Chelsea vs. Arsenal LIVE Updates: Garnacho gives some fresh air to Chelsea with a brace (2-3)

Chelsea will have until the 95th minute to find the equalizer against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge!

With Saka once again on the receiving end, Andrey Santos brought the forward down to concede a dangerous free kick for Arsenal. After protesting the decision, Pedro Neto was shown a yellow card by the referee.

Following a Chelsea corner, Garnacho pounced on the rebound inside the box and fired a half-volley to complete his brace, pulling the Blues back into the game.

Rosenior makes all 5 changes at Chelsea with a final double substitution: Joao Pedro and Marc Cucurella out, Shumaira Mheuka and Tosin Adarabioyo in.

Arteta also makes two more substitutions: Viktor Gyokeres and Declan Rice leave their place to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz.

With João Pedro driving forward on the counterattack, Mikel Merino stopped the move by bringing the Brazilian down from behind, a challenge that earned him a yellow card.

Chelsea make the third substitution of the game: Jorrel Hato for Wesley Fofana.

Following a series of rebounds inside the penalty area, the ball fell to Mikel Merino, who unleashed a thunderous volley, but Robert Sánchez came up with a spectacular save to keep Chelsea alive.

Building the play down the right flank, Gyökeres laid the ball off to Zubimendi, who sold a clever fake to leave Fofana behind before firing a left-footed strike to extend Arsenal’s lead.

Mikel Arteta makes the first two modifications on the field for the Gunners: Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard come off for Mikel Merino and Gabriel Martinelli.

After a well-weighted through ball from Saliba, Saka got goal-side of Badiashile, who was forced to bring down the attacker and received the third yellow card for the home side.

After cutting inside, Estevao unleashed a strike to the second post, but defender Gabriel ended up deflecting the shot with his head, saving the Gunners from the equalizer.

Making an immediate impact, Pedro Neto swung in a cross from the right that found Garnacho unmarked at the far post, and the Argentine rifled a right-footed strike inside the near post to cut the deficit less than five minutes after coming on.

Looking to revert the result, coach Rosenior makes the first two substitutions for Chelsea: Benoit Badiashile and Alejandro Garnacho in, Josh Acheampong and Marc Guiu out.

With Saka isolated one-on-one against Cucurella, White made a well-timed overlap down the right and delivered a cross that Robert Sánchez managed to get a touch on but couldn’t fully divert, allowing Viktor Gyökeres to finish into an open net.

Referee Simon Hooper blows his whistle, and the second half is underway.

Arsenal lead the clash at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semifinal with a header from defender Benjamin White.

One more minute has been added to the first half between Chelsea and Arsenal.

As Bukayo Saka controlled the ball and looked to cut inside, Marc Cucurella attempted to intercept the pass but instead brought down the England winger, drawing another yellow card for the Blues.

Cutting off a counterattack led by Acheampong, Trossard was shown the first yellow card for Arsenal.

In that same moment, Estêvão was also booked for Chelsea after gesturing toward referee Cooper while appealing for a yellow card.

With most Chelsea players packed inside their own box, defender William Saliba collected the ball at the edge of the area and unleashed a thunderous strike that skimmed the top of the net.

After Arsenal won the ball in midfield, Chelsea quickly dropped into a defensive shape, effectively cutting off the counter through Timber and forcing Trossard to end the move with a shot over the bar.

With another long ball from Fernández, Estêvão went one-on-one with Timber and unleashed a shot through his legs, but the goalkeeper made the save to deny Chelsea an equalizer.

Enzo Fernandez played a perfect through ball to Joao Pedro, who went for a cross that no Chelsea player was able to reach, missing the equalizer.

From Ødegaard’s foul, Zubimendi collected the loose ball inside the box after a rebound off Adarabioyo, but his half-volley sailed over the bar.

Trailing on the scoreline, Chelsea are growing desperate to regain possession as Arsenal control the ball, with Enzo Fernández committing a foul on Martin Ødegaard just outside the box.

Once again breaking forward on a counter down the left through Estêvão, the move fizzled out when João Pedro attempted a cross toward Pedro Neto that sailed over everyone.

With a great build-up play, White found Zubimendi up front, who played a cross for Gyokeres who unleashed a shot blocked by a Chelsea defender.

After winning the ball with a high press, Enzo Fernández picked it up and drove a shot on goal that was comfortably handled by Kepa.

Overloading the six-yard box, Declan Rice delivered a pinpoint corner kick that defender Ben White headed home, opening the scoring on Arsenal’s first clear chance of the night.

With the opening minutes producing no clear chances from either side, play is halted after Marc Guiu commits a foul on Gabriel, marking one of the early physical duels of the London night.

Referee Simon Hooper blows his whistle, and the Carabao Cup semifinal between Chelsea and Arsenal is underway!

On the opposite side of the bracket, Manchester City faced Newcastle United on Tuesday to determine who could await the winner of the Chelsea–Arsenal semifinal.

Behind goals from Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki, the Sky Blues secured a crucial 2-0 victory at St. James’ Park, putting one foot in the final. The second leg will be played at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, Feb. 4, as Pep Guardiola continues his pursuit of domestic silverware more than a decade into his tenure in Manchester.

Mikel Arteta has built one of the most solid defensive units in Europe, with Arsenal currently boasting the fewest goals conceded in both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. However, the Spanish manager confirmed ahead of the match that two key defensive pieces will be unavailable.

When asked about defenders Piero Hincapié and Riccardo Calafiori, both of whom missed the 4–1 FA Cup win over Portsmouth, Arteta left little room for doubt. “Those two are not available yet,” he said. Speaking specifically about Calafiori, Arteta added: “It’s a muscle injury. He’s progressing, but we don’t know. I think it will be a matter of a few weeks, but we don’t know exactly when.”

As two members of England’s so-called “Big Six,” any meeting between Chelsea and Arsenal naturally carries high expectations. Historically, however, the rivalry has tilted in one direction when examining the overall head-to-head record between the two London clubs.

Chelsea and Arsenal have faced each other 216 times across all competitions, with the Gunners holding the edge at 85 wins. The Blues have recorded 68 victories, with 62 matches ending in draws.

In more recent years, Arsenal have further asserted their dominance. Across the last 10 official meetings (all in the Premier League) the Gunners have won six times, drawn three matches, and suffered just one defeat, leaving Chelsea with a concerning recent record entering such a pivotal matchup.

The first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal between Chelsea and Arsenal will be played at Stamford Bridge. Located in the Hammersmith and Fulham borough of London, the stadium has a capacity of 40,341 spectators.

Unlike the FA Cup, the League Cup semifinals are contested over two legs rather than being decided at Wembley Stadium. As a result, Chelsea and Arsenal will meet again for the second leg on Tuesday, Feb. 3, following the opening match at Stamford Bridge.

Head coach Mikel Arteta has opted to go all-out with his starting XI for the clash against Chelsea, deploying a 4-3-3 formation: Kepa Arrizabalaga; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, Jurriën Timber; Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Martin Ødegaard; Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyökeres, Leandro Trossard.

Head coach Liam Rosenior has named the starting XI that will face Arsenal with a place in the Carabao Cup final on the line, lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation: Robert Sánchez; Josh Acheampong, Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella; Enzo Fernández, Andrey Santos; Estêvão, João Pedro, Pedro Neto; Marc Guiu.

Following Enzo Maresca’s decision to step down as head coach, Chelsea’s board turned to Liam Rosenior from Racing Strasbourg, a fellow BlueCo-owned club, to lead the next phase of the project at Stamford Bridge.

The English manager made a strong first impression with a 5-1 FA Cup victory over Charlton Athletic, but the matchup against Arsenal represents the first true test of his tenure. “We’ve been working tactically on Arsenal from the moment I came into the club,” Rosenior said Monday in his post-match press conference. “I’ve watched all of their games and analyzed every aspect of their play, including set pieces, where they are very strong.”

Chelsea and Arsenal will be clashing at 3:00 PM (ET)/ 12:00 PM (PT).

You can watch the Carabao Cup live on Paramount+.

Welcome to our live blog for the match between Chelsea and Arsenal for the 2025-26 Carabao Cup semifinal. Stay with us for key updates and live minute-by-minute coverage!