Arsenal maintained their perfect Premier League start with a 2-1 comeback victory over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium, with Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz leading an impressive response from Mikel Arteta’s side.
Morgan Rogers scored after only 77 seconds, but Arsenal quickly took control.
Havertz equalised against his former club before Ødegaard completed the turnaround five minutes after half-time.
Here are our Arsenal player ratings from the London derby.
David Raya – 7
Could do very little about Rogers’ excellent early volley.
Otherwise had a relatively quiet evening because Arsenal restricted Chelsea to only 0.35 expected goals, but his contribution became crucial late on when he denied Estêvão an equaliser.
That save ensured Arsenal’s strong defensive performance still produced all three points, even after the perfect clean-sheet start discussed in our analysis of Arsenal’s defensive numbers finally ended.
Ben White – 7
Another dependable performance.
Provided an outlet outside Saka and dealt well with Chelsea’s attempts to attack Arsenal’s right side.
Nothing spectacular, but increasingly looks back to the reliable level Arteta expects.
Ezri Konsa – 7
An encouraging first Arsenal start.
Konsa was involved in the disallowed Calafiori goal after being caught narrowly offside, but recovered well and looked increasingly comfortable alongside Gabriel.
One particularly important intervention against Rogers stood out during Chelsea’s second-half pressure.
After being handed his opportunity in the confirmed Arsenal XI, Konsa did little to suggest the occasion was too big for him.
Gabriel Magalhães – 7.5
Typically aggressive.
Chelsea’s opening goal came before Arsenal had settled, but Gabriel was excellent afterwards and repeatedly attacked crosses and loose balls.
His block from Reece James during the closing stages was especially important.
Arsenal’s current depth at centre-back can be followed through the permanent Arsenal squad guide.
Riccardo Calafiori – 7.5
Thought he had equalised when he forced the ball home during an early goalmouth scramble, only for VAR to rule Konsa offside.
Continued to attack aggressively from left-back and gave Arsenal useful width whenever Tzolis moved inside.
Another assertive performance.
Declan Rice – 8
Excellent.
Rice provided the assist for Havertz’s equaliser and repeatedly helped Arsenal regain control after Chelsea’s explosive opening.
He completed 62 of his 67 passes, illustrating just how efficiently Arsenal moved possession through midfield.
Our pre-match analysis of how Rice and Ødegaard could exploit Chelsea’s midfield aged rather well.
Myles Lewis-Skelly – 7
Quieter than some of those around him but disciplined.
Helped Rice prevent Chelsea turning the game into the transition-heavy contest Xabi Alonso wanted.
Didn’t dominate individually, but his positioning helped Arsenal establish territorial control.
Bukayo Saka – 7.5
Didn’t get the goal or assist his performance probably deserved.
Forced Emi Martínez into action and remained a constant concern whenever Arsenal isolated him on the right.
Chelsea devoted significant attention to stopping him, which helped create space elsewhere.
Martin Ødegaard – 9 ⭐
Man of the match.
The captain delivered when Arsenal needed him.
His winning goal was emphatic, bursting onto the ball after Havertz’s clever dummy before finishing high beyond Martínez.
The numbers underline the wider performance.
Ødegaard completed 48 of 54 passes, created four chances and produced two big chances for teammates. He finished with a 9.2 Sofascore rating, the highest on the pitch.
This was much more than a decisive goal.
It was a captain taking control of Arsenal’s biggest game of the season so far.
Christos Tzolis – 8
Arteta’s decision to keep Tzolis in the XI ahead of Eberechi Eze paid off.
He supplied the ball for Ødegaard’s winning goal and created four chances overall.
His directness also gave Chelsea problems whenever Arsenal switched play towards the left.
After the pre-match debate around whether Eze should start, Tzolis produced exactly the sort of response Arteta would have wanted.
Kai Havertz – 8.5
Superb.
Havertz scored the equaliser against his former club with a low left-footed finish and then played a crucial role in Ødegaard’s winner without even touching the ball.
His intelligent dummy allowed Tzolis’ pass to run through and opened the space Ødegaard attacked.
Havertz also created three chances during a performance that perfectly demonstrated the tactical qualities highlighted in our pre-match feature on why Havertz could be Arsenal’s key weapon against Chelsea.
Arteta now has an even more interesting decision to make with Viktor Gyökeres waiting for starts.
Arsenal substitutes
Viktor Gyökeres – 6.5: Finally given Premier League minutes and worked hard during the closing stages without receiving a clear scoring opportunity.
Mikel Merino – 6.5: Helped Arsenal regain some midfield security after replacing Ødegaard.
Martin Zubimendi – 7: Brought composure at exactly the point Arsenal needed to slow the contest down.
Piero Hincapié – 6.5: Added defensive security as Arsenal protected the lead.
ReadArsenal Player of the Match: Martin Ødegaard – 9/10
Chelsea landed the first punch.
Ødegaard ultimately delivered the decisive one.
Arsenal created the better opportunities throughout, recording nine shots on target and a considerable xG advantage, before their captain ensured the performance produced the result it deserved.
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