Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea: Odegaard winner and Raya heroics settle thrilling London derby

Arsenal came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates after a fantastic, fiercely contested London derby between two well-matched sides.

The Gunners recovered from a nightmare opening minute before goals from Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard turned the game around, while David Raya produced several huge saves to protect Arsenal's lead late on.

Arsenal could hardly have made a worse start, with Morgan Rogers putting Chelsea ahead inside the opening minute.

The response was strong. Bukayo Saka was soon causing problems down the right and won a dangerous free kick before Arsenal thought they had equalised through Riccardo Calafiori in the 11th minute, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.

Kai Havertz then had a header comfortably saved, while Saka also tested Martinez as Arsenal continued to push. Chelsea remained dangerous at the other end, however, with Raya called into action against Cole Palmer and Reece James.

Arsenal finally got their reward in the 25th minute when Havertz found the net to make it 1-1.

The game remained wonderfully open, with both teams looking capable of scoring. Myles Lewis-Skelly had an effort deflected wide, while tempers also began to rise as the London derby edge became increasingly apparent.

Chelsea almost regained the lead just before the interval when Neto struck the post, but Arsenal survived to go in level at 1-1.

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Odegaard strikes before Raya takes centre stage

Arsenal flew out of the blocks after the restart and needed only four minutes to complete the turnaround.

Martin Odegaard scored in the 49th minute to put the Gunners 2-1 ahead, immediately changing the complexion of the game.

Saka had opportunities to extend the advantage, shooting straight at Martinez in the 55th minute before forcing another save later in the half.

Chelsea were certainly not finished, though, and Raya became increasingly important. The Arsenal goalkeeper made two crucial saves in quick succession around the hour mark, including one to deny Palmer.

Mikel Arteta freshened things up in the 66th minute, with Piero Hincapie replacing Calafiori and Martin Zubimendi coming on for Lewis-Skelly.

Arsenal continued to threaten, but the final stages became increasingly tense. Viktor Gyokeres replaced Havertz and Mikel Merino came on for Odegaard in the 76th minute, as the Gunners attempted to see out the victory.

Raya was required again from a Chelsea corner in the 79th minute before producing arguably his biggest stop of the match in the 88th minute, making an exceptional save to deny Estevao.

Noni Madueke replaced Saka shortly afterwards and, following four minutes of added time, Arsenal had done enough.

A superb London derby, with the score as we predicted earlier today ! A big comeback and another three points for the Gunners. Chelsea pushed Arsenal all the way, but Odegaard's second-half goal and some outstanding goalkeeping from Raya proved decisive.

What did you make of Arsenal's performance, Gooners? Who was your Man of the Match – Odegaard, Havertz, Raya or someone else? Let us know in the comments below.

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