Martin Odegaard scored the winning goal as Arsenal came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal’s previously unbreached defence lasted less than two minutes before Chelsea struck. A dangerous free-kick caused chaos inside the box, and Morgan Rogers reacted quickest to guide a precise volley beyond David Raya.

The early goal made Chelsea the first team in Premier League history to score inside the opening five minutes of each of their first three league matches. However, the advantage did little to settle the visitors as Arsenal immediately began pushing for a response.

The Gunners threatened from their own set pieces, with Martin Odegaard delivering a clever near-post ball that Riccardo Calafiori was unable to turn goalwards. Chelsea goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez survived the scramble, although Gabriel Magalhaes inadvertently caught him in the head during the melee.

Chelsea were fortunate again from a subsequent dead-ball situation. Calafiori appeared to have bundled the ball home after Martinez failed to deal with the delivery, but VAR ruled the goal out after Ezri Konsa was found to have touched the ball from an offside position.

End-to-end stuff at Emirates Stadium.

Let’s bring the control, Gunners 👊 pic.twitter.com/1lU51j2Bz1

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 6, 2026

Arsenal continued to press, with Bukayo Saka forcing Martinez into a save at his near post. Chelsea remained dangerous from distance, however, as Cole Palmer and Reece James both tested Raya.

The pressure eventually told. Former Chelsea forward Kai Havertz found a way through, squeezing his effort past a less-than-convincing Martinez to bring Arsenal level before the interval. Chelsea almost restored their lead moments before half-time when Pedro Neto struck the post following a brilliant pass from Joao Pedro that had released a rapid counter-attack.

Arsenal emerged from the break with greater intensity and completed the turnaround five minutes into the second half.

Havertz cleverly dummied a ball into the area, allowing Odegaard to ghost into the box and fire Arsenal ahead. The goal marked the Norwegian’s first match-winning strike since the final day of the 2024/25 Premier League season.

Havertz continued to torment his former club, producing an inventive flick to release Saka, who forced another important stop from Martinez as Arsenal searched for a third.

Chelsea refused to surrender and created one final opportunity to rescue a point. Substitute Estevao Willian produced an impressive effort, but Raya reacted superbly to keep it out and secure all three points for the champions.

REIGNING SUPREME IN N5. pic.twitter.com/SuSKQyVRhj

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 6, 2026

The victory gives Arsenal three wins from their opening three league matches for only the second time in 22 seasons. It also extends their remarkable unbeaten run against Chelsea to 12 games, with nine victories and three draws during that sequence.

For Xabi Alonso, the defeat highlighted a worrying defensive issue. Chelsea have now conceded seven goals in their opening three league games, the most among teams currently in the top 10, while their wait for a clean sheet has stretched to 19 matches.