LONDON — Arsenal‘s semifinal curse isn’t quite broken, but they are on the verge of shattering a cycle that could have major consequences for their season.
The Gunners are strong favorites to progress to the Carabao Cup final after beating Chelsea 3-2 in Wednesday’s first leg of their semifinal tie at Stamford Bridge.
After six years of steady progress under Mikel Arteta, the last step for his team is to consistently win trophies and translate the superiority many believe they possess in their squad to the scoreline when it matters most.
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At times, it has felt an insurmountable hurdle. Across four semifinal ties comprising eight matches, Arteta’s Arsenal have won none, lost six, and scored just twice. In this competition last season, Newcastle United beat the Gunners 4-0 on aggregate in a comprehensive defeat, which again raised questions about their ability to win silverware.
Their 2020 FA Cup win still feels like a distant memory. In that context, then, this felt like a significant night for Arsenal.
«It is another step but it is just halftime,» said Arteta.
«We know the big fight we are going to have at the Emirates in a few weeks’ time because they are a top side.
«In 20 minutes, I’m going to start thinking about Forest, start to prepare there, and make sure everybody recovers from that. That’s the routine we have. Very happy with what we have done tonight. Put it to bed and now focus on the next one.
«[It is] really good [for the momentum] because it is a really tough place to come. When you watch them live and the quality they have, how they open you up in a second with the quality they have. It is impressive. That’s why I really value what the team has done again.»
They reconfirmed their dominance over Chelsea, who excelled despite playing with 10 players for almost an hour of their Premier League meeting here at the end of November.
The Blues have, of course, changed head coaches since then, with Liam Rosenior replacing Enzo Maresca in the dugout, and he quickly gained an unwanted record in becoming the seventh consecutive man to fail to win his first home game in charge.
This was always going to be a tough ask — Arsenal haven’t lost to Chelsea anywhere since 2021, a run spanning nine games now — and substitute Alejandro Garnacho‘s second-half brace gives them hope of an improbable turnaround.
But they were chasing the game from the moment Ben White scored a seventh-minute header as goalkeeper Robert Sánchez made the first of two bad mistakes to gift Arsenal their advantage.
The second came four minutes after the restart as Viktor Gyökeres turned the ball in from inside the six-yard box after Sanchez allowed White’s cross to squirm under him.
Garnacho gave Chelsea hope on 57 minutes with a smart finish inside Kepa Arrizabalaga‘s near post before Martín Zubimendi scored the goal of the night, collecting Gyökeres’ clever pass at the end of a flowing move, feigning an effort to create more space before finishing left-footed. Arteta’s reaction was a mixture of joy and disbelief.
Gyökeres can count this as arguably his best night in an Arsenal shirt. After another battling but peripheral 45 minutes, his industry produced a tangible return with an assist and a goal, his first from open play since Nov. 1.
The hope for Arsenal is that progressing to the final can give them the confidence boost needed to see out the job in the competitions they really want, topping the table as they currently do in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League.
Chelsea kept plugging away and Garnacho struck again at the back post, this time from a corner Arsenal failed to clear to give them a glimmer of hope in the return game on Feb. 3. Rosenior can at least take encouragement from the way his team rallied, particularly given the adversity he outlined afterwards.
«Cole [Palmer], the game came too early for him,» explained Rosenior.
«Hopefully he’ll be available to train on Friday and play for us on Saturday. But he had a little minor strain in his thigh. If you play a player too early in January with a minor strain, it can turn into six weeks. I can’t afford to lose him for six weeks because he’s that good.
«Reece [James] had a big knock on his hip. It was too sore for him today. Jamie Gittens was ill last night, Liam Delap was due to play but was ill four hours before the game and we couldn’t play him.
«Moi Caicedo was suspended, Malo Gusto was out. There were a lot of positive aspects from the group today.»
Rosenior is trying to strike a balance between speaking with the authority demanded of his role and the humility of someone stepping up to this level.
«I have been in for six days, we’ve had two games,» he said, referring to Saturday’s 5-1 FA Cup win at Championship strugglers Charlton Athletic.
«I’m not asking for time because I think the group are good enough to win now but I need to put my stamp on the team as well, otherwise there is no point me being here. So it is a fine balance and hopefully the fans will see the progression in the team but we need to win at the same time.»
Progressing and winning. Somewhere close to where Arsenal are now, then.
