Arsenal will carry a slim but valuable advantage into the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final after edging Chelsea 3-2 in an entertaining first-leg encounter at Stamford Bridge.

The Gunners struck through Ben White, Viktor Gyökeres and Martin Zubimendi to seize control of the tie, but a spirited second-half cameo from Alejandro Garnacho, who scored twice after coming off the bench, kept Chelsea firmly in contention.

Mikel Arteta’s side will now head to the Emirates Stadium with renewed belief as they attempt to avoid a fifth consecutive defeat in two-legged semi-finals a run that has haunted the club in recent seasons.

For Chelsea, the result marked a disappointing start to life under new head coach Liam Rosenior, whose first home match in charge ended in defeat.

However, the Blues will take encouragement from their late rally ahead of the return leg scheduled for Tuesday, February 3.

Arsenal made a lightning-fast start, silencing the home crowd inside seven minutes when White rose highest to head home from a precise Declan Rice corner. A brief VAR check followed amid claims of offside interference, but the goal stood.

The visitors continued to apply pressure and doubled their advantage early in the second half. Gyökeres reacted quickest after goalkeeper Robert Sánchez spilled White’s dangerous cross, bundling the ball home from close range to make it 2-0 only his second goal since November.

Chelsea responded with urgency, injecting pace and directness through Garnacho, whose impact transformed the contest. The Argentine winger pulled one back before later striking again to restore hope for the hosts.

However, Arsenal held firm to secure a narrow victory, leaving the tie finely poised heading into the decisive second leg in north London.

With a place at Wembley on the line, both sides know the margin for error is now razor-thin.