Arsenal emerged victorious in a thrilling Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Chelsea, securing a 3-2 win at Stamford Bridge. However, the scoreline hardly tells the full story, as Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez endured a night to forget, gifting Arsenal two crucial goals.

The Gunners wasted no time in capitalizing on Sánchez's first blunder. In the 7th minute, a Declan Rice corner sailed over the head of the Spanish keeper, allowing Ben White to head into an unguarded net, marking his first Arsenal goal in almost two years. Chelsea struggled to respond, and Arsenal continued to press, bringing the physical fight to their opponents.

In the 49th minute, Sánchez committed another costly error, letting a low cross squirm through his grasp, leaving Viktor Gyökeres with a simple tap-in. The goal was Gyökeres' first from open play in 11 matches. Just when Chelsea seemed to be crumbling, substitute Alejandro Garnacho injected life into the Blues' attack.

Garnacho pulled a goal back for Chelsea, giving the home fans a glimmer of hope. However, Arsenal quickly extinguished that hope as Martin Zubimendi restored Arsenal's two-goal cushion with a composed finish in the 70th minute.

Garnacho wasn't finished yet. In the 83rd minute, he scored again, reducing the deficit and giving Chelsea a lifeline ahead of the second leg at the Emirates Stadium on February 3. Despite Garnacho's impressive performance, Arsenal will take a one-goal lead into the second leg.

The defeat marked a disappointing home debut for Chelsea's new manager, Liam Rosenior. He was hired last week and won in the FA Cup over the weekend. Rosenior admitted his team "let them give us more pressure and that's how we conceded the goal. Not up to our standards really". Arsenal, currently leading the Premier League and their Champions League group, are now favorites to advance to the Carabao Cup final. They are potentially one step closer to a rare piece of silverware under Mikel Arteta.