Arsenal come from behind to beat Chelsea 3-2 and make it three from three
Arsenal came from behind to beat Chelsea 3-2 at Stamford Bridge on 6 September 2026, extending their perfect start to a Premier League title defence that now reads three wins out of three The Guardian.
Chelsea struck first. Morgan Rogers, the £117m summer signing from Aston Villa, met the ball on the volley from the edge of the area after just 77 seconds. Arsenal had offered £80m for Rogers in the same window; Chelsea paid the premium, and he repaid some of it inside two minutes The Guardian.
Kai Havertz dragged Arsenal level in the 25th minute with a low shot that beat Emiliano Martínez — a former Arsenal goalkeeper now between the posts for Chelsea — at the near post. The score stayed 1-1 to the break, but only until the early minutes of the second half. Martin Ødegaard, making his first start since the end of August after recovering from an ankle injury, drove Arsenal ahead shortly after half-time The Guardian. Chelsea equalised in the 57th minute, only for Arsenal to find a third and close the match out Arsenal.com; ChelseaFC.com.
Ødegaard's return is a significant boost for Mikel Arteta. The Arsenal captain had been ruled out "for a while" after a "significant" ankle injury, as Arteta described it Premier League. Prior to this season, the Norwegian had 178 Premier League appearances for Arsenal with 36 goals and 37 assists to his name Premier League. He also has a particular taste for Chelsea: he scored twice in a 3-1 win over them in May 2023 that put Arsenal top of the league Reuters.
For Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso, the early-goal habit is both a blessing and a warning. Rogers had also scored early in each of Alonso's first two league matches in charge, against Fulham and Brighton The Guardian. The pattern speaks to Alonso's ability to fire his side out of the blocks, but the reverse — Chelsea's inability to hold the lead — will trouble him.
Arsenal had not lost to Chelsea in their previous eleven meetings in all competitions, winning eight of them The Guardian. Chelsea's last four away league games at Arsenal had produced an aggregate score of 11-2 in the home side's favour Arsenal.com.
Arsenal began their title defence on 21 August with a 3-0 win over Coventry, a match Ødegaard called "the perfect start" Reuters. Three games later, the start is still perfect — and the captain is back firing.
