Arsenal Beat Chelsea 2-1 as Havertz and Odegaard Deliver Comeback Win

Arsenal overcome Chelsea to maintain perfect start

Arsenal continued their strong defence of the Premier League title with a 2-1 comeback victory over Chelsea in an entertaining London derby on Sunday, 6 September.

Chelsea took the lead just two minutes into the match through Morgan Rogers, who joined the club for £117m. Arsenal responded before half-time through Kai Havertz, before captain Martin Odegaard completed the comeback in the 50th minute.

The victory gives Arsenal a maximum nine points from three league matches, with only one goal conceded so far. They are one of just two teams to have won all three opening matches, alongside Manchester City.

Havertz and Odegaard answer Arsenal's striker concerns

Arsenal invested close to £200m during the summer transfer window but did not secure the elite striker the club had been pursuing.

The champions had considered several attacking options, including former Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez, who remains at Atletico Madrid. Arsenal also showed interest in Aston Villa's Rogers, Paris St-Germain's Bradley Barcola and Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr.

Rogers ultimately moved to Chelsea, while Barcola joined Liverpool and Vinicius remained at Real Madrid.

Against Chelsea, however, Arsenal's existing attacking options provided the decisive contribution.

Havertz, who joined Arsenal in 2023, equalised against his former club before Odegaard put Arsenal ahead shortly after the interval.

Odegaard enjoying impressive early form

Odegaard's goal continued an impressive opening to the campaign for the Arsenal captain.

The Norway international has now scored three goals in four appearances in all competitions this season, a significant improvement on his record of one goal in 36 appearances last term.

After the Chelsea victory, Odegaard highlighted Arsenal's response to conceding so early.

“Our mentality is to keep fighting,” he said.

Former Manchester United and England player Ashley Young praised the midfielder's performances and his relationship with Bukayo Saka and Havertz.

Havertz also backed his captain, describing Odegaard as being back to his “very best” and saying the midfielder would be important to Arsenal throughout the season.

Arsenal pass first major test

The Chelsea match represented Arsenal's first major test of the new campaign after victories over Coventry City and Aston Villa.

Mikel Arteta's side had already shown they could collect points away from home with a win at Villa, but the comeback against Chelsea demonstrated another aspect of the team's performance.

Chelsea have spent close to £350m since the end of last season, making Arsenal's victory particularly notable in the context of the two clubs' contrasting transfer activity.

Former Premier League winner Chris Sutton believes Arsenal remain the team to beat, describing them as a “powerhouse” and suggesting their ability to find ways to win makes them difficult for their rivals to stop.

Strong defensive record adds to optimism

Arsenal's start is not only about their perfect points tally. They have conceded just one goal in three league matches.

The club has also now won eight consecutive Premier League games, stretching back to last season.

This is only the third time Arsenal have won their opening three top-flight matches while conceding fewer than two goals. The previous occasions were 1924-25 and 2003-04, when Arsenal famously completed an unbeaten league season.

Champions League opener next

Arsenal's attention now turns to European competition.

The Gunners begin their Champions League campaign away against Napoli on Wednesday, before returning to Premier League action against Sunderland on Saturday.

Havertz said the win over Chelsea had increased Arsenal's confidence ahead of the trip to Italy, while acknowledging the quality within Chelsea's squad.

For Arteta's reigning champions, the early results provide a strong foundation as they attempt to defend their Premier League crown.