Arsenal continued their impressive start to the Premier League season with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Chelsea on Sunday, relying once again on the experience of Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard despite failing to sign a marquee striker over the summer.
Mikel Arteta's side spent nearly £200m during the transfer window but missed out on several high-profile forward targets, including Julian Alvarez, who stayed at Atletico Madrid, as well as Morgan Rogers, Bradley Barcola and Vinicius Jr, none of whom ended up at the Emirates. Rogers instead joined Chelsea, who have spent close to £350m since the end of last season, while Barcola moved to Liverpool and Vinicius Jr remained at Real Madrid.
Despite the lack of a new frontline striker, Arsenal have picked up exactly where they left off after winning their first Premier League title in 22 years last season. Following victories over Coventry City and Aston Villa, the reigning champions faced their toughest examination yet against a heavily reinforced Chelsea side and passed with a spirited comeback.
Chelsea took an early lead through their £117m summer signing Rogers, who struck just two minutes into the match. But Arsenal responded before half-time when Havertz found the equalizer, and Odegaard sealed the win with a goal in the 50th minute.
The result means Arsenal have collected nine points from a possible nine so far this season, conceding only once in three matches — a defensive record matched only by Manchester City in the current campaign. It marks just the third time in the club's history that Arsenal have won their opening three top-flight fixtures while conceding fewer than two goals, following the 1924-25 and 2003-04 seasons. The win also extended Arsenal's winning streak in the league to eight matches, stretching back to the previous campaign.
Speaking after the match, captain Odegaard reflected on the team's resilience.