Arsenal came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium as Kai Havertz haunted his former club before Martin Ødegaard completed an impressive London derby comeback.
Morgan Rogers stunned the Premier League champions after just 77 seconds, but Mikel Arteta’s side refused to unravel.
Havertz levelled midway through the first half before Ødegaard struck shortly after the restart to preserve Arsenal’s perfect start to their title defence.
REIGNING SUPREME IN N5. pic.twitter.com/SuSKQyVRhj
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 6, 2026
Arsenal recover from nightmare Chelsea start
Chelsea could hardly have asked for a better opening.
A long Reece James free-kick caused problems inside the Arsenal penalty area before the ball eventually dropped to Rogers on the edge of the box.
The summer signing adjusted quickly and volleyed beyond David Raya after only 77 seconds.
It was Arsenal’s first Premier League goal conceded this season.
Arteta’s side responded aggressively and thought they had equalised after 12 minutes when Riccardo Calafiori converted following a chaotic sequence inside the Chelsea area.
Celebrations were cut short.
VAR determined that Ezri Konsa had been offside during the build-up and referee Chris Kavanagh subsequently ruled the goal out.
Arsenal did not have to wait much longer.
Havertz received Declan Rice’s pass on the right before moving infield and driving a low left-footed effort beyond former Arsenal goalkeeper Emi Martínez at the near post after 25 minutes.
It was exactly the type of influence we highlighted before kick-off when examining why Kai Havertz could be Arteta’s key weapon against his former club.
Chelsea almost restored their advantage immediately before half-time when Pedro Neto cut inside Gabriel and curled an effort against the far post.
The sides instead went into the interval level.
Ødegaard completes Arsenal comeback
Arsenal needed only five minutes of the second half to move ahead.
Christos Tzolis fizzed a pass towards Havertz on the edge of the area.
The German intelligently allowed the ball to run between his legs rather than taking a touch, opening space behind him for Ødegaard.
The Arsenal captain surged through the gap and emphatically beat Martínez to make it 2-1.
Havertz did not receive the assist, but his dummy was fundamental to one of Arsenal’s best attacking moves of the afternoon.
Chelsea responded with their strongest spell of the second half.
Raya dealt confidently with several deliveries into his area, while Konsa produced an excellent challenge on Rogers during an encouraging first Arsenal start.
Gabriel then threw himself in front of a fierce James effort as Arteta’s side protected their advantage.
Viktor Gyökeres eventually replaced Havertz for his first Premier League appearance of the season, while Mikel Merino came on for Ødegaard as Arsenal looked to close the game out.
Chelsea still had one final opportunity.
Estêvão found space late on and forced Raya into an important save to preserve Arsenal’s lead.
The Gunners held firm from there.
Arsenal extend remarkable Chelsea dominance
Victory also continues an extraordinary recent sequence against their London rivals.
Arsenal are now unbeaten in 12 consecutive matches against Chelsea in all competitions, winning nine and drawing three.
They have also won five successive home league meetings with Chelsea, matching the sequence from 1990 to 1994 that we highlighted in our look at the 32-year Arsenal record hovering over Chelsea.
More importantly, Arsenal have nine points from nine.
The 2-1 scoreline means they finish the weekend level with Manchester City on points and goal difference, but behind Pep Guardiola’s side on goals scored, as explained in our pre-match guide to what Arsenal needed against Chelsea to go top.
Arteta will be frustrated that Arsenal’s perfect defensive record disappeared inside two minutes.
Everything that followed was considerably more encouraging.
The champions fell behind, responded with authority and beat one of their potential title rivals to maintain a perfect start to the new season.
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