"It's game on," Arteta said bluntly after the final whistle. "We had the feeling at the end, after it became 3-1 and with the dominant period we had, that we had two massive chances to score the fourth. The result would have been very different."

Arsenal carried a narrow advantage back to the Emirates Stadium after extending their unbeaten run to ten matches in all competitions, but Arteta was frustrated by how late Chelsea were allowed back into the contest.

"In that moment, they had one action, they created a corner, they scored a goal," he said. "That feeling, it's not perfect, but we have to value what the team has done again."

Arteta was glowing in his praise of Martín Zubimendi, who scored Arsenal's third goal and controlled the midfield throughout.

"When we talk about Zubi, what else can he do? He can do whatever he wants," Arteta said. "He's carrying the ball, dribbling, winning duels, and when he gets into the final third and into the box, he's so composed. He sees the picture very clear. What he did today was phenomenal."

Arsenal opened the scoring from a set-piece, with Ben White heading home from Declan Rice's delivery after Robert Sanchez was caught out. Early in the second half, another costly error allowed Viktor Gyokeres to double the lead after White's cross slipped through the Chelsea goalkeeper's grasp.

Chelsea responded through substitute Alejandro Garnacho, who scored twice to keep the tie alive, either side of Zubimendi's outstanding solo goal.

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior, taking charge of his first home match, refused to criticise Sánchez despite the mistakes.

"I'm asking Rob to do things he hasn't done before," Rosenior said. "When my players make mistakes, I'm accountable. That's on me. He made a save in the second half that was absolutely world-class."

Rosenior also highlighted the challenges of missing several key players. "Jamie Gittens was ill last night. Liam Delap was ill four hours before the game with dangerously high temperatures," he said. “For Cole, this game came too early. Reece had a big knock on his hip. Moises Caicedo was suspended. I was proud of the bravery of the players.”

Despite the late tension and heated scenes at full-time, Arteta remained focused on the bigger picture. "It's not perfect," he said again, "but we've put ourselves in a good position."

Steve Barker backs Iqraam Rayners to earn Bafana Bafana call-up