Arsenal Come From Behind to Beat Chelsea 2-1 as Champions Maintain Perfect Start

Arsenal recovered from conceding inside the opening two minutes to defeat Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates, maintaining their perfect start to the Premier League title defence as Matchweek 3 also produced late drama for Manchester United, another win for Manchester City and Liverpool's first victory of the season.

Arsenal passed their first major test of the new Premier League campaign on Sunday, coming from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 in a high-intensity London derby at the Emirates Stadium. Kai Havertz cancelled out Morgan Rogers' early opener before captain Martin Ødegaard scored the decisive goal shortly after half-time, giving the defending champions a third victory from three league matches.

Chelsea could hardly have asked for a better start. Rogers, who had been heavily linked with Arsenal during the summer before eventually moving from Aston Villa to Chelsea, struck after just 77 seconds. Following a Reece James free-kick that Arsenal failed to clear completely, the ball fell to Rogers on the edge of the area and he sent a controlled volley beyond David Raya. It was the first Premier League goal Arsenal had conceded this season.

The response from Mikel Arteta's side was immediate and aggressive. Arsenal pushed Chelsea deep, increased the tempo and created a succession of opportunities. Riccardo Calafiori briefly thought he had equalised after a goalmouth scramble, but VAR ruled the goal out because Ezri Konsa had been offside earlier in the move.

Arsenal did not have to wait much longer. Havertz levelled the match in the 25th minute, drifting across the edge of the penalty area before beating Emiliano Martínez with a low finish at the near post. The goal completed a particularly strong period for the home side and underlined how quickly Arsenal had recovered from the shock of falling behind.

Chelsea nevertheless remained dangerous and came close to retaking the lead shortly before half-time when Pedro Neto struck the post. But Arsenal emerged from the interval with renewed control and needed only five minutes of the second half to complete the comeback. Christos Tzolis played the ball towards Havertz, whose intelligent dummy allowed it to continue into the path of Ødegaard. The captain arrived in space and finished to make it 2-1.

The closing stages offered another test of Arsenal's defensive resilience. Chelsea committed more players forward and substitute Estêvão came close to an equaliser in the 89th minute, forcing Raya into an important save. Arsenal held on, however, and the victory maintained a perfect league record that now reads three wins from three.

The result is particularly significant because Arsenal entered the campaign as defending Premier League champions and have shown few signs of losing momentum. After three rounds, they sit level with Manchester City on nine points and the same +5 goal difference, with City occupying first place on goals scored. Chelsea, meanwhile, suffered their first league defeat of the season and remain on six points.

Elsewhere in Matchweek 3, Manchester City also maintained their perfect start with a 1-0 victory over newly promoted Coventry City. Erling Haaland scored the only goal of the game with a first-half header, his third Premier League goal of the season and the 300th club goal of his career. City have therefore matched Arsenal's nine points from the opening three rounds, setting up an early battle between two teams already separated from much of the field.

Liverpool finally registered their first league victory under Andoni Iraola with a 2-0 win away to Ipswich Town. Alexander Isak decided the game early, scoring twice inside the opening nine minutes, with Cody Gakpo providing both assists. The result moved Liverpool to five points after draws in their opening two matches.

One of the most entertaining matches of the round came at Craven Cottage, where Crystal Palace twice came from behind to beat Fulham 3-2. Tyrick Mitchell scored twice before Ben Chilwell struck the winner in the 77th minute, giving Palace their first Premier League victory of the campaign and leaving Fulham without a point after three matches.

Sunday's earlier game also produced a dramatic finish. Manchester United appeared to have secured a 2-1 victory over Everton when Benjamin Šeško scored in the 88th minute, only for deadline-day signing Ainsley Maitland-Niles to equalise in the sixth minute of stoppage time. The 2-2 draw left United with four points from their opening three games, while Everton remained unbeaten. Tottenham's difficult start also continued as they were held to a goalless draw by Nottingham Forest and remain without a league victory.

For Arsenal, though, the main message from the weekend was clear. Conceding early against one of the league's strongest attacking sides could easily have destabilised the champions, but instead they responded with intensity, control and enough attacking quality to turn the match around. With Arsenal and Manchester City already perfect after three games, the opening weeks of the season are beginning to suggest that another demanding title race may be taking shape — and Arsenal's comeback against Chelsea was their strongest statement of the campaign so far.