Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso admitted Arsenal are difficult to beat after his side surrendered an early lead to lose 2-1 to the Premier League champions at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Chelsea made a flying start when Morgan Rogers stunned the home crowd with a right-footed volley after just 77 seconds, but Arsenal responded to turn the game around and maintain their perfect start to the season.
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Kai Havertz restored parity for Arsenal in the 25th minute before captain Martin Ødegaard completed the comeback shortly after half-time.
Alonso acknowledged the difficulty of breaking down Mikel Arteta’s side but felt Chelsea had enough opportunities to get more from the game.
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“They are hard to beat, they are hard to create chances (against), but we had three or four chances to score more than one goal. This is a process. It’s still early days for us,” Alonso said.
“Not happy that we couldn’t get anything but we need to keep calm and carry on,” he added.
Rogers’ early strike gave Chelsea a dream start, with the England international producing a fine volley that left Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya with little chance.
Arsenal thought they had equalised shortly afterwards when Riccardo Calafiori found the net following a goalmouth scramble, but the effort was ruled out after a VAR review found Ezri Konsa, whose effort had come off the post, to have been offside.
The hosts continued to press and eventually levelled when Havertz cut in from the right before sending a low left-footed effort beyond Chelsea goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez.
Arsenal then took the lead soon after the restart. Christos Tzolis’ ball was dummied by Havertz, allowing Ødegaard to finish high into the net.
Chelsea pushed for an equaliser and came close when winger Estêvão tested Raya, but the Arsenal goalkeeper produced an important save to preserve his side’s advantage.
Ødegaard praised Arsenal’s response after conceding so early.
“It was a big game, massive game, tough opponent and we got there in the end so brilliant.
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“Our mentality is to keep fighting. We have shown that many times. We never want to concede early but the reaction is top,” the Arsenal captain said.
The victory keeps Arsenal on nine points from three matches, level with Manchester City at the top of the table, while Chelsea remain on six points.
For Alonso, it was Chelsea’s first Premier League defeat under the Spaniard, but he insisted the setback should not derail the team’s progress.
The Chelsea manager said the squad remained committed to improving and competing in every game as the season progresses.
Reuters/NAN
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