Arsenal continued their relentless form on Wednesday night, edging out London rivals Chelsea in a thrilling first-leg encounter at Stamford Bridge.
The Gunners took an early lead through Ben White, before summer signings Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi added to the scoreline.
Mikel Arteta’s side appeared to be cruising toward a dominant victory, capitalising on two significant errors from Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
However, the atmosphere shifted in the final quarter as Alejandro Garnacho struck twice for the hosts, giving the Blues a lifeline ahead of the return leg at the Emirates Stadium on 3rd February.
Despite the defensive lapses, new Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior took full responsibility for his team’s mistakes, specifically defending Sanchez’s attempts to play out from the back.
Arsenal are now unbeaten in ten games across all competitions and remain active in four major tournaments.
Arteta praised his players’ maturity but expressed frustration at failing to kill the game off when leading 3-1. With the second leg still to come, Chelsea’s resilient finish has ensured that the battle for a Wembley final appearance remains wide open.