**Chelsea will have to pull off a second-leg comeback if they are to reach the Carabao Cup final, after Arsenal won a lively semi-final first leg.**
Alejandro Garnacho scored twice after coming on as a substitute for the Blues in new head coach Liam Rosenior’s first home match in charge.
But the Premier League leaders are strong favourites to reach the final after winning at Stamford Bridge, where Ben White, Victor Gyökeres and Martín Zubimendi netted for the visitors.
White opened the scoring by rising above Robert Sanchez to head in Declan Rice’s seventh-minute corner.
Worse followed for Chelsea when keeper Sanchez made another costly error, weakly palming Whites’ cross straight to Gyokeres, who could not miss.
The hosts badly needed a goal early in the second half – and got it when Garnacho blasted past former Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga at the far post after being found by Pedro Meto.
But Arsenal hit back, with Zubimendi curling a shot beyond Sanchez after being teed up by Gyökeres, before Garnacho scored again, this time by firing home after the Gunners failed to deal with a corner.
There was drama in the final moments when Arsenal were initially awarded a penalty after Gabriel Jesus went down in the box, but the offside flag then went up.
**Chelsea:** Sanchez; Acheampong (Badiashile 53), Fofana (Hato 75), Chalobah, Cucurella (Tosin 81); Andrey Santos, Fernandez; Estevao, Joao Pedro (Mheuka 81), Neto; Guiu (Garnacho 53).
Subs not used: Jorgensen, Essugo, Buonanotte, George.
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