Arsenal have sent an early warning to the Premier League after coming from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates and maintain their perfect start to the title defence.
Chelsea stunned the champions after just 77 seconds when £117m signing Morgan Rogers fired the visitors ahead. But Arsenal responded with the composure that helped them win the Premier League last season.
Kai Havertz, facing his former club, restored parity in the 25th minute with a low finish from the edge of the box. Arsenal then completed the comeback five minutes after half-time when Martin Odegaard finished a clever move involving Havertz and Christos Tzolis.
The victory gives Arsenal three wins from three league matches, with just one goal conceded. They are level on nine points with Manchester City at the top of the table.
Odegaard’s start to the campaign is particularly encouraging. The Arsenal captain has now scored three goals in four appearances across all competitions, a sharp improvement after managing only one goal in 36 appearances last season.
The bigger story, however, is Arsenal’s ability to find different ways to win. They were forced to recover from an early setback against a Chelsea side that has spent heavily this summer, yet Arteta’s team remained composed and eventually took control.
Chelsea had opportunities to respond, including Pedro Neto’s effort against the post and a late attempt from Estevao that David Raya tipped over. But Arsenal held firm to secure a statement victory.
Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton believes the champions remain ahead of their rivals despite the huge spending elsewhere, arguing that Arsenal have developed into a side that consistently finds a way to win.
It is still far too early to declare the title race, but Arsenal have already passed their first major test. With a Champions League trip to Napoli next on Wednesday before a league visit to Sunderland, Arteta’s side now have another chance to show whether this strong start can develop into another title-winning campaign.
