Arsenal 2-1 ChelseaPremier League | Emirates Stadium | September 6, 2026
Arsenal maintained their perfect start to the Premier League season with a hard-fought 2-1 comeback victory over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.
It was a game that demanded character from Mikel Arteta’s side. Chelsea struck almost immediately, but we refused to panic. Instead, we gradually took control, turned the game around and held on for three valuable points in a pulsating London derby. Arsenal could hardly have imagined a worse opening.
Chelsea stunned the Emirates inside the opening two minutes when Morgan Rogers reacted quickest to put the visitors ahead. The early goal gave Chelsea confidence and forced us to chase the game from the outset.
Rather than allowing the setback to disrupt our rhythm, we responded with increasing pressure. The Gunners pushed Chelsea deeper and began finding more space around the visitors’ defensive structure. That pressure eventually produced the equaliser. The equaliser arrived in the 25th minute through Kai Havertz, who once again proved to be a major character in Arsenal’s meetings with Chelsea.
Super Sunday in north London 🥰
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 6, 2026
Highlights from our 2-1 win over Chelsea are here 🍿 pic.twitter.com/KEWJpoUjly
Havertz’s effort brought us level and changed the mood inside the Emirates. What had started as a difficult afternoon suddenly became a contest we looked increasingly capable of winning. The German was central to our attacking play throughout the afternoon, combining his movement, intelligence and link-up play to cause Chelsea problems. We carried our momentum into the second half and completed the turnaround in the 50th minute.
Martin Ødegaard finished from inside the box after a clever attacking move involving Havertz. Havertz’s movement created the opening, allowing our captain to arrive in a dangerous position and fire us into the lead. For Ødegaard, the goal continued what has been an impressive start to the campaign and underlined his growing influence in our attacking play.
Chelsea did not disappear after falling behind. The visitors continued to threaten, particularly as the game entered its final stages, and we were forced to defend our advantage rather than simply control possession.
Pure midfield magic 🪄@Arsenal Captain Martin Odegaard is your Player of the Matchweek for his unstoppable performance v Chelsea ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/zxNXgd3xRP
— Premier League (@premierleague) September 8, 2026
David Raya proved particularly important late on, producing a crucial save to deny Chelsea an equaliser. Our defensive organisation and willingness to fight for every ball ultimately saw us through. It wasn’t the sort of victory where everything went perfectly for us. It was arguably more impressive because of that.
We conceded early, absorbed Chelsea’s pressure and still found a way to win. Three games into the Premier League season, we remain perfect. The victory keeps us alongside Manchester City at the top of the table with maximum points, while Chelsea’s defeat highlighted some defensive issues that Xabi Alonso’s side will need to address.
For Arteta, however, there were plenty of positives. Arsenal demonstrated attacking variety, resilience and, perhaps most importantly, the mentality to respond after conceding so early. This was not a comfortable victory. It was a statement victory.
Chelsea landed the first punch, but we had the final word. And at the Emirates, that was all that mattered. Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea. Three games. Three wins. The champions are up and running.
