Having secured a lead in the League Cup final, Ben White believes his performance could have been even better.

2026-01-16 03:35

With goals from Ben White, Dzekeresh, and Martin Suwemendy, Arsenal defeated Chelsea 3-2 in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final, setting a good foundation for their run to the final. Ben White stated that the team could have performed even better, particularly in transitions between attack and defense.

Rice took a corner in the 7th minute, and Ben White headed it in, giving Arsenal a dream start of 1-0. In the 49th minute of the second half, Ben White crossed from the right wing into the box, and Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez made a mistake in clearing the ball, allowing Dzekeresh to tap it in, extending Arsenal's lead over Chelsea to 2-0.

In the 57th minute, Pedro Neto chipped a pass from the right wing, and Ganacho controlled the ball before firing a shot into the net, helping Chelsea pull one back to 1-2. In the 71st minute, Martin Zuwmendy received a pass from Dzekeresh, broke through the defense, and fired a shot into the net, extending Arsenal's lead to 3-1.

In the 83rd minute, Chelsea attacked from a corner kick, and Ganacho received the ball and volleyed it into the net, making the score 2-3 for Chelsea. Ultimately, Arsenal defeated Chelsea, managed by new manager Rossenier, 3-2 at Stamford Bridge.

It's worth mentioning that 28-year-old Ben White scored his first goal of the season in this match. In an interview, Ben White said, "We are certainly very happy with this victory, but to be honest, we could have done better, especially in the transitions between attack and defense, which we didn't handle ideally."

"However, we scored three goals and won the game, so now we need to focus on the next game, which we must also win."

When discussing the goal, Ben White said, "I found myself unmarked, so I ran to where the ball was supposed to be, and it just hit me on the head."

“We always wanted to play faster, and it was very advantageous for us when we could create one-on-one situations. I knew Dzekeresh would be waiting in the middle, so I just did my best to pass the ball across.”

Ben White also said, "It's really great that he scored. Look at how much effort he puts into the game, but often he doesn't get the recognition he deserves, so it's really nice to see him score."