(VIDEO) All Goals! Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea in the Premier League: Mikel Arteta Gets the Better of Xabi Alonso in a Statement Win

The reigning English champions were not intimidated by the Spanish manager or the new-look Blues. Here’s everything you need to know.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal showed championship-winning character as the "Gunners" came from behind to beat Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium, maintaining their perfect start to the Premier League season. The victory leaves Arsenal and Manchester City as the only two teams with a perfect nine points from nine.

The win carries added significance because it came against a Chelsea side that had also won its opening two matches and was emerging as a serious title contender.

ARSENAL RESPONDS TO CHELSEA’S EARLY GOAL

Chelsea made a dream start. Just 77 seconds into the match, Morgan Rogers reacted quickest to a second ball following a Reece James free kick. Jorrel Hato kept the ball alive inside the box, allowing Rogers to unleash a right-footed volley from the edge of the area that flew past David Raya to make it 1-0.

Arsenal responded with intense pressure and territorial dominance. The Gunners briefly thought they had equalized through Riccardo Calafiori around the 12th minute, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

The home side eventually got their reward in the 25th minute. Former Chelsea player Kai Havertz received the ball on the right, cut inside and fired a low left-footed shot from just outside the box that caught Emiliano Martínez at his near post. The equalizer completely changed the momentum of the game.

ØDEGAARD COMPLETES ARSENAL’S COMEBACK

The decisive moment came just five minutes after halftime. In the 50th minute, Christos Tzolis sent a low cross into the box, where Havertz produced an intelligent dummy, allowing the ball to run through to Martin Ødegaard. The Arsenal captain found himself unmarked and calmly finished from close range past Martínez to make it 2-1.

Chelsea had chances to level the score. Pedro Neto struck the base of the post, while late in the match David Raya produced a crucial save against Estêvão to preserve Arsenal’s lead.

For Arteta, the victory means much more than three points. His team showed the ability to recover from an early setback, handle pressure and defeat a direct title rival. Arsenal moved to nine points, level with Manchester City, while Chelsea suffered their first defeat of the campaign and remained on six points.

The Gunners also extended their unbeaten run against Chelsea to 12 matches in all competitions, further highlighting Arsenal’s recent dominance in this London derby.