees were the injured Reece James and Cole Palmer and the suspended Moisés Caicedo. Liam Delap was a late cry-off because of illness.
Arteta’s idea was to leave nothing to chance. He has been stung by too many semi-final defeats. He has managed to get through only one out of five so far during his time in charge at Arsenal – against Manchester City on the victorious FA Cup run in 2019-20. He went as strong as possible with his XI, apart from Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal.
Arsenal made the dream start while for Rosenior, it was a nightmare. He had been introduced to the Stamford Bridge crowd before kick-off, striding onto the pitch to applaud the fans but there was only hesitation from his defenders after Jurriën Timber won an early corner off Trevoh Chalobah. “Set-piece again,” chorused the Arsenal fans before Rice dropped the kick into the area of maximum discomfort. They have seen this movie before.
It was a horrible moment for Sánchez. The Chelsea goalkeeper was boxed in and he ran only into his teammate, Marc Cucurella, before stretching up an arm in a vain waft at the ball. White headed down and in from close range.
Arsenal brought the intensity. They pressed high. Their physicality was really something. Chelsea were rattled during the first half and it was the visiting supporters who made themselves heard. “Arsenal boys on a bender, Thomas Frank is a silver member,” they sang at one point. The usual fun at the expense of their neighbours, Tottenham, whose manager is struggling to live down his sip from an Arsenal-branded coffee cup.
Rosenior roamed his technical area, clapping in quickfire bursts in an attempt to gee up his players. It was tough going before the interval. Chelsea diced with disaster as they tried to play out from the back, Arsenal players hounding them every step of the way. Sánchez looked particularly shaky.
Estêvão Willian was a bright spot for the home team. There was a jet-heeled burst from him in the 37th minute, taking him away from a posse of red but then no help from his teammates towards the corner flag. Inevitably, he was crowded out. Moments earlier, he had cut inside to unload a vicious shot with minimal backlift that Kepa repelled. The technique was breathtaking.
The Stamford Bridge natives were restless and there were some boos from them at half-time. Arsenal toyed with a second goal before the break but without truly believing they would get it. Zubimendi swiped one shot high. William Saliba went close with another, curling just over.
When the second goal did come early in the second half, it followed another Sánchez blunder. Arsenal played quickly from a throw-in on the right, Bukayo Saka releasing White on the overlap but the full-back’s low cross looked straightforward for Sánchez. The security was an illusion. Sánchez’s first move was almost to jump; it was certainly a weird way to set himself and the handling error was a consequence. Gyökeres needed a goal. He will not score an easier one.
Garnacho’s goal was well timed because the mood among the home fans was turning. The dissatisfaction at the hierarchy is palpable; many supporters have lost faith in Behdad Eghbali, the co-controlling owner, and the youth-first project that he is overseeing; the trading model. They told Eghbali in no uncertain terms that he was “not wanted here.” There were also chants in support of the former owner, Roman Abramovich.
Rosenior had introduced Garnacho for the ineffective Marc Guiu and the goal followed a Pedro Neto cross. Garnacho lurked unmarked beyond the back post; a rare Arsenal defensive lapse. He lashed past Kepa.
Back came Arsenal. Arteta rubbed his eyes in disbelief at Zubimendi’s composure; how the midfielder faked his shot after a Gyökeres lay-off to send Wesley Fofana into the air in a botched block. Zubimendi took his time before sweeping past Sánchez, who would make a fantastic save to keep out a volley from the substitute, Mikel Merino, moments later. Gabriel would go close from a corner and Arsenal were rampant.
Chelsea showed fight, Garnacho ramming a first time shot down and in after Gabriel could only half-clear following a corner. It offered a glimmer of hope. But not much more.
