Losing your first home game as Chelsea head coach to a fierce rival is never a good way to start.
The manner of Chelsea’s 3-2 defeat to Arsenal in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final will have given Liam Rosenior encouragement and regret in equal measure.
After a comfortable start to his Chelsea tenure with a 5-1 FA Cup third round win at Championship side Charlton Athletic last weekend, the Arsenal performance provided Rosenior with much more of an insight into the task at hand.
Here, The Athletic highlights some of the positives and negatives from the game, which he will learn from.
Positives
Spirit in adversity
Arguably the biggest tick of the lot. Chelsea could have easily wilted after going 2-0 and 3-1 down. But by losing only 3-2, they have at least given themselves a glimmer of hope for the return leg on February 3. With no away goals rule in place, the atmosphere at Emirates Stadium will soon change to a nervous one should Rosenior’s side score first or, if they concede first, get an on-the-night equaliser to reduce the deficit back to one again.
Rosenior was without six possible starters in Moises Caicedo (suspended), Cole Palmer (thigh), Reece James (hip), Malo Gusto (knock), Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens (both ill). This list does not include the long-term absentees Levi Colwill or Romeo Lavia.
It obviously meant Rosenior was not only without his best XI, but his options from the bench were limited too. There were a lot of things Chelsea should still have done better, but it could have been worse under the circumstances.
Rosenior highlighted the group’s character, saying: “I saw an energy of determination and intensity. I want us to be known as a team that never gives up.”
Garnacho scored twice for Chelsea (Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images)
Estevao Willian
It seems as though Mikel Arteta paid Estevao Willian quite the compliment by picking Jurrien Timber at left back to keep him quiet in the absence of injured Riccardo Calafiori rather than Myles Lewis-Skelly. Timber, who normally plays as right back, has been playing at a high level all season. He could not keep the Brazilian subdued, though.
The 18-year-old was Chelsea’s most exciting attacking threat throughout, registering the most dribbles (five) and shots (four) from either team. With Palmer unable to get a consistent run of games together due to injury, Chelsea’s attack needs an X-factor. Estevao showed once again that he is ready to provide it.
Garnacho’s impact from the bench
Garnacho’s finishing is like Chelsea’s form this season — inconsistent. Garnacho went into the Arsenal match having scored four goals in 21 appearances. He’d had enough chances to get close to, if not into, double figures.
Supporters remain divided over whether his acquisition from Manchester United for £40million last summer is a wise bit of business. The manner in which the winger took his two goals in the second half will help improve his standing with them and boost his confidence, too.
The technique for the second was particularly sound because the ball bounced high towards him, yet he still shot first time, getting his foot over the ball to keep the effort down. You will see many players in the same situation shoot high into the stands instead.
Negatives
Poor Arsenal record continues
Chelsea have now gone nine games without a victory against Arsenal. It is an indication of the changing of the guard which has taken place in London. For most of the Roman Abramovich era, Chelsea were on top, but Arsenal have not lost at Stamford Bridge since August 2018 or at home against them for five years.
This drought is something Rosenior simply has to put a stop to, not only for the second leg, of course, but also when they face Arsenal again in the Premier League on March 1. As much as Chelsea tried during the 90 minutes, you always felt Arsenal would prove too strong and find a way to win the game. That is what people would say about Chelsea when they were getting the better of Arsenal on a regular basis.
Strength of the squad
All teams would miss the number of quality players Chelsea were without on Wednesday night. However, it still highlighted that after the vast sums the club have spent on personnel over the past three-and-a-half years, there are gaps which need to be filled.
One of the reasons Chelsea used to regularly get the better of Arsenal was because they had the battering rams of Didier Drogba and Diego Costa leading the line. Rosenior used Marc Guiu, a €6m acquisition from Barcelona’s academy in 2024. He turned 20 last week and is very raw. Being up against William Saliba and Gabriel was not a fair fight.
Guiu was only in the first XI because Delap was ruled out with illness just hours earlier. The latter has scored just twice since joining from Ipswich Town last summer, though, so has quite a lot of improvement to do himself.
Guiu led the line for Chelsea (Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images)
With Chelsea needing goals, three of the five substitutes Rosenior made were defenders. Attackers Facundo Buonanotte, on loan from Brighton, and academy graduate Tyrique George were both unused. In contrast, counterpart Mikel Arteta was able to bring on Gabriel Martinelli, Mikel Merino, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus. Summer signings Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Christian Norgaard were not called upon, nor was England international Lewis-Skelly.
Arsenal’s injury list is smaller than Chelsea’s right now. But Arteta has had a steady stream of issues to overcome since the campaign started, and Arsenal’s 18-point gap over Chelsea in the league table suggests he has had more quality options to do so.
Robert Sanchez’s struggles return
Rosenior admitted in his post-match press conference that he has told Chelsea’s keeper to work in a different way. “I’m asking Rob to do things that he hasn’t done before,” Rosenior said. “There are certain triggers, there are certain patterns. That’s Rob’s first game with me. I’ve had two days’ work with him.”
Given that Sanchez has been one of Chelsea’s best players this season, there is a strong argument to be had that if it is not broke, don’t fix it. Chelsea’s No 1 keeper looked more like the goalie who was a bag of nerves for the first 18 months of his Chelsea career. The Spain international gifted Arsenal two goals by missing Declan Rice’s cross from a corner early in the first half and fumbling Ben White’s tame centre soon after the restart.