Arsenal passed the biggest test in the defence of their Premier League title so far in style as they hit back from conceding inside two minutes to beat Chelsea 2-1 .
Morgan Rogers volleyed the visitors ahead after 77 seconds but Arsenal’s response was emphatic with Kai Havertz equalising after 25 minutes, by which point Riccardo Calafiori had already had a seeming equaliser ruled out for Ezri Konsa’s offside.
The impressive Martin Odegaard then finished off a flowing move shortly after the break for the decisive goal. Chelsea were never fully out of it in an absorbing high-octane duel and substitute Estevao was denied a late equaliser by a superb save from David Raya.
Victory leaves Arsenal level with Manchester City at the top of the nascent Premier League table, with both sides on a maximum nine points after three games.
Relive all the action from Arsenal v Chelsea with our live blog below:
Pundits rule Chelsea out of the Premier League title race after narrow defeat to Arsenal
Xabi Alonso’s side were tipped to challenge the champions this season after a promising start to the new campaign that saw them win 3-2 and 4-3 against Fulham and Brighton in their opening two games, and they got off to the perfect start at the Emirates as Morgan Rogers opened the scoring within 90 seconds.
However, the Gunners dominated proceedings from there, with an equaliser ruled out before Kai Havertz fired past Emi Martinez to level it before half-time.
The Arsenal machine found a new gear against Chelsea – that spells trouble for rivals
If this blistering match is to develop into the title race, Arsenal look much further ahead than their new three-point lead over Chelsea.
Xabi Alonso’s side had a spark and an energy that pushed the champions, but they didn’t really have a midfield and that meant they didn’t have control, which brought Alonso’s first defeat. It is that control which marks Arsenal apart, after a 2-1 win that maintains their 100 per cent record after three games.
One of the main impressions from this victory was that Mikel Arteta’s side were more open and attacking than the Premier League has become accustomed to, with that largely influenced by how Chelsea came to have a go at them.
James: ‘There was lots of positives’
“There was lots of positives, we started the game really well and even when we went behind we showed character to try and get back in the game but we ran out of time in the end,” said Chelsea captain Reece James on Sky.
“Football at this level is a game of moments. One or two things change the scoreline. It was a tough game today and we have to review and take the learnings,” he explained.
“It’s the Premier League, it’s the toughest league in the world and playing against anyone in midfield or in any position is always a test.
“We try and adapt as fast as possible. We’re still getting to know him [Alonso] and the way that he wants us to play. That comes with time but we are dedicated to what we want and the way he wants us to play.
On whether they can challenge Arsenal, he added: “We’ll see where we are at the end of the season. We know what we have to do and we have to focus on ourselves and not let other teams distract us.”
Carragher praises Havertz
“To displace Havertz out of this team, you need to be one of the best players in the world, it has to be an Ian Wright or Thierry Henry, a guarantee of 30 goals a season,” said Jamie Carragher on Kai Havertz’s role in this Arsenal team.
“Gyokeres is never taking Havertz’s place, nor would Rogers, and it is not so much what they give you in attack, more what they give you as a team.
“One of the reasons you cannot break Arsenal down is because of how well they press from the front, but then when the opposition get through that, they all get back behind the ball and Havertz is about 25-30 yards from his goal.
“You ask a world-class striker to do that…. he will not do that,” added the former Liverpool man.
Carragher: ‘It doesn’t look like anyone can score against them’
“I think the worrying thing for everyone else is that Saliba, who is generally world-class and the best centre back in world football, has not played a minute of football so far this season, and it doesn’t look like anyone can score against them,” said Jamie Carragher on Sky.
“Chelsea got the one today, but they didn’t really create one big chance in the game. It was a lot of effort outside the box,” he explained.
Arteta: ‘It was a joy to watch’
“It wasn’t the right start but we certainly reacted in an amazing way. I enjoyed the way we competed; we took risks, it was a joy to watch and an incredible game,” said Mikel Arteta on Match of the Day.
“They have a great coach who can set them up in great condition. With the quality you have, you feel they can create something out of nothing at any moment. We constrained them well. Overall, it was an incredible performance from our side,” explained the Spaniard.
On Martin Odegaard, he said: “I think he is enjoying his football. His personal life is settled, he is available, he is training, he has his routine and if he is intelligent, he can take a lot of benefits from the players around him. I think he was outstanding today.
“We are very happy and we need to continue to raise the bar and look to improve every single time because there are still a lot of margins to do so. We need to enjoy the victory because it was a big one today,” he added.
More from Sturridge
“What Xabi [Alonso] needs to do, and what he’s going to address, is how to get the team playing the style he wants,” said Sturridge as he elaborated on his concerns about Chelsea.
“When you talk about progress, they won the first two games, they gave a good account of themselves today, but I’m talking about communication, knowing where you want to be, knowing your teammates roles.
“You can still see there’s a little bit of confusion, it’s not seamless yet, and going forward they’re reliant on the front three to win them games right now. That’s not sustainable all season,” he added.
Sturridge: ‘You can see it’s a work in progress’
“I feel as if [Chelsea] started the game well, but ultimately, you can see that there are few things that need to change for them to be as fluid as they can be,” said Daniel Sturrudge when evaluating Chelsea.
“You can see that the communication isn’t perfect.They threatened Arsenal at various moments, but I think they are very much leaning into the front three right now, and you can see everything behind them is coming together.
“The chemistry is there for the front three, but outside of it, you can see it’s a work in progress,” added the former Blues striker.
More from Alonso
“It’s about preparing the best possible way to compete the best possible way. You need to control the overloads on the right side. It’s part of the game to have these actions. We continue. It’s game three and this is going to be a long, long ride,” explained Alonso as he continued.
“You take decisions, you make approaches. We want to be active and take initiative. Sometimes with set pieces, sometimes pressing high or lower. I think that’s what you need to compete in all the stages. Today we’ve come here trying to compete as well as possible now we need to continue.
“I learnt about the game, about us, about what we are doing, what we are starting. The players have this attitude, this desire to compete better game by game to create something we believe in. So far I’m happy. We want to win games, this is the ultimate goal.
“You need to deal with injuries, the squad are missing the injured players. The ones we had went with full gas. Today they tried their best and have given everything,” added the Chelsea boss.
Alonso: ‘It hurts’
“It hurts. It hurts because a defeat has to hurt. It has been a very intense game with different moments for everything. We had chances to equalise. In the first half as well a couple of chances. Never happy if you lose,” said Xabi Alonso on Sky after full-time.
“After we scored, there were 15-20 minutes where we had to defend too much and we were struggling a bit to get control. We then had better spells with the ball.
“Overall, it was a very tight, very intense game. We could do better with the second goal to conceded too early. The guys gave everything, tried everything. It has to hurt,” he added.
