You Should Have Signed for a Big Club! Arsenal Turn Chelsea’s Early Swagger into Another Emirates Defeat
Arsenal 2 Chelsea 1
There are few things more satisfying in football than watching an opposition player celebrate as though he has just won the World Cup, only to spend the rest of the afternoon discovering that he may have poked a rather large bear.
Morgan Rogers needed just 77 seconds to silence the Emirates. His superb volley from outside the area flew past David Raya and suddenly Chelsea were ahead, their new boy was celebrating and Arsenal’s perfect start to the season was under threat.
The Arsenal supporters had an answer.
“YOU SHOULD HAVE SIGNED FOR A BIG CLUB!”
Welcome to the Emirates, Morgan.
It was particularly delicious because Arsenal had been linked with Rogers before his move to Chelsea. He had chosen blue. The North Bank clearly hadn’t forgotten.
For a few minutes Arsenal looked rattled. Riccardo Calafiori appeared to have equalised, only for VAR to intervene and rule it out for offside. But rather than lose their heads, the champions gradually took control.
And who better to bring Arsenal level than Kai Havertz?
Declan Rice found the German, Havertz made himself a yard and promptly smashed the ball past Emi Martinez at his near post.
Yes, that Emi Martinez.
An ex-Gunner in the Chelsea goal was always going to receive a lively reception, but conceding at his near post to Havertz ensured that the Emirates faithful weren’t exactly inclined to send him home with a bunch of flowers.
Chelsea nearly restored their lead when Pedro Neto hit the post in first-half stoppage time, but Arsenal went into the break level and emerged looking like a side that knew precisely what it was doing.
Five minutes into the second half, the turnaround was complete.
Christos Tzolis drove down the left and fired a low ball towards Havertz. The German produced a wonderful dummy, allowing it to run through to Martin Odegaard, and the skipper buried his left-footed finish.
2-1.
From 0-1 after 77 seconds to 2-1 after 50 minutes.
Chelsea had poked the bear. The bear had eaten them.
They certainly had chances afterwards. Estevao forced a magnificent save from Raya, while Reece James pumped balls into the Arsenal area as Chelsea desperately searched for an equaliser. But Arsenal stood firm.
Rice controlled the midfield. Havertz finished with a goal and an assist. Odegaard provided the winner. Raya produced the big save when required.
And Chelsea?
For all the money spent and all the noise surrounding another rebuild, they still haven’t beaten Arsenal in the Premier League since August 2021.
That is becoming less a statistic and more an archaeological period.
There was still time for one final bit of Emirates entertainment.
As Martinez made his way home afterwards, the former Arsenal keeper received plenty of stick from supporters. Football crowds have long memories, and the Argentine’s various encounters with his old club have hardly been characterised by warm nostalgia. After conceding twice and leaving north London empty-handed, his journey away from the Emirates was accompanied by a few reminders of exactly where he was.
Farewell, Gabi
The victory also came with a genuinely sad piece of Arsenal news: Gabriel Martinelli has now officially left the club to join Al-Hilal.
The Brazilian departs for a club-record fee received, making the deal extraordinary business financially, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be missed.
Martinelli arrived as a relatively unknown teenager and became one of the symbols of Arsenal’s transformation under Arteta: direct, fearless, ridiculously quick and always prepared to run himself into the ground for the shirt.
There were frustrating spells. There were questions over his final ball and whether he had quite fulfilled the enormous potential we saw during his breakthrough. But there were also huge goals, electrifying performances and that infectious enthusiasm which made it very difficult not to like him.
Football moves quickly. Arsenal have evolved, competition for places has become ferocious and a record offer is difficult to refuse.
But Gabi leaves with our thanks.
Once a Gunner, always a Gunner.
Meanwhile, back at the Emirates, Arsenal have nine points from nine.
Three matches. Three wins.
And Chelsea arrived, scored after 77 seconds and presumably thought this might finally be their day.
It wasn’t.
Perhaps Morgan Rogers should have listened to the North Bank.
“YOU SHOULD HAVE SIGNED FOR A BIG CLUB!”
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