Havertz and Ødegaard turn the derby: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea
Stunned inside two minutes by Morgan Rogers, the champions came from behind at the Emirates to stay perfect and hand Xabi Alonso's Chelsea a first league defeat.
Three games in, and the champions have already answered the first real question of their season. Arsenal fell behind inside two minutes on Sunday and still beat Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates, preserving a perfect nine points from nine and handing Xabi Alonso his first Premier League defeat as Chelsea manager.
The fastest of starts, then the response
Chelsea's opener came from their headline summer signing. Morgan Rogers — bought for a British-record £117m, per Al Jazeera — struck after just 77 seconds, volleying home from the edge of the box off a Reece James free-kick delivery, according to Sky Sports.
Arsenal's reply was swift. Riccardo Calafiori had a tap-in ruled out for offside before Kai Havertz — once of Chelsea — levelled on 25 minutes with a drive from inside the box. Chelsea had their moments before the break, Rogers curling wide and Pedro Neto striking the post, but the momentum had turned.
The winner arrived five minutes into the second half, and it was a team goal: Christos Tzolis fed Havertz, whose dummy released Martin Ødegaard to finish calmly on 50 minutes.
Why it matters
Arsenal sit second on goal difference, level on points with Manchester City after three straight wins — and they are doing it without conceding much at all. Sky Sports notes the defensive record has held up even with William Saliba yet to play a minute this season.
For Chelsea, the concern is the other end of the pitch: Al Jazeera notes Alonso's side had already conceded five goals across their opening two league games before Sunday. "Our reaction was top — we could have scored some more goals," Ødegaard said afterwards.