<figure id="attachment_3257407" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3257407" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-3257407" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/05307cff-chelsea.jpg" alt="Chelsea" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3257407" class="wp-caption-text">Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior watches on the sidelines during the English League Cup semi-final against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. (AFP pic)</figcaption></figure>
LONDON: Liam Rosenior admitted Chelsea paid the price for costly mistakes after Arsenal took advantage of his side&#8217;s blunders to win 3-2 in the League Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday.
Rosenior&#8217;s team face a tough task to set up a final against either Manchester City or Newcastle following their error-strewn display in their new manager&#8217;s first home match.
Chelsea were guilty of sloppy marking for Ben White&#8217;s early headed opener before goalkeeper Robert Sanchez gifted striker Viktor Gyokeres Arsenal&#8217;s second goal after half-time.
Alejandro Garnacho got one back for Chelsea but Martin Zubimendi then netted for Arsenal after more lacklustre defending from Rosenior&#8217;s men.
Substitute Garnacho&#8217;s second goal gave Chelsea a glimmer of hope heading into the second leg at the Emirates Stadium in February.
&#8220;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,&#8221; Rosenior said.
&#8220;We switched off from a restart from a central free-kick but I can&#8217;t fault the players.
&#8220;We need to make sure we perform well individually and we don&#8217;t concede as many goals.&#8221;
Rosenior was without a host of key players, including Cole Palmer, Reece James and Liam Delap, due to injuries and illness.
&#8216;It&#8217;s another step&#8217;
In his second game since replacing Enzo Maresca as Blues boss, the 41-year-old took heart from the way Chelsea kept fighting to find a way back into the tie.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve had illness in the squad, we&#8217;ve picked up a few knocks this week but what the squad has shown is that they are willing to run and fight for each other,&#8221; he said.
Rosenior, who oversaw a 5-1 FA Cup third-round win at Charlton in his debut last weekend, refused to condemn Sanchez for the latest in a long line of shaky performances.
&#8220;Rob&#8217;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,&#8221; Rosenior said.
&#8220;Hopefully, we get a few bodies back for Brentford on Saturday.&#8221;
Arsenal are now unbeaten in 10 games in all competitions as they moved a step closer to their first silverware since the 2020 FA Cup.
The Gunners had lost their previous four semi-finals across a variety of competitions, including the League Cup last year.
Mikel Arteta was impressed with Arsenal&#8217;s ability to subdue Chelsea for long periods, but he was left to rue their failure to kill off their London rivals.
&#8220;I have to praise the players for the performance against a really good opponents. It&#8217;s a really tough place to come. That&#8217;s why I really value what the team has done again,&#8221; Arteta said.
&#8220;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&#8217;s game on.&#8221;
As well as leading the Premier League, Arsenal are also still chasing Champions League and FA Cup glory.
But after so many last-four failures in the recent past, Arteta won&#8217;t take anything for granted.
&#8220;It&#8217;s another step. It&#8217;s just half-time. We know the big fight we are going to have at the Emirates in a few weeks because they are a top side,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;What we&#8217;re doing every three days is impressive.&#8221;

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