Chelsea 2-3 Arsenal EFL Cup 2025-26 Semi-Final: Garnacho's Brace Goes In Vain As Gunners Take 1st Leg Away Advantage

Arsenal seized the advantage in their EFL Cup semi-final tie against Chelsea, as Viktor Gyorekes registered a goal and assist in an entertaining 3-2 victory at Stamford Bridge.

Liam Rosenior's first home game in charge of the Blues ended in defeat despite a second-half brace from substitute Alejandro Garnacho, with Ben White and Martin Zubimendi joining Gyokeres on the scoresheet for Arsenal.

The visitors needed just seven minutes to show their set-piece prowess as White headed Declan Rice's deep corner home with Robert Sanchez in no man's land, and the goal survived a VAR check to ascertain whether the offside Gyokeres was interfering with play.

Gyokeres then sent a wild left-footed swing dribbling across the face of goal and wide, while Joao Pedro was wayward with a similar effort from the right side of the Arsenal area.

Kepa Arrizabalaga pushed Estevao's drive wide as the game opened up late in the first half, while William Saliba curled onto the roof of the net at the other end.

Arsenal started the second half even quicker than they began the first, with Sanchez letting White's centre slip through his grasp to gift Gyokeres a tap-in four minutes after the restart, though Garnacho's back-post finish got Chelsea back to 2-1 shortly before the hour mark.

Arsenal restored their two-goal cushion with 19 minutes to play as Gyokeres expertly held the ball up for Zubimendi, who shimmied past a couple of challenges before lashing into the left side of the net.

A two-goal defeat would have left Chelsea with a real mountain to climb ahead of the second leg on February 3, but Garnacho's half-volley bounced up off the turf and in to make it 3-2 late on.

Data Debrief: Super-Sub Garnacho Unable To Complete Fightback 

It's advantage Arsenal ahead of the second leg, though Chelsea will still feel they are in the tie, thanks primarily to Garnacho.

The Argentine also scored twice as a substitute against Cardiff City in the previous round, and his five goals off the bench in all competitions are the most of any Premier League player this season.

For Arsenal, Gyokeres scored his first EFL Cup goal since netting for Brighton against Portsmouth in September 2020, then registered his very first assist for the club.

The underlying figures will suggest the Gunners should have won more handsomely, having registered 17 shots to Chelsea's 10, and they won the expected goals (xG) battle by 2.68 to 0.65, but Mikel Arteta's team only have a slender lead to take back to the Emirates Stadium.