London, Sept. 6 — Arsenal survived an electric early scare to beat Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, with Kai Havertz and captain Martin Odegaard turning the tide in a London derby that kept both sets of fans on edge until the final whistle.
Chelsea burst out of the blocks, with Morgan Rogers striking inside the opening two minutes to send the away end into raptures and put the hosts firmly on the back foot. But Arsenal, unbowed, hit back through Havertz in the 25th minute to level the score, setting up a tense first-half battle that saw Pedro Neto crash a shot against the post in stoppage time as Chelsea searched for a way back in front.
The game swung decisively Arsenal’s way early in the second half. In the 50th minute, Havertz turned provider, dummying a pass from Christos Tzolis to send Odegaard clean through on goal, and the Arsenal skipper made no mistake, slotting home to put the Gunners ahead for the first time.
From there, Arsenal leaned on their control of possession to see out the win, though a nervy finish saw manager Mikel Arteta send on Mikel Merino and Viktor Gyokeres in place of Odegaard and Havertz as Chelsea pushed hard for a leveller that never came.
The result keeps Arsenal firmly in the title conversation and hands Chelsea their first dent in what had been a perfect start to the season, a defeat that will sting given how close Enzo Maresca’s side came to a derby day upset at the Emirates.