Derby days are always special, but with a trip to Wembley on the line, the intensity at Stamford Bridge was unmatched. Arsenal secured a 3-2 victory in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final, putting one foot in the final, though the closing stages were anything but comfortable.
Ben White opened the scoring in the 7th minute, nodding in a Declan Rice corner from the six-yard box. Four minutes after the break Robert Sánchez fumbled a low White cross and Viktor Gyökeres was there to punish him, and when Martín Zubimendi feinted his way into space and lashed one into the corner on 71 minutes, the travelling end was already singing about Wembley.
The Garnacho Scare
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior turned the tie with a substitution: Alejandro Garnacho. He shot through Kepa Arrizabalaga's legs on 57 minutes after a Pedro Neto cross, and on 83 he met a corner Kepa could not punch clear with a controlled half-volley. Two goalkeeping moments we will want back, and a second leg that is suddenly live.
Big Fight, Big Character
The three away goals are the story. We took the lead three times in a Stamford Bridge semi-final, had a dominant spell at 3-1 with two big chances to kill it, and go back to the Emirates in front.
Match Note: Viktor Gyökeres and Zubimendi were the difference in a game where the finishing, not the football, decided the margin.