Arsenal extended their perfect start to the Premier League season with a 2-1 comeback victory over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium. Manager Mikel Arteta praised his team’s character after conceding an early goal, while providing a cautious fitness update on defender Cristhian Mosquera ahead of upcoming fixtures.
The Premier League champions faced an immediate test when Chelsea took the lead after just two minutes through a sharp finish from Morgan Rogers. Chelsea took an early lead through Morgan Rogers, but Kai Havertz starred in leveling the game and playing an influential role in another goal. Rather than folding, the Gunners steadily wrestled control of the match, transforming an early deficit into their third consecutive victory to open the campaign, improving to 3-0-0 on the young season as they begin their title defence with a perfect record.
Mikel Arteta Hails Arsenal Response After Early Setback Against Chelsea
Yet, Mikel Arteta found plenty to admire in the way his side absorbed the blow and answered back. Goals from Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard completely flipped the script at Emirates Stadium in a gripping London Derby.
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“Very disappointed the way we conceded the first goal but it’s a credit to them and the finish that Morgan had. The way we reacted, it was a fascinating game from start to finish. It was a joy to watch our composure, our reaction.”
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal Manager
“Game on. This is the quality that they have. You can tell they can produce those magic moments. I’m interested in the way we reacted, the composure we had in that moment, action after action.”
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The equalizer arrived via a driven left-footed strike from Kai Havertz from just outside the box, shortly after Riccardo Calafiori thought he had leveled previously. Arteta noted that the team had to reach another layer of threat, intent, and aggression in the attacking phase.
“There was another layer. We demand another layer, of threat, of intent, of aggression in the attacking phase. You saw that today.”
Arteta also pointed out the long-term absences the team has managed, noting they miss players for six months and five months, mentioning Martin and Bukayo, and stating that the way they handled that last season was phenomenal.
“It was a joy to stand there. It was a joy to watch the team compete from beginning to end.”
He was unreal again. He’s been showing his work rate and decision making, the way he handles the timing and the advantage he generates for his teammates is incredible. Arteta
“We attacked the game. That was what we have to do daily and find a new version, a better version of our game.”
Fitness Updates on Cristhian Mosquera and Squad Rotation
Arsenal navigated the London derby without defender Cristhian Mosquera, who was sidelined with a muscle issue after being forced off against Aston Villa last weekend. Summer signing Ezri Konsa stepped into the starting lineup in his absence.
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Arteta offered an assessment of the defender’s status following the match:
“Yeah, so he had a muscular issue, and we think it’s not too much, but we need to wait and see in the next few days how this evolves.”
Mosquera was not spotted in training pictures this week and could be in a race against time to feature in next week’s Champions League clash against Napoli. More changes are expected for that clash in Italy with the Gunners taking on Sunderland in the Premier League just a few days later. The signing of Konsa is proving to be the correct decision with Mosquera joining William Saliba and Jurrien Timber on the injury list. Despite those key absences, Arsenal have a 100 per cent winning record this season and have conceded just one goal.
Mikel Arteta, who is now a champion in what is his first managerial job, is the longest-serving current boss across all 92 teams in the Premier League and EFL at six years and 248 days. His journey has seen him constantly evolve his tactics, initially shifting to a back three to help guide Arsenal to an FA Cup final win in August 2020 after just eight months in the job.
"It was an avalanche!" | Mikel Arteta's FULL post-match reaction to Arsenal's 2-1 win over Chelsea
Reflecting on the ongoing campaign, Arteta added:
“We are very happy and we need to continue to raise the bar and look to improve every single time because there are still a lot of margins to do so. We need to enjoy the victory because it was a big one today.”
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Daniel Richardson is the Editor-in-Chief of Archysport, where he leads the editorial team and oversees all published content across nine sport verticals. With over 15 years in sports journalism, Daniel has reported from the FIFA World Cup, the Olympic Games, NFL Super Bowls, NBA Finals, and Grand Slam tennis tournaments. He previously served as Senior Sports Editor at Reuters and holds a Master's degree in Journalism from Columbia University. Recognized by the Sports Journalists' Association for excellence in reporting, Daniel is a member of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS). His editorial philosophy centers on accuracy, depth, and fair coverage — ensuring every story published on Archysport meets the highest standards of sports journalism.
