Arsenal conceded a goal on Sunday. Yes, you read that correctly.
After keeping out Coventry City and Aston Villa, the Premier League champions were breached by Chelsea in the second minute of their London derby.
The location of Morgan Rogers’ volley was as significant as the fact that it beat Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.
Arsenal’s stifling defensive excellence is the stuff of champions
Rogers was inside the ‘D’ when the ball dropped to him after the Gunners failed to clear the ball from a set piece, the only shot from a sensible distance that Chelsea managed from within the width of the six-yard box.
It’s not easy to score against a goalkeeper of Raya’s quality from wider angles. Pedro Neto found some space on the right but hit the post with his shot. Estevao’s shot produced the best save of the match. There was very little wrong with either beyond the degree of difficulty they had in the first place.
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Arsenal limited the Blues to a total xG of 0.39, five shots on target and zero big chances. Villa’s shot map was similar; Mikel Arteta’s team are smothering opponents and already reaping the rewards.
Their defensive sturdiness is a compelling cause for optimism at the Emirates Stadium, where Arsenal are on the hunt for their first back-to-back titles since the 1930s.
Coventry and Villa were straightforward enough early-season opponents for various reasons but Chelsea, and indeed Community Shield quarry Manchester City, are regarded as potential title challengers.
The champions conceded just 27 goals in the Premier League in 2025/26, the fewest in the division. They gave up 89 shots on target; nobody else averaged less than three per game.
The lowest percentage of shots against that hit the target last term? Arsenal. That’s a matter of chance quality and Raya is the best failsafe in the league.
They’re at it again in 2026/27. Arsenal’s opponents have mustered two shots on target per match and the Gunners are already benefiting from a willingness to force low-percentage efforts and trust Raya to tidy them up.
Ezri Konsa has joined Gabriel in standing guard in the middle, with William Saliba to return from injury at a later date. Their core mission is to anchor Arsenal’s central defences, to keep down the quality of the shots faced by their goalkeeper.
Declan Rice’s role out of possession shouldn’t be overlooked either, not least because Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori – Arsenal’s first scorer in Sunday’s win over Chelsea – continue to combine their own defensive duties with the attacking burden of inverted full-backs.
In FourFourTwo‘s opinion, Arsenal are giving themselves a strong foundation from which to mount a title defence.
If they can maintain anything like last season’s consistency in limiting big chances, there will be every chance they can still call themselves the Premier League champions this time next year.