Kai Havertz was the ‘best player on the pitch’ against Chelsea, says Arsenal hero Freddie Ljungberg (Picture: Getty) Martin Odegaard was named man of the match after his superb performance in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Chelsea – but Freddie Ljungberg felt Kai Havertz was the ‘best player on the pitch’ at the Emirates. Arsenal got off to a nightmare start in Sunday’s heavyweight derby, with Morgan Rogers volleying Chelsea in front after only two minutes in north London. The champions dug deep and found an equaliser through Havertz midway through the first half as the former Chelsea forward squeezed the ball past Emiliano Martinez at his near post to draw level. And after wrestling back the momentum, the Gunners took the lead for the first time in the contest shortly after half-time as Odegaard capitalised on an exquisite dummy from Havertz to take the roof off the stadium. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. The result saw Mikel Arteta’s men move level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table after three games, while Chelsea sit fourth ahead of their next clash with Leeds. Odegaard, meanwhile, walked away with the man-of-the-match award after scoring his third goal in his last four matches in all competitions. But giving his thoughts on the encounter on Viaplay’s television coverage, ex-Arsenal winger Ljungberg picked out Havertz as the hosts’ standout performer on the day. Havertz struck in the 25th minute to equalise against his former club (Picture: Getty) The result moved the Gunners level with Manchester City at the top (Picture: PA) ‘This is why we watch football in my opinion. I’m willing to pay a lot of money to see this type of game,’ Ljungberg – a two-time Premier League winner with Arsenal – explained. ‘I think Chelsea are on their way, they are playing better, but I thought Arsenal were much stronger and more solid, you could see they’ve played together for much longer. ‘Havertz, in my opinion, was the best player on the pitch. ‘How he links up, how he jumps over the ball when he has to, unselfish… top, top performance.’ {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"'It was beautiful': Arteta hails Arsenal's attack-to-defence display in win against Chelsea","contentUrl":"https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2026\/09\/07\/2593273995855020828\/480x270_MP4_2593273995855020828.mp4","description":"Arsenal came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium after Morgan Rogers stunned home fans into silence with a volleyed goal 77 seconds into the game.","duration":"T5M27S","height":270,"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/09\/07\/07\/111091359-0-image-a-53_1788761962819.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-09-07T07:17:08+0100","width":480} To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page window.addEventListener('metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded', function(data) { if (typeof(data.detail) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === 'undefined') { return; } var player = data.detail.carousel.el_; var container = player.closest('.metro-video-player'); var placeholder = container.querySelector('.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder'); if (placeholder) { container.removeChild(placeholder); container.classList.add('metro-video-player--related-videos-loaded'); } }); Ljungberg believes Havertz is ‘different’ to most other strikers, who may have tried to be the ‘hero’ rather than selling the dummy for Odegaard’s 50th-minute winner. ‘He’s a different type of striker but he’s aware and he scans non-stop, he knows exactly what’s happening,’ the Swede added. ‘He’s not selfish. A lot of strikers would take a touch, even if they know someone is coming behind: “I’m scoring this, I’m being the hero!” ‘He’s not that player.’ {"@
Inter’s victory over Napoli had the feel of a title race classic, while Juventus and Milan exposed familiar shortcomings despite their summer spendingAlready as the words were being spoken, Cristian Chivu started to bristle. “Scontri diretti” translates to “head-to-head clashes”. The term is commonly deployed in a football context as a shorthand for those high-stakes games between teams who are expected to finish close together in the table – much like “six-pointers” in the English game.Chivu’s Inter finished 11 points clear atop Serie A last season, his first as their head coach, but caught criticism along the way for an early Champions League exit and underperformance in some scontri diretti. Inter lost four out of six games against Napoli, Milan and Juventus. Their only win, at home to the Bianconeri, came after Alessandro Bastoni deceived a referee to get Pierre Kalulu sent off. Continue reading...
Xabi Alonso was keen to bolster his midfield options (Picture: Getty) Chelsea have pulled out of a deal to sign former PSG midfielder Renato Sanches on a free transfer, according to reports in France. The Blues failed to bolster Xabi Alonso’s midfield options on transfer deadline day despite selling Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City. Chelsea were in talks to sign Lamine Camara from Monaco and Manu Kone from Roma as Fernandez closed in on a move to the Etihad Stadium but both deals collapsed. The failure to sign a new midfielder has left Alonso ‘a little bit short’ this season, according to Manchester United legend Gary Neville, with Reece James and Malo Gusto both utilised in that area of the pitch in Sunday’s defeat to Arsenal. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. Chelsea reportedly expressed interest in signing Georginio Wijnaldum on a free transfer after the summer window closed but the ex-Liverpool star ended up joining Saudi side Al-Ittihad. According to Foot Mercato, Chelsea also considered a deal for Sanches as cover for the departed Fernandez following his exit from PSG. Sanches, who played in the Premier League for Swansea City back in 2018, is looking for a new club after being released by the Champions League holders. Former Bayern Munich and PSG midfielder Renato Sanches (Picture: Getty) The 29-year-old former Portugal international started his career at Benfica before joining Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in 2016. Much was expected of Sanches at that stage but he failed to realise his potential, only making 27 appearances for PSG since arriving in the French capital four years ago. Sanches has spent the last few seasons on various loan spells in Italy, Portugal and Greece and would have been keen on a move to Alonso’s Chelsea. Chelsea sold Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City (Picture: Getty) But Stamford Bridge bosses pulled the plug on any possible deal and have decided to put their faith in the current midfield options at Chelsea. Asked whether he felt Chelsea were a touch short in the midfield areas after the 2-1 defeat to Arsenal, Alonso said: ‘We have several options and we need to find the right balance. ‘We believe we have the quality and competitiveness necessary for the entire season and to face every opponent.’ {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Alonso: Chelsea made to 'hurt' by Arsenal during 2-1 defeat","contentUrl":"https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2026\/09\/07\/4710295427016078709\/480x270_MP4_4710295427016078709.mp4","description":"1-0 up. 2-1 loss.","duration":"T6M45S","height":270,"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/09\/07\/07\/111091357-0-image-a-105_1788761969650.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-09-07T07:19:25+0100","width":480} To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page window.addEventListener('metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded', function(data) { if (typeof(data.detail) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === 'undefined') { return; } var player = data.detail.carousel.el_; var container = player.closest('.metro-video-player'); var placeholder = container.querySelector('.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder'); if (placeholder) { container.removeChild(placeholder); container.classList.add('metro-video-player--related-videos-loaded'); } }); But Arsenal legend Ian Wright criticised Chelsea’s decision not to sign a new midfielder towards the end of the summer transfer window. Assessing Chelsea’s title aspirations, Wright said on Sky Sports: ‘I think their front three will pose problems for many teams, but it ultimately hinges on the midfield. ‘I truly believe they must have anticipated that Enzo was likely to leave, [Andrey] Santos departed earlier, and they attempted to secure Lamine Camara fr
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