Xabi Alonso had watched his £117m signing sweep Chelsea in front at the Emirates after 77 seconds. It was still not enough.
Kai Havertz equalised in the 25th minute, Martin Ødegaard fired the winner five minutes into the second half, and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal walked into the international break with a 2-1 win that keeps the defending champions top of the Premier League.
Chelsea have dropped their first points of Alonso’s tenure.
Rogers punishes Arsenal in 77 seconds
A Chelsea free-kick was only half-cleared to the edge of the Arsenal box, where Morgan Rogers swept it past David Raya before the champions had settled. It was, on paper, the return Chelsea had been chasing for a summer that cost them a reported £349m in fees, with Rogers arriving from Aston Villa for £117m.
Arsenal thought they had levelled in the 12th minute through Riccardo Calafiori, only for VAR to disallow the goal with Ezri Konsa flagged offside in the build-up. Havertz put that right on 25 minutes, driving in from the edge of the box past the Chelsea goalkeeper at his near post.
Ødegaard rifles Arsenal in front
Five minutes after the restart came the moment of the game. Christos Tzolis’s pass ran through Havertz’s legs, the Arsenal forward letting it slide by rather than take a touch, and Ødegaard was left with the yard he needed to rifle the champions in front.
Ødegaard praised his team-mate afterwards.
“[Kai is] a really smart player, he moves so well and takes a lot of attention from the defenders and it was a brilliant goal.”
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Ødegaard added:
“We never want to concede early but the reaction is top.”
Chelsea pushed for an equaliser. Pedro Neto struck the post in first-half stoppage time and Estêvão forced Raya into a strong late save with a curler in the 89th minute.
Alonso focuses on his defence
Arteta signalled that he sees room above where his champions finished last season.
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“I think it’s an indication for us of how capable we are to perform at an even higher level than last season,” he said.
Alonso pointed to his side’s defensive shape.
“The number of goals we’re conceding is something we need to address.”
“We wanted to compete, win here. The result is the result; I can’t argue against that.”
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The Premier League pauses for the international break. Arsenal sit top of the table; Chelsea are back in league action in a fortnight.
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