Arsenal delivered an emphatic response to Chelsea’s emergence as potential Premier League title contenders with a 2-1 win that ended their rivals’ unbeaten start on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta’s side trailed to Morgan Rogers’ second-minute goal in a pulsating London derby at the Emirates Stadium.
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But the champions showed why they are firm favourites to retain the title with a blistering response to that early setback.
Kai Havertz bagged the equaliser against his former club midway through the first half and Martin Odegaard netted Arsenal’s winner soon after the interval.
It was a statement of intent from second-placed Arsenal, who have won all three league matches to sit behind leaders Manchester City on goal scored.
The Gunners’ mature display underlined their desire to win the club’s first back-to-back titles since the 1930s.
“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,” Arteta said.
“Chelsea have a great coach who can set them up in great condition. We constrained them well. Overall, it was an incredible performance.
“We are very happy and we need to continue to raise the bar and look to improve every single time. We need to enjoy the victory because it was a big one today.”
For Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso, the defeat ended his three-game winning run in all competitions since taking charge at Stamford Bridge in the close-season.
Alonso will realise just how much work Chelsea still have to do before they are in position to end a title drought dating back to 2017.
Chelsea’s shaky defence is prone to costly miscues, while their vaunted attack found it harder to flourish against Arsenal than in their free-scoring wins over Fulham, Luton and Brighton.
Arteta and Alonso have known each other since their days as childhood friends in the Basque region of Spain.
The chaotic matches of their youth on a gravel pitch in the Berio district of San Sebastian would have seemed calm in comparison to the blood and thunder their teams brought to a raucous corner of north London.
“I learnt about the game, about us, about what we are doing, what we are starting,” Alonso said.
“This is a process. It’s still early days for us. We want to start having clean-sheets. They will come.
“The players are committed to working hard, to knowing that we’re on the way to compete in each game. Not happy that we couldn’t get anything but we need to keep calm and carry on.”
Chelsea beat Arsenal in the race to sign Rogers from Aston Villa in the close-season after the Gunners refused to match the Blues’ £117 million ($158 million) bid for the England midfielder.
Rogers showed why Chelsea made him the most expensive British player in history as he put the Blues ahead after just 77 seconds.
– Incisive Arsenal –
Arsenal’s rock-solid defence had allowed just one shot on target in their first two games.
So often masters of the set-piece, Arteta’s men were found wanting at a free-kick for once.
Reece James’ lofted delivery wasn’t cleared by Declan Rice or Odegaard, giving Rogers the chance to drive a low volley past David Raya from the edge of the penalty area.
It was the first goal conceded by Arsenal this season.
Having conceded five times in their first two league games under Alonso, Chelsea’s three-man central defence remains flawed and they were exposed again in the 25th minute.
Havertz was allowed to drift from the right flank to the edge of the area unchecked by Jorrel Hato before the German smashed a low strike through the slow to react Maxence Lacroix’s legs and past Emiliano Martinez at his near post.
Martinez was signed from Villa to replace the error-prone Robert Sanchez but the Argentine’s weak attempted save was hardly an improvement on his hapless predecessor.
Pedro Neto was inches away from restoring Chelsea’s lead just before half-time when the Portugal winger slapped his shot against the far post.
Where Chelsea were profligate, Arsenal have developed a ruthless touch in front of goal.
They exploited Chelsea’s weakness at the back to net with a superb-crafted move in the 50th minute.
Christos Tzolis has made an impressive start following his close-season move from Club Brugge and the Greek winger’s incisive pass sliced through the Chelsea defence to Havertz.
The German’s clever dummy let the ball run through to Odegaard and he kept his composure to slot home from 10 yards.
Rogers’ angry clash with Rice prompted mocking chants of “you should have signed for a big club” from Arsenal fans.
Chelsea had chances to silence the taunts, but Malo Gusto blazed over from a good position before Estevao Willian’s rocket was tipped over by Raya in the final minutes.
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96TH MIN EQUALISER STUNS UTD
Earlier on Sunday, Ainsley Maitland-Niles marked his Everton debut with a superb strike with virtually the last kick of the game to snatch a 2-2 draw for the Toffees against Manchester United.
Maitland-Niles’s arrival from Lyon on the final day of the transfer window was overshadowed by Everton’s failure to reinforce their attack.
But the former Arsenal full-back lasered a long-range shot into the top corner in the 96th minute to punish a lacklustre United performance.
Bryan Mbeumo fired United in front inside the first minute of the second period. But an Everton side short on attacking options rallied to level through Tyrique George.
Substitute Benjamin Sesko’s header looked to have won United all three points. But the decision not to reinforce Michael Carrick’s defence will face more scrutiny as United have conceded twice in all of their opening three games of the Premier League season.
“It feels like a defeat,” said Carrick. “We’re bitterly disappointed to be up in the position we were in the game twice, so close to the end… it’s not a great feeling.” A draw maintains Everton’s unbeaten start and keeps them one point ahead of United to calm the sense of unrest among the club’s fans.
“It was a brilliant goal and I thought it was a big moment for the crowd as well, I think it was good for them,” said Everton boss David Moyes.
A miserable end to the window could still have ramifications for Everton’s performance over the rest of the season.
After letting Iliman Ndiaye depart in a £65 million move to Manchester City and Beto to leave for Fiorentina, the Toffees expected to strengthen their forward line with the signing of Monaco’s Folarin Balogun.
An issue with the USA international’s medical saw the clubs frantically renegotiate the structure of a £40 million deal but Balogun turned his back on the move.
Moyes has been left with only one natural striker to pick from in Thierno Barry as a result and only 18 outfield players.
The return of Jack Grealish on loan for the season only slightly softened the blow as Moyes faces up to the realities of a possible relegation battle rather than a challenge for European football.
Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick as United thrashed Ipswich 5-2 last weekend to get their season up and running after a dreadful 2-0 defeat at Hull.
The United captain came closest to breaking the deadlock in a first half otherwise devoid of quality when his volley came back off the crossbar.
– Grealish return lifts home fans –
A sleepy start to the second by Moyes’s men proved costly as Mbeumo was allowed to bear down on goal on his favoured left foot and arrow a shot beyond Jordan Pickford.
United, though, failed to build on their advantage and the introduction of Grealish off the bench lifted the home crowd.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall twice failed to connect sweetly with clear sights of goal. But the visitors’ luck ran out seven minutes from time when Hayden Hackney fed George and the former Chelsea winger blasted into the top corner from a narrow angle.
Sesko’s involvement has been limited at the start of the campaign due to an injury in pre-season, but the Slovenian looked sharp as he stooped to head in Luke Shaw’s cross to restore United’s lead.
The Red Devils never looked comfortable at the back but could not have foreseen the manner of the equaliser.
United looked to have cleared the danger with the five minutes of added time up, but the ball broke to Maitland-Niles who swept a curling shot into the top corner.