Chelsea may have been knocked out of the Carabao Cup at the hands of Arsenal after failing to overturn the first leg deficit, but their new tactics to defend corner kicks against the English Premier League leaders have raised questions.
Arsenal are renowned for their prowess in the air, leading the way in terms of goals scored from corners. So far this season, they have scored 21 goals in all competitions from corners delivered into the box.
On Wednesday, February 4, 2026, early morning WIB, Chelsea prevented players like Gabriel from causing damage from a corner kick, with a new defensive plan being displayed.
Arsenal only had two corners against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final. However, when the two corners were launched into the penalty area, the Blues tried a new idea by sending three players running out of the penalty area.
Arsenal followed the runners so they had fewer attackers chasing the ball when entering the penalty area.
It remains to be seen whether this tactic can be a long-term antidote to Arsenal's dominance of dead balls. Former Liverpool player Jamie Redknapp believes this is a significant risk.
"I like the plan, but my problem is that Enzo Fernandez is left to guard Gabriel. He has 10 yards of space to attack the ball."
"Chelsea tried to neutralize too much traffic in the penalty area, which Arsenal used to create chaos."
"They obviously have a plan, but if Arsenal have the right pass, Enzo Fernandez won't have a chance," Redknapp told Sky Sports.
Other teams have tried to put players in front of the goal during Arsenal's corner kicks, in an attempt to lure the Gunners out of the penalty area, but not with such late movements as seen from Chelsea.
No wonder, former Newcastle United and Aston Villa goalkeeper Shay Given called for more teams to be more creative in defending against Arsenal when speaking on Match of the Day recently.
"Someone can try something different to stop this brilliant form of attack. What can other teams do differently to create more space?"
"If they put three players up front, Arsenal have to put at least three, maybe four players behind."
"Then, in the penalty box, it will give more space for the defenders and the goalkeeper. Yes, it also gives more space for the attackers, but all those numbers cause so much confusion," Given said as reported by ESPN.
Even so, Chelsea's tactics were interesting even though it took more than one match to assess the suitability of this method.
A factor that may be equally important is Chelsea's ability to limit Arsenal to just two corners throughout the match.
However, given Arsenal's dominance in this area, it would come as no surprise if another team followed Chelsea's lead.
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