Arsenal bemoan 'disappointing' second half in narrow victory over Chelsea in first leg of Carabao Cup semis

Arsenal will go into the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea with the advantage, but it's less than they wanted.

The Gunners claimed a 3-2 victory over the Blues in Wednesday's first leg at Stamford Bridge, with Ben White, Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi all scoring for the North Londoners. However, Arsenal also let Chelsea cut the lead to a single goal on two separate occasions, as Alejandro Garnacho scored a pair of goals for the Blues to keep the score close.

Chelsea were down by two before each of Garnacho's second-half strikes.

"We didn't play very well in the second half and let them give us more pressure," White told Sky Sports. That's how we conceded the goals.

"Not up to our standards really. It's a bit disappointing, the second half, but a win."

White and Gyokeres were particularly influential in Wednesday's match as they each recorded an assist to go along with their goals. Gyokeres has come under some criticism for his production since joining the Gunners from Sporting CP in the summer, and the 27-year-old admitted that he needs to get himself on the scoresheet more often in order to help his side win.

"That's what I need to do and I can do it more often," Gyokeres said. "We won today and we keep going."

Arsenal and Chelsea will meet at the Emirates Stadium on Feb. 3 for the second leg.

How to watch the Premier League in Canada

Soccer fans in Canada can watch every Premier League match during the 2025-26 season on DAZN.

With Fubo Sports on DAZN, Canadians can catch Premier League action as well as Serie A. Additionally, DAZN is the home of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Bundesliga, and other top leagues.

For pricing information and to sign up to watch, click here.