Morgan Rogers has been reflecting on Chelsea's 2-1 loss to Arsenal in the Premier League with the attacker suffering defeat for the first time since signing for the Blues
Morgan Rogers
Morgan Rogers applauds the travelling Chelsea fans after the defeat to Arsenal(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
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Morgan Rogers believes "the bit of quality" in the final third was the difference between Arsenal and Chelsea as the former came out on top at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Xabi Alonso suffered his first defeat as Blues manager at the weekend with the Gunners coming from a goal behind to beat the visitors in north London. It was Rogers who handed the away side the dream start with a stunning volley just 77 seconds in but Arsenal found an equaliser later in the first-half through Kai Havertz.
Martin Odegaard scored what turned out to be the winning goal moments after the game resumed for the second-half with the Gunners recording all three points to maintain their 100% record in the Premier League this season.
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Chelsea found themselves in some promising attacking positions throughout the match but more often than not, the final pass was lacking. The Blues finished the game with just 0.39 xG, as per Opta, in comparison to Arsenal's 2.05 - emphasising how few and far between clear-cut chances were for Alonso's team.
There were undoubtedly promising signs for Chelsea given how difficult it is to play at the Emirates and the fact they went toe for toe for large portions of the match. Rogers, though, believes the crucial difference on Sunday came in the attacking third.
Speaking to Chelsea's YouTube channel post-match, Rogers said: "I think that's the main thing; we never gave in. We went toe to toe with them physically, and mentally, we were switched on and so focused. That's the most difficult thing with coming here to play Arsenal because they're so physically demanding, it's tough to play against them, but we matched them in that element.
Morgan Rogers celebrates
Morgan Rogers celebrates scoring for Chelsea against Arsenal(Image: Chris Lee - Chelsea FC)
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"There was a bit of quality in and around the box where they scored two and we didn't, then we'd be looking at a different game. But there are other things we can work on. That's the way football can be at times - you can nit-pick, but you don't necessarily need to. Sometimes you can just lose a game and it is what it is.
"You can't get too down and low about it. We'll keep moving and we'll be fine."
He added: "There were periods and spells of really good, really positive signs, trying to play, trying to show our identity in a tough place to come. They're in great form and they're really difficult to beat here.
"We showed parts of our game really well. There are areas of our game that we need to prove and ultimately when you don't win, you're always going to look at that but there are positives to take, and negatives to take. We're going to look back, assess the situation and the options and we'll keep moving forward."
Alonso said after the match that his players will move on quickly from the defeat, even though it was so agonising. Rogers is taking the positives from matching the reigning champions in some numerous aspects of the game while aspiring to reach Arsenal's level.
"Of course, they're the champions and we want to aspire to do things in the league as well," added the £117million signing. "You look at that and you see what they do and you want to compete and match it and see where you are and where you're at.
"I think we did that all over the pitch. I can't look at a player out there and say we didn't match and go toe to toe with them in any part of the game, so that's a real positive to take from it."
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