Mikel Arteta has moved to defuse a touchline flashpoint by apologising to Liam Rosenior after the Chelsea head coach accused Arsenal of showing a lack of respect during their pre-match warm-up in the Carabao Cup semifinal.

Arsenal secured a 1-0 victory in the second leg at Emirates Stadium to complete a 4-2 aggregate win and reach Wembley. Yet the postmatch focus briefly shifted from the result to an incident before kick-off, when Rosenior was seen on camera asking Arsenal staff to stay in their own half as both teams went through final preparations.

Rosenior later explained that he felt Arsenal’s warm-up drills were encroaching on Chelsea’s space and disrupting his players’ routine. He stressed he held no personal grudge against Arteta or the club but suggested his side had not been afforded the respect they deserved in that moment.

Arteta, speaking ahead of Arsenal’s next league fixture, responded by offering an apology while insisting there was no deliberate attempt to unsettle Chelsea.

“I don’t know, it’s his opinion and obviously we respect everybody,” Arteta said. “At any point, if one of the staff members went through that, we apologise and that’s it. It’s very common in football, especially with the keepers because they have to kick long balls and all that. So nothing there to comment.”

He rejected the idea that Arsenal were engaging in psychological games before such a high-stakes tie, arguing that any overlap in warm-up areas was accidental rather than tactical.

“I have no idea but I don’t think that was intentional,” he continued. “I will engage with the things that in my opinion are relevant to the team and what is best for the team and the club, that’s for sure.”

Attention now turns back to the Premier League, where Arsenal host Sunderland looking to extend their lead at the top of the table. Arteta emphasised the need to maintain intensity and focus after months of consistent performances.

He also provided a cautiously positive injury update, revealing that captain Martin Ødegaard is only “a matter of days” away from returning from a minor muscular issue, while defender Jurriën Timber is available again. Bukayo Saka’s hip problem is improving, with Arteta hopeful the winger will rejoin the squad soon.