In the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, although Chelsea lost 2-3 to Arsenal in a narrow defeat, winger Alejandro Garnacho still believes the team has a chance to beat their opponents in the two-legged tie.
The player, who came off the bench in the second half, showed excellent form as soon as he stepped onto the pitch, repaying the trust of head coach Liam Rosiernier with two brilliant goals. Both of his goals were scored at the far post—the first was a close-range powerful strike, and the second was a volley. Each goal helped the Blues equalize the score.
Although Garnacho was disappointed that Chelsea failed to take a better result to North London for the second leg, he was glad to help the team narrow the score gap. The 21-year-old is confident that the Blues will go all out to take on Arsenal in the second leg at the Emirates Stadium.
“I always try my best, and coming off the bench today, I helped the team with goals,” the winger said after the match, taking his Carabao Cup goal tally to four.
“Every striker wants to score, but my duty is to help the team as much as I can. I gave my all today, but it wasn’t enough. However, the game isn’t over yet. There are still plenty of twists and turns to come, and we’re only one goal behind.We know how difficult it is to play at the Emirates Stadium, but we know the team we have and what we are capable of. We have to give it our all.”
Whether starting the game or coming off the bench, Garnacho is clear about his role in the team and is always ready to help the Blues whenever needed, just like his performance last night.
“Sometimes you start, sometimes you don’t. The players on the bench are just as important as the starters, and I just do my best. I think we still have a chance, and we will give it everything we’ve got. I’m here to do my utmost.
We always strive to win, and losing is always frustrating. We had a slow start, but we performed much better in the second half. Now we have to go all out in the second leg.”
Talking about Liam Rosiernier’s first week in charge of the Blues, Alejandro said he is enjoying the process of learning from the new head coach.
“He is a great guy,” he added. “He has made some changes, but we are still the same team, the same group. We are united as one.”
