Arsenal fight back to beat Chelsea 2-1 in Emirates Stadium derby

Arsenal claimed an important London derby victory on Sunday evening as Mikel Arteta’s side recovered from an early setback to beat Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium.

Chelsea made a dream start and needed less than two minutes to open the scoring through record signing Morgan Rogers. Arsenal responded strongly, however, with Kai Havertz equalising before Martin Ødegaard completed the turnaround shortly after half-time.

The victory maintained Arsenal's impressive start to the season and handed Xabi Alonso's Chelsea their first major setback of the campaign.

Chelsea stunned the Emirates almost immediately.

Reece James delivered a free-kick into the Arsenal penalty area, where Jorrel Hato won the aerial duel. The loose ball dropped invitingly for Rogers on the edge of the box, and the Chelsea midfielder fired his effort beyond David Raya to make it 1-0.

Arsenal thought they had responded around ten minutes later following a Declan Rice free-kick.

Gabriel and Ezri Konsa were unable to force the ball over the line before Riccardo Calafiori eventually finished the move, but the Italian was ruled offside and the goal was disallowed.

Arsenal did not have to wait much longer for their equaliser.

Havertz drifted towards the right flank before cutting inside and finding enough space to shoot. The German produced an excellent left-footed finish into the near corner to make it 1-1.

Chelsea had an opportunity to restore their advantage before the break when Rogers moved inside from the left and attempted to find the far corner, but his effort went comfortably wide.

The teams consequently entered half-time level, but Arsenal quickly took control following the restart.

Just five minutes into the second half, Arsenal produced the decisive moment.

Christos Tzolis found Havertz, whose clever dummy opened space for Ødegaard. The Arsenal captain took advantage with an excellent finish to put the hosts 2-1 ahead.

Chelsea attempted to respond and Cole Palmer was presented with an opportunity on his right foot, but Raya comfortably dealt with his effort.

Arsenal successfully protected their advantage from there, securing a significant 2-1 victory over their London rivals after overcoming Chelsea's explosive start.

Arsenal can take significant confidence from the manner of their comeback, particularly after falling behind almost immediately.

Havertz played a decisive role with a goal and involvement in Ødegaard's winner, strengthening his case to remain Arteta's preferred option through the middle.

For Chelsea, Alonso will need to assess why his side lost control after such an impressive opening. The Blues demonstrated their threat through Rogers but were ultimately unable to prevent Arsenal from taking command of the derby.