Arsenal came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium, with Martin Ødegaard scoring shortly after half-time to secure a third consecutive Premier League victory.
Chelsea led after 77 seconds through Morgan Rogers, but Kai Havertz equalised in the 25th minute before Ødegaard finished the decisive move after the interval.
Chelsea strike first but Arsenal respond
Rogers volleyed into the bottom corner from the edge of the area after Chelsea retained possession from a Reece James free-kick. The goal was the first Arsenal had conceded this season and carried added significance after the club had pursued Rogers during the summer before Chelsea signed him for £117m.
Arsenal responded with sustained pressure and created several openings. Havertz was allowed to move across the edge of the Chelsea area before sending a low shot past Emiliano Martínez at his near post.
Martínez kept Chelsea in the contest with saves from Ødegaard and Gabriel Magalhães, while Wesley Fofana blocked another effort from Havertz. A later Arsenal goal involving Ezri Konsa and Riccardo Calafiori was disallowed for offside.
Ødegaard finds the winning opening
Arsenal regained the lead soon after the restart. Ødegaard began and ended the move, while Havertz’s dummy froze Fofana and created space for the captain to meet Christos Tzolis’s low delivery from the left.
Chelsea searched for an equaliser in the closing stages. Estêvão forced David Raya to tip a shot over in the 89th minute, while João Pedro had earlier struck the far post before half-time.
The result extended Arsenal’s unbeaten run against Chelsea to 12 meetings in all competitions, including eight wins. Arsenal’s next challenge is to maintain their perfect opening to their title defence.
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