TL:DR
- Arsenal defeated Chelsea 3-2 in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at Stamford Bridge.
- Viktor Gyokeres scored his first goal in five games, alongside goals from Ben White and Martin Zubimendi.
- Despite the win, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink noted Gyokeres’ subdued reaction post-match.
- White described Arsenal’s second-half performance as below standard, expressing disappointment.
- Chelsea’s new manager, Liam Rosenior, reflected on their competitive effort despite the loss.
- Mikel Arteta praised his team’s performance against a strong opponent.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink questions Arsenal star’s reaction to Chelsea win | Football
Ex-Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink questioned Viktor Gyokeres’ reaction to Arsenal’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg win over Chelsea.
Gyokeres’ first goal in five games helped premier league leaders Arsenal beat London rivals Chelsea 3-2 at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. Ben White and Martin Zubimendi were also on target as Mikel Arteta’s side took a big step towards reaching the Carabao Cup final.
Gyokeres and White were on media duty after Arsenal’s victory, and Hasselbaink was surprised by their subdued mood. Sky News host Mark Chapman felt the pair showed the Arsenal squad was slightly ‘disappointed’ with the result after twice leading by two goals.
Arsenal summer signing Gyokeres said: ‘I think it was a tough game. We defended well. ‘They were, as always, dangerous when they have counter-attacks, but I think we defended well. Unfortunate to have conceded two, but offensively we scored three, so happy with that.
‘It’s still a second leg, but of course it’s good to come away with a win and advantage for the second leg, but we still have to do a good performance in the second match.’ On scoring for only the second time since the start of November, ex-Sporting striker Gyokeres added: ‘That’s what I need to do, and I can do it more often. We won today, and we keep going.’
White, meanwhile, felt Arsenal’s second-half performance was ‘not up to our standards’ and described it as ‘a bit disappointing’.
‘We didn’t play very well in the second half and let them give us more pressure,’ the defender said. ‘That’s how we conceded the goals. Not up to our standards really. It’s a bit disappointing, the second half, but a win.’
Hasselbaink agreed that Arsenal could have taken an even bigger advantage back to the Emirates Stadium but urged the Gunners squad to ‘enjoy this moment’ after sealing a win over their London rivals. ‘I would have loved to have seen him a little bit happier,’ Hasselbaink said of Gyokeres on Sky News.
‘Yes, they could have done so much better, and that’s what they expect. But on the other hand, you’re at Chelsea, you are at Stamford Bridge; it’s not an easy place to come. ‘You have won, and you have scored… you might not think you’ve done enough and want to do it more, but you need to enjoy this moment.’
New Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior won his first game in charge of the club, a FA Cup clash against Championship strugglers Charlton, but lost his first home fixture since replacing Enzo Maresca.
‘It’s half-time [in the tie],’ he said. ‘I was very happy with the engagement, the commitment of the players. They gave everything. ‘It was every open game. 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.
‘We switched off from a restart from a central free kick, but I can’t fault the players. ‘We’ve had illness in the squad, we’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.’
Arsenal boss Arteta, meanwhile, said: ‘We played against a really good side at a really difficult place. I’m very proud of what the team has done. ‘You want to start to play semi-finals and all the work you’ve done throughout the season to get to these stages to deliver on the day, and we’ve certainly done that. ‘What we’re doing every three days is impressive.’