L A Adithya
In a much-anticipated encounter, Arsenal breezed past Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday in the Premier League with a dominant display. Both teams came in with a 100 per cent record in the league, while the Gunners were coming in strong with 2 clean sheets behind them. The Blues seemed formidable coming into this game after their rollercoaster win against Brighton on August 30.
Chelsea drew first blood in the 2nd minute as new signing Morgan Rogers fired one from the edge of the penalty area to steer the lead. Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya was caught scrambling as it drove into the bottom corner.
Arsenal thought they had equalised with Riccardo Calafiori bundling it in before Ezri Konza was called offside when he got the touch on the ball that led to the former scrambling it in. Arsenal, clearly on the front foot despite trailing by a goal, found the equaliser in Kai Havertz with a moment of individual brilliance. The German, receiving the ball on the left, cut in to drive one low to the near post, leaving Emi Martinez flat-footed.
The Gunners extended their lead in the second half when Christos Tzolis threaded one towards Kai Havertz, who brilliantly acted as a decoy and left it for Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard, who then made a run into the box from behind and smashed the ball into the back of the net.
Despite coming close on multiple occasions, once when Pedro Neto hit the upright and the other when Estevao’s curler was met with one of the saves of the season from Raya, Chelsea fell short due to Arsenal’s sheer dominance with the ball. Odegaard took home the match ball after running the show from the middle of the park. Konza’s brilliant last-ditch interception earned him a roar from the Arsenal fans, cementing his arrival at the Emirates.
Xabi Alonso’s men will now play Leeds United at Stamford Bridge in the EFL Cup, while Arteta will look to continue to build on their current form in Europe against Napoli.