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Arsenal came from behind courtesy of a Martin Odegaard winner, securing a 2-1 win over rivals Chelsea in a high-octane London Derby at Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
The 'Super Sunday' clash saw both London giants at their best in the first major Premier League clash of the new season, with defending champions Arsenal levelling with Manchester City with nine points and Chelsea on fourth with six points. Morgan Rogers put Arsenal ahead in the second minute and that poked Arsenal. After Riccardo Calafiori's goal was given offside, the former Chelsea star Kai Havertz struck in the 25th minute from the edge of the box to level the scores. Arsenal was dominating the proceedings, and Chelsea missed a chance to take the lead as Rogers' attempt went wide and Pedro Neto hit the woodwork. The scoreline read 1-1 after the first half. In the 50th minute, Odegaard put Arsenal in front, latching onto a pass from Christos Tzolis. Chelsea had their moments in the second half, but Arsenal was much more ruthless; Bukayo Saka and Ezri Konsa were denied by veteran goalie Emiliano Martinez. In the 89th minute, Estevao produced a sensational curling effort, which needed some saving from David Raya to keep the lead intact. Speaking after the match as quoted by Sky Sports, Arsenal boss Arteta said, "I think it is an indication for us of how capable we are to perform at an even higher level than last season. "And it depends on how we maintain and sustain that desire, that humility, and continue every day to try to find a better version of myself and the team. We still have a lot to grow and a lot to offer, and this is the ambition of the team." "I think it was an exceptional performance. I think I enjoyed every minute of it from the beginning to the end, and the beginning was tough, but I enjoyed it because the team reacted in a spectacular way." "The conviction, the determination, the quality of which I intend to have them constantly, it was beautiful.It was a fascinating game, I think, for the spectator as well, and I think we deserved to win the game, which I am really pleased with, obviously," he signed off. Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso also said to Sky Sports that his priority is to win games and his side needs to be "tighter, more clinical, more balanced." "We wanted to compete, win here. We knew we were not that far but it went their way. We could have scored for 2-1 and you never know what happens.The result is the result; I cannot argue against that. But we need to take it, not happy. It hurts. Disappointed for sure. This is our first defeat," he said. "I want to compete in the best possible way to win. Today we did not want to sit deep from the first minute. We want to be active, protagonists in the pressing. We have done many right things. We need to make it better, learn from them." "When you play at the top level, we want to be as efficient in all the phases of the game. But this is where we are. It is game three or four for us in a new phase starting with Chelsea. I am pleased with the spirit and attitude of the players. They worked hard," he signed off. (ANI)
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