Arsenal boss Arteta urges team not to dwell on 3-2 first-leg win over Chelsea because Blues are capable of coming up with a big fight in return encounter
Arsenal players celebrate scoring against Chelsea in the first-leg of the EFL Cup semi-final on Wednesday. Pic/Getty Images
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta urged his team to be wary despite sealing a 3-2 win over Chelsea in the first-leg of their English Football League Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
Arsenal took advantage of the multiple blunders committed by Blues custodian Robert Sanchez, but Garnacho’s brace (57th & 83rd min) for Liam Rosenior’s side and a couple of costly misses in front of goal left Arteta mildly disappointed with the outcome.
Mikel Arteta
“I have to praise the players for the performance against a really good opponents. It’s a really tough place to come. That’s why I really value what the team has done again. But we had two massive chances to score the fourth one and the result would have been very different. At that moment they created a chance and scored a goal. So it is a very different feeling. It’s just half-time and it’s game on. We know the big fight we are going to have on our hands at the Emirates,” said the Spaniard.
Ben White opened the scoring for the Gunners (7th min), aided by Sanchez’s failure to deal with a corner, with the Blues custodian culpable once again for Gyokeres’s 49th-minute strike as he fumbled a low cross from White, leaving the Swedish striker to tap home. Zubimendi (71st min) scored the other goal for Arsenal.
Rosenior, however, avoided throwing Sanchez under the bus and blamed the goals on a collective defensive failure. “Disappointed to concede from a corner. Disappointed with the third goal as well because we were right back in the game and we were on top at that moment. Rob’s a very good goalkeeper. He made an outstanding save at 3-1 to keep us in the tie, so for me load of things to improve, but the overall attitude of the team I liked,” said the English coach.
06
No. of times Arsenal have beaten Chelsea in their last nine matches
24
No. of goals Arsenal have scored this season from set-pieces
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