Arsenal take first step to end long-standing semifinal curse

LONDON — Arsenal’s semifinal curse isn’t quite broken, but they are close to breaking a cycle that could have major consequences for their season.

The Gunners are hot favorites to qualify for the Carabao Cup final after beating Chelsea 3-2 in the first leg of their semi-final on Wednesday at Stamford Bridge.

After six years of steady progress under Mikel Arteta, the latest step for his team is to consistently win trophies and translate the superiority many believe their team possesses to scoring when it matters most.

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Sometimes this proved to be an insurmountable obstacle. In four semi-finals comprising eight matches, Arteta’s Arsenal 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 once again raised questions about their ability to win silverware.

Their 2020 FA Cup victory still seems like a distant memory. So in that context, it seemed like an important night for Arsenal.

“It’s another step but it’s only half-time,” Arteta said.

“We know the big fight we are going to have at the Emirates in a few weeks because they are a top team.

“In 20 minutes I’m going to start thinking about Forest, start preparing for it and make sure everyone gets over it. This is the routine we have. Very happy with what we did tonight. Put him to bed and now focus on the next one.

“(It’s) really good (for momentum) because it’s a really difficult 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’s impressive. That’s why I really appreciate what the team has done again.”

They reconfirmed their dominance over Chelsea, who excelled despite playing with 10 men for almost an hour in their Premier League encounter here in late November.

The Blues have of course changed coaches since then, with Liam Rosenior replacing Enzo Maresca in the dugout, and he quickly secured an unwanted record by becoming the seventh man in a row to fail to win his first home game in charge.

That was always going to be a tough question – Arsenal haven’t lost to Chelsea anywhere since 2021, a run of nine games now – and substitute Alejandro Garnacho’s second-half brace gives them hope of an unlikely turnaround.

But they chased the game from the moment Ben White headed home in the seventh minute as goalkeeper Robert Sánchez made the first of two poor errors to give Arsenal the lead.

The second came four minutes after the restart when Viktor Gyökeres turned the ball over from inside the penalty area after Sanchez allowed White’s cross to squirm under him.

Garnacho gave Chelsea hope in the 57th minute with a smart finish at the near post from Kepa Arrizabalaga before Martín Zubimendi scored the goal of the night, collecting Gyökeres’ smart pass at the end of a flowing move, faking an effort to create more space before finishing with his left foot. Arteta’s reaction was a mixture of joy and disbelief.

Gyökeres can arguably count this as his best night in an Arsenal shirt. After 45 minutes of combat but peripheral, his industry produced a tangible return with an assist and a goal, his first in open play since November 1.

The hope for Arsenal is that progress to the final can give them the confidence boost to carry out their work in the competitions they really want, top of the table as they currently do in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League.

Chelsea continued to come closer and Garnacho struck at the far post again, this time from a corner which Arsenal failed to clear to give them a glimmer of hope in the second leg on 3 February. Rosenior can at least be encouraged by the way his team rallied, especially considering the adversity he described afterward.

“Cole (Palmer), the game came too early for him,” Rosenior said.

“Hopefully he will be available to train on Friday and play for us on Saturday. But he had a minor strain in his thigh. If you play a player too early in January with a slight strain, it can turn into six weeks. I can’t afford to lose him for six weeks because he is so good.

“Reece (James) had a big knock on his hip. It was too painful for him today. Jamie Gittens was ill last night, Liam Delap was supposed to play but he was ill four hours before the game and we couldn’t play him.

“Me Caicedo was suspended, Malo Gusto was absent. There were a lot of positive aspects in the group today.”

Rosenior tries to find a balance between speaking with the authority required of his role and the humility of someone at that level.

“I’ve been here six days, we’ve played two games,” he said, referring to Saturday’s 5-1 FA Cup win over Championship-challenged Charlton Athletic.

“I’m not asking for time because I think the group is good enough to win now, but I also have to put my stamp on the team otherwise there’s no point in me being here. So it’s a delicate balance and I hope the fans see the team’s progression, but we have to win at the same time.”

Progress and win. Somewhere near where Arsenal are now, then.