MIKEL ARTETA could hardly have asked for a better answer to the questions surrounding Arsenal’s summer transfer business.
The Premier League champions came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates and make it three wins from three to start their title defence.
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Morgan Rogers, one of Arsenal’s big summer targets before his £117million move to Chelsea, threatened to make them regret missing out when he fired the visitors ahead after just 77 seconds.
But Kai Havertz levelled midway through the first half before skipper Martin Odegaard completed the turnaround after the break.
And with several of Arteta’s big calls paying off, SunSport looks at three talking points from another statement win.
Havertz outclassed his former club in style
Arsenal’s decision to leave themselves looking light in attack after the transfer window raised plenty of eyebrows.
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Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard were all moved on, Ethan Nwaneri left on loan and Christos Tzolis was their only new wide attacking arrival.
But Havertz provided the perfect reminder of why Arteta was happy to stick with what he had.
The former Chelsea man dragged Arsenal level with his first-half strike before playing his part in the winner by allowing Tzolis’ delivery to run through for Odegaard.
Havertz may not always be the flashiest No9 in the Premier League but his movement, work-rate and intelligence remain hugely important to this Arsenal side.
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Arsenal ratings vs Chelsea: Havertz reminds Blues of what they let go but Lewis-Skelly in second gear
KAI HAVERTZ inspired an Arsenal fight-back as they beat London rivals Chelsea to continue their perfect start.
The Gunners were chasing the game after their former transfer target, Morgan Rogers, volleyed the visitors ahead after just 77 seconds.
But Arsenal kept their cool and equalised when Havertz fired inside the near post midway through the first half.
Havertz then set up Arsenal’s second – even though he won’t get credited with the assist – as his excellent dummy created the space for Martin Odegaard to turn in from close range.
Chelsea gave Havertz his break in Premier League football when they shelled out big money to sign him from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020.
But he has enjoyed tormenting them – scoring four goals in seven head-to-heads – since he moved across the capital three years later.
Here is the verdict of SunSport’s Simon Collings on how each Arsenal player performed…
And after Rogers had given Chelsea the lead, Arteta will have enjoyed seeing a player already in his building provide the response.
Konsa looks at home
Ezri Konsa was handed his first Arsenal start after arriving from Aston Villa in a deal worth around £51million last month.
The England defender came in for the injured Cristhian Mosquera and, despite Arsenal being rocked inside two minutes, soon settled alongside Gabriel.
Arteta has been criticised before for repeatedly spending big on defenders, but Konsa’s arrival already looks capable of giving him another reliable option across the back line.
With William Saliba sidelined long-term, Arsenal moved quickly for an experienced Premier League defender rather than gambling on their existing depth.
Against one of the league’s most dangerous attacks, that decision looked an increasingly sensible one.
Wednesday 9 September
Napoli
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League Stage
Arsenal
Saturday 12 September
Sunderland
20:00
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Arsenal
Tuesday 15 September
Ipswich
20:00
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Saturday 19 September
Brighton
15:00
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Arsenal
Sunday 6 September
Arsenal
2 – 1
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Chelsea
Monday 31 August
Villa
0 – 1
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Arsenal
Friday 21 August
Arsenal
3 – 0
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Coventry
Sunday 16 August
Arsenal
3 – 0
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Tzolis shows why Arsenal signed him
Tzolis arrived from Club Brugge for around £34m after producing 17 goals and 23 assists in their title-winning campaign last season.
And the Greece international showed another glimpse of why Arsenal were prepared to make him their main attacking addition.
His dangerous second-half ball eventually found Odegaard after Havertz’s clever dummy, allowing the captain to fire Arsenal ahead.
There were plenty who felt Arsenal should have added another superstar attacker before the window shut.
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But Havertz scoring, Tzolis helping create the winner and Konsa impressing on his first start made this about as good an afternoon as Arteta could have hoped for.
Three points on the pitch and perhaps a few points proved off it too.