Arsenal’s crazy Stamford Bridge record will be seriously put to the test on Wednesday

In the latter years of the Arsene Wenger era at Arsenal, trips to Stamford Bridge were always ones for Gunners fans to hide behind the sofa for.

There was the infamous 6-0 defeat in his 1,000th game as a manager in which Kieran Gibbs was wrongly sent off for an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain handball in 2014, as well as the Gabriel Paulista red card after lashing out at Diego Costa in a 2-0 loss a year later.

And that game in 2017, in which Eden Hazard dribbled through the spineless Arsenal midfield and defence to score one of the most iconic Premier League goals at Stamford Bridge.

But, in recent years, Arsenal have bucked that trend - and are unbeaten at Chelsea in all competitions since a 3-2 defeat to Maurizio Sarri’s Blues in August 2018.

Arsenal’s recent record at Stamford Bridge is impressive

Indeed, it is now seven games unbeaten (all in the league) at Stamford Bridge for the Gunners, all of which incidentally have been under Mikel Arteta.

The run started with that incredible Gabriel Martinelli solo run and finish in a 2-2 draw in January 2020, whilst there were crucial wins in the back end of the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons.

The infamous title challenge of 2022/23 continued in November 2022, when a Gabriel header earned a 1-0 win in SW6, before three consecutive draws in Arsenal’s last three visits.

It’ll be tough to maintain that this week

That run will certainly be put to the test in what is a mouthwatering Carabao Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday night, as the Gunners are Liam Rosenior’s first home opponents as Chelsea manager.

A lot has been made about how much of a step up it is for the young Englishman (who was part of the Hull City team that narrowly lost to Arsenal in the 2014 FA Cup final), given that he was managing in a 0-0 draw between Strasbourg and Lorient almost exactly a month ago.

But, as has been clear from his first game at Charlton Athletic on Saturday, as well as when he was in the stands for their West London derby defeat at Fulham last week, Rosenior certainly has full faith from the Chelsea fans, who will make it a really tough atmosphere for Arsenal to go to.

But, after surviving a cup scare at Fratton Park on Sunday, and with tricky away games at Nottingham Forest and Leeds United on the horizon, Arsenal know that they will certainly be ready to extend their fantastic record across the capital.