Arsenal

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Arsenal's Ezri Konsa says he loves the type of duels he was in during Sunday's win over Chelsea - including his strong tackle on former Aston Villa team-mate Morgan Rogers.

Rogers broke down the left as the Blues searched for an equaliser in the second half, but summer signing Konsa strode over to put in a strong, perfectly-timed slide tackle to bring a roar of approval from the Gunners fans inside Emirates Stadium.

"I love duels," said Konsa.

"As a defender, I think these are things you have to cherish."

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Sunday was Konsa's first start for his new club and he played 90 minutes in a key victory over a potential title rival. Moments like his tackle on Rogers will endear him to his new fans.

"For me personally, I love a challenge," he added.

"I love being in duels. I had a few today and I'm glad I came out on top.

"Rogers is a good friend of mine, but on the pitch, it's a different story. I saw the opportunity to go in and make the tackle and it came off."

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Arsenal and Chelsea.

Here are some of your comments:

Arsenal fans

Matthew: Established squad beats big summer spenders. Another example of how building a squad over time really pays off. Very optimistic display.

Vince: It was arguably our first big test in the league and the boys passed it with flying colours. They played with the confidence and grit of champions, swamping Chelsea and forcing the equaliser as if by sheer willpower alone, before Martin Odegaard scored the winner following some classy play. A massive, massive result.

Brian: I'm 84 years old and have been a Gooner since I was five. Wow, what a game. Mikel Arteta has got this team exactly as he wants and they were magnificent against Chelsea. The defence is fully under control, with David Raya putting on a excellent display. I thought Chelsea were not there expecting to win and their midfield was somewhat in disarray at times. Think Xabi Alonso needs to tighten at the back more too.

Gabriel: This game was the epitome of "attack wins you games, but defence wins you championships". Unfortunately for Chelsea, we had both those categories. Riccardo Calafiori was an absolute beast, Christos Tzolis reminded everybody who he is again, and this crazy captain of mine Odegaard was at it again. Huge test passedand we go again at Napoli.

Chelsea fans

George: Chelsea, as usual, conceded after taking the lead but this time Arsenal deserved to be ahead as they were better. The usual suspects were poor/average while Arsenal had 11 good players on the pitch. I do believe Chelsea will continue to improve and hopefully Estevao Willian will start games by Christmas.

Nicholas: We certainly gave them something to think about. Given we had a makeshift midfield and a defence that is largely all over the place, it was surprisingly Arsenal who were defending at the end. Big, big mistake not getting a top midfielder in the transfer window, which will probably be costly at the end of the season if it's not fixed. Arsenal can certainly be got at, not like the Manchester City and Liverpool of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp respectively.

Tristan: I'm so, so gutted. When Morgan Rogers scored that early goal, I thought we had a chance - but it is what is. I think the two goals we conceded were a bit unlucky - if only Emi Martinez stopped that Kai Havertz shot and our centre-halves weren't split as much. But there is a silver lining - I do think we are still title contenders. And we wait for Hull City.

Fossie: An excellent start but we conceded far too much possession to Arsenal and the inevitable happened. Gabriel should have been sent off for kicking Martinez in the head and Estevao was unlucky near the end. But there were some positive signs, enough to at least be challenging for the title.

Neil Johnston
BBC Sport journalist

It is surely too early in the season to get carried away, and there are likely to be bigger tests ahead for Mikel Arteta's side.

Against Chelsea, they had to find a different way to win after £117m signing Morgan Rogers fired the visitors into a second-minute lead at Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

"Our mentality is to keep fighting. We have shown that many times," said captain Martin Odegaard, who scored the 50th-minute winner after Kai Havertz had equalised before half-time.

"We never want to concede early, but the reaction is top. We got our reward in the end and the response was brilliant.

"We showed our quality with and without the ball and the result reflects that."

Odegaard has scored three goals in four appearances this season, after netting only once in 36 last term.

"It was a big game, massive game, tough opponent, and we got there in the end, so brilliant," he said.

Former Manchester United and England player Ashley Young said Odegaard's form will be key for Arsenal this season.

"He's just a joy to watch," Young told BBC Sport. "He's exciting when he gets on the ball and he's allowing other players to get on the ball.

"The connection down the right side between him, Bukayo Saka and Havertz - it's just good to see when you've got players that know each other and build relationships in that way."

Havertz said Odegaard was back to his "very best".

"He's an unbelievable player - we have seen that over the last years," said the Germany forward.

"He's going to help us a lot this season."

Watch Sunday's episode of Match of the Day on BBC iPlayer

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Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton said Arsenal are still ahead of the rest, despite their rivals spending hundreds of millions of pounds during the transfer window.

"They're such a powerhouse," said the former Chelsea, Blackburn and England forward.

"Chelsea are a good team, but Arsenal always find a way to win. Can you stop Arsenal? I don't think they [other Premier League teams] can."

The Gunners have won their opening three games of a top-flight campaign while conceding fewer than two goals (one) for the third time - after 1924-25, when they finished 20th, and 2003-04, when they went the season unbeaten.

They have also won eight league games in a row stretching back to last season.

Having seen off big-spending Chelsea, their next league match is at Sunderland on Saturday.

Before that, Mikel Arteta's side launch their Champions League campaign at Serie A side Napoli on Wednesday.

Match of the Day pundit Wayne Rooney says Gabriel was fortunate to stay on the pitch after his challenge on Chelsea' goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

Watch Match of the Day on BBC iPlayer

Arsenal, Manchester City and Al-Hilal are interested in Chelsea winger Pedro Neto and could make a move for the 26-year-old Portugal international in the January transfer window. (Caught Offside), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Arsenal starting XI:

David Raya: The Arsenal goalkeeper was beaten by the quality of Morgan Rogers' finish but dealt comfortably with the other efforts he faced and produced one stunning save late on from Estevao. 6

Ben White: A tidy display in possession, although he made little impact at either end of the pitch. 6

Gabriel Magalhaes: Outshone by Ezri Konsa at times but still produced an effective performance. 7

Ezri Konsa: On his first Arsenal start, he won more duels than any other defender and was joint-top for possession won in the first half. 7

Riccardo Calafiori: His underlapping runs were typically adventurous and the Italy defender played a key role in creating problems from set-pieces. 7

Myles Lewis-Skelly: Fired a poor effort wide from the edge of the area late in the first half and was caught in possession in a dangerous area, but competed well in midfield. 6

Declan Rice: Played his part in a fiercely contested midfield battle and contributed well both in and out of possession. 6

Martin Odegaard: Put Arsenal ahead early in the second half with a composed finish. Also impressed with the quality of his delivery, both in open play and from set-pieces. 8

Bukayo Saka: A constant threat from set-pieces and regularly won free-kicks in dangerous positions. His impressive second-half effort was saved. 8

Kai Havertz: Passed up a shooting opportunity in the 23rd minute but made no mistake with his next chance, cutting inside to score two minutes later. Also played a part in Odegaard's goal and proved a threat at set-pieces. 7

Christos Tzolis: Delivered well from the left and provided Arsenal's main outlet whenever they broke from periods of Chelsea possession. 7

Arsenal substitutes:

Martin Zubimendi (on 67, Myles-Skelly): A complete substitute performance involving dangerous shots, impressive passing and breaking up the play. 7

Piero Hincapie (on 67, Calafiori): Kept it simple with Arsenal ahead. 6

Mikel Merino (on 77, Odegaard): A tidy addition late on in midfield. 6

Viktor Gyokores (on 78, Havertz): Not much opportunity to make an impact as Arsenal held onto their lead. 5

Noni Madueke (on 90, Saka)

Subs not used:

Arrizabalaga, Guimaraes, Dowman

Read the full article and see how you rated the players

Neil Johnston
BBC Sport journalist

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This was Arsenal's first major test against rivals who had also won their opening two matches, and they passed it after exposing Chelsea's defensive vulnerabilities.

Along with Manchester City, the Gunners are one of only two teams to have a 100% winning record after three games - but their latest success came after an unexpected setback.

Arsenal's first league title for 22 years was built on their stubborn defence and there will be questions about how they conceded so early against their London rivals.

Yet the spirit and character that propelled them towards the Premier League crown last season remains strong after they were made to dig deep before celebrating an eighth straight Premier League win stretching back to last season.

Arsenal's failure to bring in an elite forward during the transfer window has led to questions, yet it was two familiar faces whose goals turned it around for Arteta's side in the shape of Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard.

Meanwhile, it was a solid first start in red and white for Ezri Konsa, whose £55m arrival from Aston Villa has gone under the radar, as Arsenal signed off with three points before the start of their Champions League campaign away to Napoli on Wednesday.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "It wasn't the right start but we certainly reacted in an amazing way. I enjoyed the way we competed; we took risks, it was a joy to watch and an incredible game. They have a great coach who can set them up in great condition. With the quality you have, you feel they can create something out of nothing at any moment. We constrained them well. Overall, it was an incredible performance from our side."

On Martin Odegaard: "I think he is enjoying his football. His personal life is settled, he is available, he is training, he has his routine and if he is intelligent, he can take a lot of benefits from the players around him. I think he was outstanding today."

On winning all three league matches so far and only conceding one goal: "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."

Arsenal's Kai Havertz, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "It's always nice to win at home against a London rival. It was a tough game but over the 90 minutes, we deserved to win that game."

On keeping Chelsea quiet: "They have strong players. They have an amazing squad but so do we. We knew it was going to be tough and it's going to be a tight game. They scored early, so it's not easy for us but we believed in ourselves and changed the game around."

On his goal: "I was happy the ball went through the legs of the defender, so it was tough to see the ball for him. Always happy to score."

On Martin Odegaard: "I think he's an unbelievable player, we saw that over the last years. This season, I think he's back to his best. I think he's going to help us a lot this season."

Did you know?

• Arsenal have come from behind to beat Chelsea in a Premier League game for the first time since October 2011 (5-3), ending a run of 14 without a victory when trailing the Blues (four draws, 10 losses).

• Arsenal have won their opening three games of a top-flight campaign while also conceding fewer than two goals (one) for the third time since 1924-25, when they finished 20th and in 2003-04, when they went the whole season unbeaten.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Arsenal's performance

What did you make of Chelsea's display?

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Monday for a selection of your replies.

There are two games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

Everton v Man Utd (14:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Arsenal v Chelsea (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

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Arsenal were a bit clunky last time out against Aston Villa, while I love what Xabi Alonso is doing at Chelsea.

He doesn't care about possession, and that's not how Chelsea try to get results.

It's strange because I had a look at how his Bayer Leverkusen side lined up when they won the Bundesliga, and they were pretty dominant possession-wise.

So, it is quite alarming when you look at the two league games Chelsea have played and see how much of the ball they haven't had. Against Fulham they only had 38% possession and then against Brighton it was down to 25%.

I don't know whether that is by design or by just not having the players to dominate. They are still free-scoring, but they are conceding loads of goals too.

Whatever the reason, I don't see it changing here. Arsenal are so powerful and the only question mark around them is if they are a forward or two short.

Even so, you would not exactly say they have a real weakness anywhere. The beauty of Mikel Arteta's side is they can play in different ways.

They demolished Manchester City in the Community Shield with some pure football, and played some nice stuff against Coventry too, but then they were able to grind out a win at Aston Villa as well.

Ultimately, whether they are free-flowing or not, their organisation should see them through this game too.

Sutton's prediction: 3-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Arsenal and Chelsea meet on Saturday having each won both of their opening matches.

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes ahead of Sunday's meeting at Emirates Stadium (16:30 BST).

Arsenal will aim to continue a strong start to their title defence by winning their opening three Premier League matches for only the second time in the past 21 seasons.

The Gunners have begun 2026-27 in comfortable fashion both on and off the pitch. Effective recruitment this summer means that Mikel Arteta's side were not involved in the scramble of deadline day, with the £51m purchase of Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa on 21 August proving to be Arsenal's final signing of the summer window.

Konsa made his debut as a late substitute against his former employers during the 1-0 win at Villa Park on Monday night and reinforcing an already formidable defence with an England international has underlined Arsenal's strongest suit.

So far this season, they have faced the fewest shots (11) and shots on target (one) and have allowed opponents the lowest collective expected goals tally (0.54) of any side. They are yet to concede a goal in three games, including the 3-0 Community Shield win against Manchester City.

Chelsea's start to the season has been of a different ilk entirely, so too the nature of their transfer business.

Deadline day saw midfielder Enzo Fernandez depart for City in a move which matched the British transfer record fee of £125m that Liverpool paid to Newcastle for Alexander Isak's services last summer.

In total, 14 players have left Stamford Bridge in the transfer window, with 13 coming in, at a trading profit of more than £45m.

Chelsea's frenetic transfer activity has been matched by events on the pitch, with their two Premier League games so far featuring 12 goals in wins against Fulham and Brighton.

They could become the first side to see their opening three games of a top-flight season each feature five or more goals since Arsenal themselves in 1988.

Midfielder Cole Palmer was back to his best in helping Chelsea beat Brighton 4-3 last weekend, scoring what proved to be the winner in the 74th minute.

The England international has scored 49 goals in 98 Premier League games for Chelsea since joining from Manchester City for £40m in 2023.

Should he score against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, Palmer will become only the third Chelsea player to reach a half-century of Premier League goals in fewer than 100 games.

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

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Mikel Arteta would not be drawn on Arsenal's hunt for a new forward after the Gunners were unable to bring in another attacker by Tuesday's transfer deadline.

Arsenal signed Christos Tzolis but were unsuccessful in their pursuit of Julian Alvarez and Vinicius Jr, ending the window with fewer attackers in their squad than they started with after sanctioning the departures of Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard.

But Arteta was quick to back his options when asked if the players he has in the forward positions are world class.

He said: "I love my players, that's all I can say. In the bracket, how you want to put them, I don't know.

"At the end of the season, we'll put everybody in their place. Let's trust them.

"Let's make sure that we are right behind them and we'll do everything we can to help the incredible talent that they have."

The Gunners won their first Premier League title for 22 years last season but were not able to bring in the elite forward they craved. However, Arteta would not comment on the views of some that it is a missed opportunity.

"I don't know, these are just opinions," added the Spanaird.

"The window is closed and I prefer to look at all the incredible things that we have in the squad, not spend any more time on the things that are not part of us right now. That's it, and that's my main responsibility."

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (16:30pm BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Speaking about not signing another forward during the transfer window, Arteta said: "I love the players that we have, that is for sure. It is what it is, this is what we have and we already have some very, very good players. Let's trust them and let's make sure we are right behind them, and I will do everything we can to help the incredible talent that we have."

• In May, Arteta called on Arsenal to be "very ambitious, very fast and very smart" this summer and when asked if he thinks that has happened, he replied: "One hundred per cent ticked. The outcome after can be different to what you expect, but the intention was certainly there which is what I value most."

• Bruno Guimaraes is being assessed after picking up a knock against Aston Villa, but Arteta expects him to be "ok for training" on Saturday.

• Cristhian Mosquera's withdrawal against Villa was "more precaution than anything else", with Arteta saying they will assess how he feels in the next training session.

• Ezri Konsa is "certainly available in the squad" to face Chelsea, although Arteta will make a decision on whether he starts after considering his options.

• Jurrien Timber is "in really good condition" after spending several weeks back on the training pitch with the squad. Arteta will decide on his availability for Sunday after Saturday's session.

• William Saliba's return date remains unclear as he continues his recovery from a back problem. Arteta said the progression has been "really positive" but they need to see how he responds when more load is introduced.

• Arteta said including Saliba in the Champions League squad was an "easy" decision and they had the space to do so.

• On Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso, a childhood friend, Arteta said he is "really happy for him" and described facing each other while managing two of the country's top clubs as "a beautiful experience".

• Arteta said the focus for Ethan Nwaneri is now on playing for Borussia Dortmund after joining them on loan. On a clause allowing him to return to Arsenal in January, he said: "Then we will see what happens."

• Nwaneri could potentially face Arsenal in the Champions League, with Arteta confirming that is possible because different rules apply to the competition compared with the Premier League.

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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