LONDON — **** nal and Chelsea put on a show in North London on Sunday, with the Premier League giants going toe-to-toe in a wonderful early-season spectacle.
MORE — **** nal v Chelsea recap | Player ratings
So many intriguing tactical tweaks took place as Morgan Rogers gave Chelsea an early lead but **** nal roared back with goals from Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard to take the lead.
The Gunners are now 10 games unbeaten against Chelsea in the Premier League, but this win was up in the air until the end.
MORE — Xabi Alonso reaction | Mikel Arteta reaction

#arsenal #premier #sunday

Mikel Arteta hailed a "beautiful" win after **** nal came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium.
The Premier League champions required a response after conceding for the first time this season, Morgan Rogers stunning home fans into silence with a volleyed goal after 77 seconds before the hosts hit back against a Chelsea side still finding its feet under Xabi Alonso.
Kai Havertz netted for the third time against his old club to equalise midway through the first half – a near-post effort that perhaps ought to have been kept out by Emiliano Martinez – then produced a sumptuous dummy to clear Martin Odegaard's path to goal, with the captain lashing home the winner in the 50th minute.
"I think it was an exceptional performance," said Arteta. "I enjoyed every minute of it, from the beginning to the end. The beginning was tough but I enjoyed it because the team reacted in a spectacular way. The determination, the quality. It was beautiful. It was a fascinating game for the spectator.
"I think it's an indication for us of how capable we are to perform at an even higher level than last season. We still have a lot to grow and a lot to offer."

#season #minute

Sky Sports pundits Daniel Sturridge and Jamie Carragher have ruled Chelsea out of the Premier League **** le race after emphasising the "massive gulf" between the teams following the Blues' 2-1 defeat to **** nal.
Xabi Alonso's side were tipped to challenge the champions this season after a promising start to the new campaign that saw them win 3-2 and 4-3 against Fulham and Brighton in their opening two games, and they got off to the perfect start at the Emirates as Morgan Rogers opened the scoring within 90 seconds.
However, the Gunners dominated proceedings from there, with an equaliser ruled out before Kai Havertz fired past Emi Martinez to level it before half-time.
Martin Odegaard scored the winner as the Gunners maintained their 100% record (Reuters)
It was more of the same in the second half at the Emirates too, with the champions controlling the game and limiting Chelsea to very little in attack before Martin Odegaard finished a brilliant move to rifle in the winner.

#emirates #champions #half

Martin Odegaard said ***** nal have proven they will always 'keep fighting' after a comeback win against Chelsea at the Emirates.
Arsenal fell behind inside two minutes when former transfer target Morgan Rogers volleyed Chelsea ahead, with the £117m signing striking low into the bottom corner after the Gunners failed to deal with a set piece.
The champions came back into the game and had a Riccardo Calafiori effort for an offside, but levelled when Kai Havertz drilled inside Emi Martinez's near post on 25 minutes.
An entertaining London Derby continued at a frantic pace, with Pedro Neto striking the woodwork for Chelsea before half-time.
Odegaard ultimately settled the game after a beautifully worked ***** nal goal five minutes after the restart. The Norwegian's call for Kai Havertz to leave Christos Tzolis' pass was granted, with Odegaard emphatically slamming in the winner for the champions.

#striking

Arsenal needed to come from behind to win a breathless game 2-1 against Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium as Kai Havertz scored for the third time in the Premier League against his former club.
Havertz netted midway through the first half to equalise after Morgan Rogers, who the champions missed out on signing during the transfer window, had stunned home fans with a volleyed goal after 77 seconds.
The Germany international was instrumental too in Martin Odegaard's 50th-minute winner, executing a delightful dummy to leave Chelsea's defence flatfooted and create room for the captain to rifle home.
Arsenal's Martin Odegaard scores his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between ****** nal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium. (is ****** ociated with: «Arsenal claim derby honours v Chelsea, Everton level late v Man Utd») John Walton/PA Wire/dpa
Chelsea had lost four league games in a row at the Emirates, conceding 11 goals, but here they gave ****** nal a far sterner examination than at any time during that sequence, with the front three of Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and Rogers again showing their potential as ****** ets in a possible ****** le challenge.

#Chelsea

Captain Martin Odegaard scored the winner as ****** nal secured an impressive 2-1 home victory over Chelsea.
Club-record £117m signing Morgan Rogers put Chelsea ahead after just two minutes, but Kai Havertz equalised against his former club before Odegaard struck early in the second half to seal the win.
Here's how I rated the players and you can see how you scored them below.
What do BBC Sport's player ratings mean?
David Raya: The ****** nal goalkeeper was beaten by the quality of Rogers' finish but dealt comfortably with the other efforts he faced and produced one stunning save late on from Estevao. 6

#odegaard #scored

Arsenal were never likely to have it as easy as they did in the 3-0 opening-day win over Coventry City, but they did more than enough to merit the three points here.
Shots and clear chances were at a premium - they only had two shots on target, which was two more than Villa.
Gabriel Magalhaes and Bukayo Saka had efforts off target in the first half.
They thought they were going to have a penalty when Saka was fouled by Ian Maatsen – but VAR made it a free-kick instead, which Martin Odegaard curled just wide.
The goal came when Eberechi Eze, a half-time substitute for the booked Christos Tzolis, fed Riccardo Calafiori and the left-back laid the ball on a plate for Saka to score for the third time at Villa Park in his Premier League career.

#target #half #gabriel

Arsenal are set to play the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the Champions League's first phase this season, as the Gunners aim to bounce back from their final heartbreak.
In May, ***** nal lost the Champions League final to Paris Saint-Germain after coming up short in a penalty shootout, meaning their wait for a first trophy in the competition goes on.
As they bid to reach a second consecutive final – and third overall – the reigning Premier League winners will this season take on Real Madrid and their Spanish colleagues Real Betis, as well as German duo Bayern and Borussia Dortmund.
Martin Odegaard (left) and Mikel Merino react to their defeat in the 25/26 Champions League final (Getty)
Furthermore, the north London club will face Italy's Napoli, French side Lille, Czech Republic's Slavia Prague, and Azerbaijani debutants Sabah.

#real #madrid

Arsenal have been trying to bring in an elite forward during the window to bolster their attack but summer signing Christos Tzolis has already shown that he could play a significant attacking role this season.
Tzolis arrived for £34m after producing the best season of his career at Club Brugge, where he scored 17 times and provided 23 ****** ists as they were crowned champions in Belgium.
In his short time so far at ****** nal, Tzolis has excited supporters with his performances during pre-season and registered two ****** ists in the Community Shield win over Manchester City. Against Coventry, it was his cross that was turned into Bukayo Saka's path for ****** nal's second goal.
On his Premier League debut, Tzolis impressed Martin Odegaard. "Amazing - he played a brilliant game," the captain told BBC Sport.
"He has been brilliant all pre-season. He's so lively. It's hard to defend [against] him. He's a really intelligent player. He always looks up and finds the right pass."

#Belgium

Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Martin Odegaard has made a strong start to 2026/27, scoring in the Community Shield against Manchester City before adding another goal in ***** nal's Premier League opener against Coventry City.
More than the goals, the midfielder's individual displays have helped ***** nal to put in a couple of flowing team performances.
The combinations between Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Ben White on the right-hand-side against Coventry were a reminder of the kind of football the trio can produce at their best.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images

#justin

Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Mikel Arteta hailed ***** nal's opening-night display after the champions began their Premier League ***** le defence with a commanding 3-0 victory over Coventry City, praising the team's growing understanding and insisting there is still more to come.
The ***** nal manager was particularly encouraged by the fluency of his side's performance at the Emirates Stadium, where goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard secured a comfortable victory and maintained the momentum created by last weekend's Community Shield success.
Reflecting on the performance, Arteta said: "There was a lot to like. Obviously it was a great result, but the manner we started the game, the domination, clarity, understanding and growth in the game was really impressive.
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images

#understanding

Premier League
Arsenal 3 - 0 Coventry City FT
Arsenal began their Premier League ***** le defence with a convincing victory against newly promoted Coventry City at Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta ended the club's 22-year wait for a league ***** le last season - and with a faultless display against Frank Lampard's Sky Blues in their opener, his team reminded the rest of the league why they are favourites to retain the crown.
First-half goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka put the reigning champions firmly in control, and captain Martin Odegaard added a third soon after the restart to seal a comfortable win on the opening day of the campaign.

#title #mikel

Mikel Arteta hailed Christos Tzolis' impact after ****** nal began their Premier League ****** le defence with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Coventry City at the Emirates.
Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard were on target as the Gunners made a commanding start to their campaign, with Tzolis also impressing on his Premier League debut for the club.
"I love that a player who has just been here for a few weeks gets that kind of energy every time he's on the ball," Arteta said on the Greece international.
"But I think he's earned it. I think the way he has performed in the last few games has been phenomenal.
"What he transmits as a player, so direct, so incisive constantly, he wants to make things happen, and he has an incredible variety of actions to make the right decisions.

#tzolis #make #arsenal

In the summer of 1993, Manchester United won the ******* le and then signed Roy Keane in a British record transfer. In 2001, United won the ******* le and then bought Ruud van Nistelrooy. In 2008, the summer after winning the Premier League and Champions League, they signed Dimitar Berbatov not because they really needed him but because they could.
Each time, Alex Ferguson took steps not just to maintain the gap to their rivals but to grow it. Each time, United defended their Premier League crown.
Even before kick-off here at the Emirates Stadium, there was that familiar sense of a ******* le-winning manager ******* down the lid on the Premier League trophy they owned. Mikel Arteta's newest signing, Ezri Konsa, was paraded on the pitch to a standing ovation – quite the flex to sign the second best right-sided centre-half in the Premier League while the best, William Saliba, is sidelined with injury.
And after a few minutes of this opening 3-0 win over Coventry City, it was clear that Arteta had strengthened his attack too. Christos Tzolis impressed in pre-season games and topped most of ******* nal's fitness metrics. Here he buzzed into action on the left wing, legs whirring with the urgency of a man fleeing a swarm of bees, all fast-twitch jolts and excitable energy, exactly the sort of opponent Coventry's right-back Milan van Ewijk didn't want to face on his first Friday night live on Sky Sports.
Arsenal had a plethora of attacking options on the field: Kai Havertz led the line, Bukayo Saka started on the right and Martin Odegaard flitted in and out of the right half-space. But for all the passing lanes on offer, the gameplan became a simple one: when in the final third, seek Tzolis.

#league #united #summer #signed

Arsenal began the defence of their Premier League **** le in convincing fashion with a comfortable 3-0 victory over newly-promoted Coventry City at the Emirates Stadium.
Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka put the Gunners firmly in control during the opening 23 minutes before Martin Odegaard added a third shortly after the restart. It was an impressive opening-night performance from Mikel Arteta's side, with summer signing Christos Tzolis once again catching the eye.
Arsenal started brightly in front of a jubilant Emirates crowd and Tzolis was at the heart of much of their best attacking play.
The Greek international went close himself after cutting inside from the left before another effort was cleared off the line by Bobby Thomas.
The breakthrough arrived after 14 minutes, and Tzolis was again involved. He won possession from Milan van Ewijk before finding Riccardo Calafiori, whose pass reached Havertz. The German produced a composed first-time finish into the bottom corner to make it 1-0.

#minutes

LONDON (AP) — Newcomer Christos Tzolis helped set up two goals as defending champion ***** nal opened the Premier League season by dismantling promoted Coventry 3-0 to spoil the visitor's long-awaited return to the top flight Friday.
After ending a 22-year wait for the Premier League ***** le, ***** nal showed why it's favored to repeat as champion by completely dominating Frank Lampard's side in a game that was one-sided from start to finish.
Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard scored for the Gunners, who spurned chances to pad the scoreline even further.
For Coventry, it was a rude welcome back to the Premier League after a 25-year absence. Having won the second-tier Championship last season by a wide margin, Lampard's side simply looked outmatched as it was repeatedly taken apart by a marauding ***** nal.
Tzolis was the only summer signing to start for the host but the left winger showed he could give this attack an added dimension by helping to set up both opening goals.

#tzolis #goals

Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Arsenal eased to a comfortable 3-0 Community Shield victory over Manchester City on Sunday, with summer signings Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis playing a big part in the eventual result.
Guimaraes only played the first 45 minutes of the match, but his tough tackling and forward passing were key to the team making such a fast start. As for Tzolis, the left-winger provided two ***** ists to keep his fantastic pre-season form going ahead of the Premier League's start date.
Arsenal captain and Player of the Match Martin Odegaard had praised for both of his new teammates after the final whistle.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images

#guimaraes

Martin Odegaard believes the physical setbacks he endured during the previous campaign have ultimately helped him develop greater resilience.
The midfielder lifted the Premier League trophy in May—his first piece of silverware since joining ***** nal in 2021—though his individual campaign was frequently disrupted on a personal level by knee, shoulder and muscle problems.
Restricted to just 16 starts in the league, the Norwegian missed the Carabao Cup final defeat against Manchester City, a result ***** nal reversed on Sunday with a 3-0 win in the Community Shield.
"Last year was really a big struggle with a lot of difficult moments," Odegaard said after capping a standout performance in Cardiff with his first goal for the club since December.
"It is the worst thing for a footballer to not be able to be on the pitch and I had quite a lot of weird injuries, and bad luck.

#arsenal #league #premier #restricted

Manchester City were left with plenty to reflect on after a damaging 3-0 defeat to ******* nal, a result shaped by goals from Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard. According to Telegraph, the post-match message from both camps was clear, ******* nal look sharp and City know standards were missed.
Rúben Dias did not dress it up, admitting the City performance was "not good enough" after ******* nal capitalised in key moments and controlled the contest with authority. For supporters of Enzo Maresca's side, that line will land heavily because it matched what unfolded on the pitch, with ******* nal quicker to duels, cleaner in possession and more decisive in both boxes.
Arsenal's display was widely admired and Calafiori's own verdict summed up the confidence around Mikel Arteta's team, describing the victory as "close to perfection". That felt fair. ******* nal played with tempo, aggression and structure, producing the type of performance that suggests they are gearing up for another serious challenge at the top end of the Premier League.
Arteta was equally buoyant afterwards. "We talked about the desire that we have to start the season, and to show ourselves how much we want it," Arteta said. "I certainly saw a lot of positive things there against a top opponent."
Beyond the result, ******* nal's transfer planning remains active. The report states they want further business completed before the end of the month, with a right-sided defender a priority after injuries to Jurriën Timber and William Saliba. Ezri Konsa of Aston Villa and Bayer Leverkusen's Jarell Quansah are among the names under consideration.

#arsenal #result

Did Premier League champions **** nal show just how far ahead of Manchester City they are with their dominant Community Shield win?
Goals from Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard helped the Gunners to a 3-0 victory in Cardiff.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he was "a bit surprised" by his side's convincing performance, telling TNT Sports that "to play in the manner we did is extremely impressive".
New City manager Enzo Maresca, who replaced Pep Guardiola over the summer, could say no such thing.
Yet Maresca played down the importance of the result, saying: "It's a defeat that hurts us, but it's just the beginning."

#manchester #community

Mikel Arteta hailed ******* nal's desire "to go straight again" after Manchester City were overwhelmed 3-0 by the Premier League champions in the Community Shield on Sunday.
City never recovered from Riccardo Calafiori's goal after just 24 seconds – the quickest in the Community Shield since 1968 – with Kai Havertz and the outstanding Martin Odegaard putting ******* nal in cruise control just three minutes after the restart in Cardiff.
On the day that City boss Enzo Maresca settled into Pep Guardiola's shoes in a high-profile game for the first time, ******* nal fans added to the Italian's discomfort with chants of 'you're getting sacked in the morning.'
For boss Arteta, though, it was business as usual as ******* nal started where they finished the last domestic season in May by claiming silverware.
Asked where the willingness had come from, Arteta said: "Because we want to go straight again. The desire comes (because) I want to live that moment again.

#arteta #arsenal #shield #boss

Less than five months have passed since Manchester City comprehensively beat ******* nal in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley, a performance that laid out a gulf in quality between the two clubs, that promised to launch City to the ******* le, that landed a damaging psychological blow to brittle ******* nal minds.
In the following days it was hard to imagine how Mikel Arteta's team would recover from being so comprehensively outplayed. We know how that turned out. Here, on an August day in Cardiff, the two teams met again in a game that could not have been more different. ******* nal ripped City apart in a dominant 3-0 victory to win their third Community Shield under Arteta and 18th overall, behind only Manchester United's 21.
Just as too much was read into that Carabao Cup final, we should resist the urge to hand ******* nal the Premier League trophy before a ball is kicked. This was a glorified friendly and captain Martin Odegaard lifted the trophy with all the faux enthusiasm it deserved.
But in their slick interchanges of passing, in their ability to keep City's dangermen at bay, in the peerless performance of new signings Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis, in the sheer strength in depth available to Mikel Arteta, there were undeniable signs that this ******* nal team might be as strong, perhaps even stronger, than last season's ******* le winners.
It took Riccardo Calafiori only 24 seconds to score ******* nal's first goal, finishing a clever pass by Myles Lewis-Skelly. It took Kai Havertz only four touches to add their second, heading home Tzolis's headed pass. By the time Martin Odegaard had added a brilliant third, taking Tzolis's pass in his stride before tricking Gianluigi Donnarumma into diving too early to leave the goal half empty, City were utterly beaten.

#city #only #pass #arteta

Jack Buchanan, Chief EFL Editor
Team news is in for this afternoon's FA Community Shield in Cardiff, with the headline news being that both Erling Haaland and Elliot Anderson are in the starting XI for Manchester City.
Arsenal also named a full-strength starting side, featuring Gabriel as well as Summer signings Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis.
Raya, White, Gabriel, Mosquera, Caliafori, Lewis-Skelly, Guimaraes, Odegaard, Madueke, Tzolis, Madueke. Subsititues: Arrizabalaga, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Merino, Rice, Eze, Dowman, Saka, Gyökeres.
Donnarumma, Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly, Kovačic, Anderson, ****** yo, Foden, Doku, Haaland. Substitutes: Rulli, Guéhi, Marmoush, Cherki, Nico, Grealish, Aït-Nouri, Nunes, Lewis.

#anderson

Arsenal: Raya, White, Gabriel, Mosquera, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Guimaraes, Odegaard, Madueke, Tzolis, Havertz
Arsenal subs: Kepa, Hincapie, Merino, Rice, Eze, Dowman, Saka, Gyokeres
Manchester City: Coming soon
Manchester City subs: Coming soon
Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images

#white #mosquera

Mikel Arteta has backed Bruno Guimaraes to "ignite something different" in Premier League champions ****** nal.
Brazil international Guimaraes was introduced to Gunners fans ahead of Sunday's 3-2 friendly defeat by Borussia Dortmund, after completing a move from top-flight rivals Newcastle reported to be worth £75 million ($101 million).
The 28-year-old has strengthened an already impressive midfield featuring featuring Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi and Eberechi Eze.
"You can see the immediate reaction," Arteta told ****** nal's website after Guimaraes was given an enthusiastic reception.
"I think he describes himself as a warrior," the Spaniard added.

#guimaraes #featuring #bruno #league

Arsenal suffered a second consecutive pre-season defeat ahead of the start of their Premier League ***** le defence as clinical Borussia Dortmund won the Emirates Cup with a 3-2 victory in north London.
New signing Bruno Guimaraes was unveiled to the ***** nal fans before kick-off and there was a party atmosphere as the Gunners returned to the Emirates for the first time since lifting the Premier League ***** le in May.
Captain Martin Odegaard returned for the first time since the World Cup and Gabrel Magalhaes started in defence, but sharp finishes from the visitors' Samuele Inacio and Konstantinos Karetsas left ***** nal two goals down before half-time.
Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes returned to start the 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund (Getty)
Arsenal were beaten 3-1 by Real Betis In Dublin on Wednesday and quickly found themselves trailing by the same scoreline when Joane Gadou bundled in from a corner moments after Ethan Nwaneri had pulled one back.

#borussia #emirates

Arsenal have a leadership group that supports club captain Martin Odegaard but, with the addition of Bruno Guimaraes, they will be bringing in a player who is a natural leader.
Guimaraes became Newcastle's talisman during his time at St James' Park and, as Arteta looks to maximise every marginal gain he can, the Brazilian's ability and his way of connecting with supporters will be another weapon.
Arsenal have had campaigns seriously affected by injury, but Guimaraes has missed just 16 Premier League games since he signed for Newcastle in 2022.
And his impact is backed up by the fact Newcastle's win percentage (12.5%), points per game (0.7), average goals for (0.8) and even average goals against (1.6) all suffer in the top flight when he is not available.
Although it is an admittedly larger sample size, Opta data shows that Newcastle's win percentage (50.7%), points per game (1.7), average goals for (1.9) and average goals against (1.3) have been significantly higher when Guimaraes has featured.

#odegaard

Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes is leaving the Magpies for the Premier League champions after ****** nal agreed a reported $100 million deal for the Brazil star.
Guimaraes turns 29 in November and leaves Newcastle as perhaps their most important player since the departure of Alan Shearer. He had expressed interest in a move to ****** nal after the Magpies failed to seal a return to European football last season.
MORE — Ceilings, floors, and basements for all 20 PL teams
His 31 goals and 32 ****** ists in 195 appearances hardly tell the story of a midfielder who can play anywhere from the 6 up to the 10 and held a talismanic stature in the club, captaining them to a League Cup win that ended decades of silverware frustration.
For ****** nal, it's a statement of intent after losing the midfield battle and then some in their Champions League Final loss to PSG, where Mikel Arteta's men were limited to 25% possession and lost in penalties. The Gunners can now deploy a midfield three of Guimaraes, Declan Rice, and Martin Odegaard, with Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi, and Myles Lews-Skelly bringing absurd depth to the side.

#mikel #champions #midfield

Photo via ****** nal.com
Arsenal have confirmed on social media that Martin Odegaard is back in training at their London Colney training centre, making his comeback for pre-season after his post-World Cup holiday.
The rest of the senior squad are currently in Dublin for the friendly match against Real Betis on Wednesday evening, so Odegaard hasn't quite linked up with his teammates yet. The ****** nal captain is set to miss Wednesday's friendly.
But that's no surprise, considering Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli made their own late comebacks last week, and neither of them were in the subsequent matchday squad against Girona.
The ****** nal medical and fitness staff clearly want to give players a few days to get up to speed before throwing them into match situations.

#arsenal #odegaard

Jude Bellingham twice dragged England back from the brink as Thomas Tuchel’s side edged past a tenacious Norway to reach the FIFA World Cup semi-final, winning 2-1 after extra time at Miami Stadium.
The game was a quiet affair in the opening stages before Norway seized the initiative. Harry Kane had his pocket picked inside the England half and Schjelderup’s cross-shot from the left flew in off the post to give the Scandinavians the lead just before the hour of the first half.
Jordan Pickford, making a record-breaking 18th World Cup appearance for England, got down to his left to keep out Martin Odegaard‘s low effort as Norway threatened to extend their advantage.
“It’s going to be fun” – Marc Guehi previews Erling Haaland and Norway showdown in World Cup quarter-final
Jude Bellingham had other ideas. The Real Madrid midfielder drew England level in first-half stoppage time, and the two sides remained locked at 1-1 through 90 minutes.