Arsenal Come From Behind to Beat Chelsea 2-1 and Keep Their Perfect Start Intact
Arsenal came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium on 6 September 2026, maintaining a perfect start to the Premier League season with nine points from three games (BBC Sport).
Chelsea struck first, but the home side were level before half-time through Kai Havertz — a goal that carried extra weight given it came against his former club (Al Jazeera, ESPN). Five minutes after the restart, Martin Odegaard struck the winner. The move was built by the whole team: Havertz dummied the ball — letting it run past him to confuse the defence — and Odegaard finished off the flowing attack (NBC Sports).
Odegaard's goal was his third in four appearances across all competitions this season. That is a sharp turnaround for a player who managed only one in 36 the previous campaign (BBC Sport). Arsenal's official match report noted that Havertz and Odegaard were "again on target," underlining how central the pair have become to this side's early-season rhythm (Arsenal.com).
Only one other club — Manchester City — can match Arsenal's maximum nine points from the opening three fixtures (BBC Sport). That puts the two together at the summit of the early table, with everyone else already playing catch-up.
This was not the first time these two had produced a tight, decisive contest. Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 in a nervy league derby on 1 March 2026, a result that kept their title destiny in their own hands (Reuters). They also edged Chelsea in the EFL Cup — the domestic knockout competition — with Havertz scoring the only goal off the final kick of the game in February's semi-final second leg to reach the final (Premier League). The London rivals have made a habit of close-run, late-settled encounters.
What stands out about this latest instalment is the manner of the comeback. Going behind at home to a rival side can unravel a team's composure, especially early in a season when patterns are still forming. Instead, Arsenal regrouped, found their equaliser before the break, and then produced the better team goal of the afternoon to win it. For a fanbase that watches every September result for clues about whether a title challenge is real, this one will have landed well.
