LONDON, Sept 6 (Reuters) – Arsenal passed their biggest test so far in the defence of their Premier League title in style as they hit back from conceding inside two minutes to beat Chelsea 2-1 with captain Martin Odegaard scoring the winner on Sunday.
Morgan Rogers volleyed the visitors ahead after 77 seconds but Arsenal’s response was emphatic with Kai Havertz equalising after 25 minutes and Odegaard finishing off a flowing move shortly after the break.
Chelsea were always a threat in an absorbing, high-octane duel and substitute Estevao was denied a late equaliser by a superb save from David Raya.
Victory left Arsenal level at the top with Manchester City with both sides on a maximum nine points after three games. Chelsea’s first dropped points left them on six.
Chelsea’s free-scoring start to the season under new manager Xabi Alonso had marked them out as potential title rivals to Arsenal and that still might well be the case.
But on Sunday, despite a dream start, they were overpowered by their London rivals, who were clearly seeking to make a statement, and could have few complaints as their winless run against Arsenal stretched to 12 in all competitions.
“It was a big game, massive game, tough opponent and we got there in the end so brilliant,” Odegaard said.
“Our mentality is to keep fighting. We have shown that many times. We never want to concede early but the reaction is top.”
Chelsea spent an extraordinary summer making 11 signings for a total of £349 million and selling 17 players as part of yet another rebuild under yet another manager.
Arsenal’s close-season, on the other hand, was one of stability and Mikel Arteta’s side have quickly found the rhythm and efficiency that took them to their first title in 22 years.
They did concede their first goal of the season though, meaning promoted Hull City now boast the only perfect defensive record after three games of the campaign.
England midfielder Rogers, a £117 million ($158.20 million) signing from Aston Villa, stunned the home faithful as he swung his right foot at a dropping ball to place a volley past Raya.
The goal made Chelsea the first team in Premier League history to score inside the first five minutes of their first three games of the season and lit the fuse for a breathless opening period on a balmy afternoon in north London.
Arsenal thought they had levelled shortly afterwards when Riccardo Calafiori bundled in after Ezri Konsa’s effort had come back off the post in a goalmouth scramble, but a VAR check adjudged Konsa to have been offside.
The hosts swarmed forward though and Bukayo Saka was denied by Emi Martinez. Chelsea’s rearguard creaked and then buckled in the 25th minute when their former striker Havertz cut in from the right and his low left-foot shot crept in past Martinez.
Chelsea’s counter-attacking style almost rewarded them in first-half stoppage time as Pedro Neto’s shot hit the post.
Arsenal began the second half strongly and grabbed the lead when Christos Tzolis’s ball in from the left was dummied by Havertz and Odegaard planted a shot high into the net.
The points never looked totally secure for Arteta’s side and it needed Raya to turn over Estevao’s dipping effort to ensure their 100% start continued.
While it was a reality check for Alonso’s side, there were plenty of positives for the visitors.
“They are hard to beat, they are hard to create chances (against), but we had three or four chances to score more than one goal. This is a process. It’s still early days for us,” Alonso said. “Not happy that we couldn’t get anything but we need to keep calm and carry on.”
($1 = 0.7396 pounds)
(Reporting by Martyn HermanEditing by Toby Davis)
