Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said that his side’s performance in the 2-1 win over Chelsea in the Premier League showed that it can take a step up from than last season’s title-winning level.
Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard helped the Gunners overturn the score after Morgan Rogers had given the Blues a lead inside two minutes.
It was the third win on the trot for Arsenal, which earlier beat promoted Coventry City and ground out a 1-0 win over Aston Villa.
“I think it was an exceptional performance. I enjoyed every minute of it from the beginning to the end, and the beginning was tough,” Arteta told reporters.
“I enjoyed it because the team reacted in a spectacular way. The conviction, the determination, the quality of which I intend to have them constantly, it was beautiful.
“It’s an indication for us of how capable we are of performing at an even higher level than last season, and it depends on how we maintain and sustain that desire.”
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The manager was especially happy for skipper Odegaard, who got on the scoresheet. “Odegaard has a point to prove from last season after missing so much football,” Arteta said. “When that happens, Kai the same, Bukayo [Saka] the same, we miss so many attacking players last season for long, long periods.
“I don’t know how many times they’ve played together those two in the last year or so, but probably not much, and when you start to feel the chemistry they have between them and what they can produce, it’s great.”
– Inputs from Reuters
Published on Sep 07, 2026