In Liam Rosenior’s first home match in charge of the west London side, the onus was on the Gunners to take the game to Chelsea in what looked to be another feisty encounter between the two teams.
Much like the Premier League clash back in December, both sides acknowledged what was at stake and went straight into the physical battle. With the Arsenal fans in fine voice, a chorus of groans rang out from the home support as Chelsea struggled to live with Arsenal’s relentless pressing strategy.
As the hosts tried to bring the fans with them with several ferocious challenges, it was the Gunners who took the lead thanks to yet another set-piece routine.
Declan Rice swung in a typically excellent corner from the left-hand side as the ball evaded a sea of blue bodies before Ben White crept in to nod the visitors ahead. Referee Simon Cooper signalled for a VAR check, but the goal was confirmed after a quick decision was made.
It was visibly Arsenal’s tie to lose after White’s goal. Arteta’s side did not let up with their fierce pursuit of a trophy for the first time in 6 years, there for all to see, with the intent to win the ball back high up the pitch.
Almost as if Arteta wanted the tie done and dusted by half-time, Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard continuously chased down lost causes to drive his teammates forward alongside him.
The persistent nature of the Norwegian’s running seemed to give the Gunners a weapon to kill the game by half-time, but a pair of poor touches from Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard resulted in Chelsea corners when the duo should have done better.
In a much-improved display after the anonymous showing in the 0-0 draw with Liverpool last week, Viktor Gyokeres harried Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana throughout the first 45 minutes to provide some much-needed central threat.
Half-time came at a good time for Chelsea with Arsenal threatening to add a second. While neither manager opted to make any changes, Arteta and his coaching staff were jubilant when Viktor Gyokeres grabbed the Gunners’ second goal of the night.
Bukayo Saka – reunited with Ben White on the right side of Arsenal’s attack – linked up with his English compatriot with a familiar pass to set White off on the overlap. The defender’s initial cross was poor, although Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez suffered a lapse of concentration as he let the ball slip underneath his grasp before Gyokeres tapped in at the back post to give the Premier League leaders a healthy advantage.
The Sweden striker’s goal looked as if it had killed all Chelsea momentum, and only an Arsenal error would allow the hosts back into the tie.
And that’s exactly what happened. In typical Arsenal fashion, the hosts were allowed a route back into the game as Chelsea substitute Alejandro Garnacho pounced at the back post following a pattern of defensive Arsenal mistakes to give the hosts a lifeline.
That was when momentum completely swung. Arsenal were almost immediately on the back foot and struggled to cope with the electric Estevao, who twice stung the gloves of Kepa with two powerful efforts.
As Chelsea smelt blood and continued to push forward, their appetite for a comeback quickly disintegrated as Martin Zubimendi made it 3-1 with a tidy close-range finish.
Gyokeres did well to receive substitute Mikel Merino’s pass and turned away from pressure before setting up the Spaniard, who chopped past Wesley Fofana and Trevor Chalobah before smashing beyond Sanchez to restore Arsenal’s two-goal advantage.
The Gunners then looked to kill the tie but failed to convert two glorious chances, both of which came within seconds of each other. Merino was able to peel off into space at the back post before volleying towards goal, but Sanchez somehow stuck out a leg to deny Arsenal a fourth.
From the resulting corner, Gabriel was left alone before latching on to another outstanding Declan Rice set-piece delivery, although the Brazilian failed to make a solid connection with the goal at his mercy as the ball bounced harmlessly wide.
By the 80th minute, the Stamford Bridge atmosphere had been sanitised by the feeling of inevitability that Arsenal would eventually add a fourth goal.
However, just minutes later, Garnacho notched his second of the night in very unusual circumstances. A Chelsea corner evaded Kepa as the Spaniard came steaming out to claim the ball before failing to make contact with it, allowing Garnacho an open net to make it 3-2.
Once again, the hosts had their tails up, and Estevao looked the most likely candidate to restore parity as the Brazilian ran at Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber to look for a way back into the game.
Ultimately, Arsenal held out for the win and will take a 3-2 lead to the Emirates in three weeks’ time.
It wasn’t pretty at times, but Arteta will be pleased that his side managed to play some truly wonderful football away from home against such bitter rivals in Chelsea. Liam Rosenior, however, has some work to do before he can truly implement his style on his players.