LONDON — Viktor Gyökeres scored his first non-penalty goal in 74 days to help Arsenal carve out a 3–2 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
Ben White gave the visitors an early lead which Gyökeres doubled with a rare prod from close range. It had been so long since he last found the back of the net Gabriel had to remind him to perform his trademark mask celebration.
“Football gives you another chance,” Mikel Arteta mused ahead of this Carabao Cup semi-final first leg. Many thought the Gunners boss had afforded his wayward striker too many opportunities already, but he rewarded that faith in west London. Alejandro Garnacho halved the deficit for Chelsea before Gyökeres turned provider, teeing up Martín Zubimendi’s well-taken strike for Arsenal’s third.
Garnacho would notch another in the 83rd minute to ensure that the second leg in north London is still very much alive next month. Yet, with this weight off his shoulders, that game represents a chance for Gyökeres to score again, rather suffer through another painful outing.
Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Chelsea (4-3-3)
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga—6.7: Treated to a low hum of boos each time he vaguely approached the ball, the former Chelsea goalkeeper couldn’t do much against Garnacho’s efforts.
RB: Ben White—7.5: Granted his own slice of west London from which to nod Arsenal ahead. Had a much tougher time getting close to Pedro Neto and Garnacho.
CB: William Saliba—6.7: Arteta’s prematch concerns over his fitness proved to be misplaced—shock—and the towering Frenchman was a comforting presence at the back.
CB: Gabriel Magalhães—6.8: Is there anyone better at pulling an opponents’ shirt in the English game? Arsenal’s burly Brazilian turned every duel with Marc Guiu into a judo match, tossing the 6'2" centre forward around Stamford Bridge as though he was in a different weight class.
LB: Jurriên Timber—6.5: Constantly outnumbered but never flustered—for better or worse.
CM: Martin Ødegaard—6.6: For all his finesse, Ødegaard’s ferreting cannot go overlooked. Arsenal’s creator-in-chief also served as Chelsea’s arch disruptor, leading a feverish press which caused Chelsea plenty of problems.
CM: Martín Zubimendi—8.0: Stroked the ball around the pitch from his velvety throne at the base of midfield before delivering a suitably slick finish himself.
CM: Declan Rice—8.3: Gave the impression that there were multiple iterations of him on the pitch, each one charging around with the same menace of perpetual motion.
RW: Bukayo Saka—7.5: Up against one of his least favourite opponents, Saka lost more duels than he won, but did get past Marc Cucurella for Arsenal’s second goal.
ST: Viktor Gyökeres—8.2: To bill Wednesday’s outing as the turning point for Gyökeres can only be proven as wildly premature over the coming weeks. Yet, had it not been for a careless blunder from Robert Sánchez, it would have been a very typical performance from the willing—if wanting—centre forward.
LW: Leandro Trossard—7.1: Delivered a selfless performance, bounding back to help Timber just as quickly as he hared forward.
| Substitute | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
| Gabriel Martinelli (68’ for Trossard) | 6.6 |
| Mikel Merino (68’ for Ødegaard) | 6.6 |
| Kai Havertz (82’ for Rice) | N/A |
| Gabriel Jesus (82’ for Gyökeres) | N/A |
Subs not used: David Raya (GK), Myles Lewis-Skelly, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1)
Starting XI: Robert Sánchez; Josh Acheampong, Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella; Andrey Santos, Enzo Fernández; Estêvão, João Pedro, Pedro Neto; Marc Guiu.
Subs used: Benoît Badiashile, Alejandro Garnacho, Jorrel Hato, Shumaira Mheuka
Player of the Match: Alejandro Garnacho (Chelsea)
Arsenal Player of the Match: Declan Rice
Chelsea 2–3 Arsenal: How It Unfolded at Stamford Bridge
Declan Rice already knew. pic.twitter.com/p0GhrcVIcL
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) January 14, 2026
“I don’t know who’s calling them ‘Set Piece FC,’” Rosenior spikily replied when confronted with Arsenal’s reputation from dead balls this week. “I’m definitely not.” Perhaps he should start.
The raucous 4,000 travelling Gunners fans taking up their expanded allocation for this cup tie certainly embraced the tag. The chant of “Set piece again, olé, olé” had already begun while Declan Rice was walking across to take Arsenal’s first corner of the match. It was soon reprised when a criminally unmarked White wheeled away to celebrate nodding the visitors in front after just seven minutes.
For all the focus on set pieces, it was a fascinating battle in open play. With both sides adopted daring man-marking schemes across large swathes of the pitch, it became a high-spec series of duels between a glittering cast of talent.
Estêvão was a nagging thorn in Jurriën Timber’s side down Chelsea’s right, while the two No. 8s on the pitch, Martin Ødegaard and Enzo Fernández, exchanged silky touches throughout. Bukayo Saka’s battle with Marc Cucurella, having been a fixture of so many recent clashes between these two clubs, would prove crucial again.
After a muted first half, Saka belatedly evaded Chelsea’s manic bundle of curls to slip White to the byline. Arsenal’s scorer showed his creative edge, sliding a low ball across the box which somehow squirmed between Robert Sánchez’s gloves. Gyökeres, who has spent much of the season battling himself, was on hand to tap in less than five minutes after the restart.
Arsenal’s misfiring Swede barely celebrated his first goal from open play since Nov. 1. Those that had been rejoicing the end of his drought had their cheers promptly curtailed by Garnacho. Within five minutes of his introduction, which prompted a complete reshuffle of the frontline, the Argentine took advantage of the confusion among Arsenal’s defensive ranks to halve the deficit with a crisp effort while oddly unattended at the back post.
The goal didn’t seem to lighten Gyökeres as such. Conversely, it increased the gravitational pull which he plays with, drawing at least one extra blue shirt around him after reminding everyone (and himself) that he was more than a decoy.
The hulking frontman was encased by four defenders at the exact moment he flicked a pass to Zubimendi in a crowded penalty area. The Spaniard turned down the first gap Gyökeres had created, opting instead to shimmy Wesley Fofana out of his boots before picking out the side-netting in the 71st minute.
Much to Arteta’s evident chagrin, the visitors failed to take advantage of their best spell of the match while leading 3–1. Sánchez went some way to redeeming himself with a dramatic block to deny Mikel Merino shortly before Arsenal were once again pegged back by Garnacho.
This time it was the Blues’ turn to convert from a corner, making the final 10 minutes an intriguing affair ahead of an even more interesting second leg next month.
Chelsea vs. Arsenal Half-Time Stats
| Statistic | Chelsea | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 55% | 45% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 0.23 | 0.54 |
| Total Shots | 4 | 6 |
| Shots on Target | 2 | 1 |
| Big Chances | 0 | 1 |
| Pass Accuracy | 88% | 85% |
| Fouls Committed | 5 | 7 |
| Corners | 2 | 5 |
Chelsea vs. Arsenal Full Time Stats
| Statistic | Chelsea | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 58% | 42% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 0.65 | 2.68 |
| Total Shots | 10 | 17 |
| Shots on Target | 5 | 6 |
| Big Chances | 1 | 3 |
| Pass Accuracy | 85% | 83% |
| Fouls Committed | 12 | 14 |
| Corners | 6 | 9 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Chelsea: 74-Day Drought Broken.
