Behind after 77 seconds, Arsenal answer with the best football of their season so far.
The numbers
| Arsenal | Chelsea | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 54.5% | 45.5% |
| Shots | 16 | 13 |
| On target | 9 | 5 |
| xG | 2.05 | 0.39 |
| Corners | 5 | 3 |
| Pass accuracy | 84.6% | 81.8% |
Result the chances deserved: Arsenal 77% / 17% / Chelsea 6% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Raya, White, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori, Rice, Lewis-Skelly, Saka, Ødegaard, Tzolis, Havertz.
Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Martínez, Acheampong, Lacroix, Fofana, Neto, James, Lavia, Hato, Palmer, Rogers, João Pedro.
Chelsea subs: Gusto & Chavarría (60'), Estêvão (81'), Welbeck (87'). Chelsea manager: Xabi Alonso. Formation reported as 3-4-2-1 (5-4-1 without the ball); some outlets list 4-2-3-1.
Key moments, move by move
- Konsa fouls João Pedro in midfield. Reece James whips the free kick into the box.
- Lacroix wins the first header and Arsenal can't clear.
- Hato heads it back out to the edge of the box.
- Rogers volleys first time, low inside Raya's near post.
- Arsenal move the ball quickly down the right: Rice to White.
- Havertz has drifted right to make three against two, and receives wide.
- He cuts inside onto his left foot along the edge of the box.
- A low shot goes through a defender's legs and inside Martínez's near post.
- Konsa wins a duel with Rogers and the ball goes left to Tzolis.
- Tzolis drives inside while Calafiori's run pulls Lacroix and Neto away.
- A low pass towards Havertz at the edge of the box, and Havertz steps over it.
- Ødegaard runs onto it at the penalty spot and finishes firmly.
Havertz drifts right: three against two
- Overload one side, then switch. Arsenal loaded the left, then shifted Havertz right to make 3v2s against Rogers and Hato (Coaches' Voice).
- Calafiori's half-space runs kept pulling Chelsea's back five out of shape, which opened the gap for the winner.
- Chelsea: a 3-4-2-1 that became a 5-4-1 low block, with direct balls to Neto. Their goal came from a rehearsed set piece credited to coach Austin MacPhee (NBC).
- Near misses: VAR ruled out a Calafiori goal for a Konsa offside just before half-time, and Neto hit the post on the break.
Recreate it in FM26
Arsenal · Havertz drifts right for a 3v2 · 4-2-3-1Show cardHide card
Havertz drifts right for a 3v2
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Raya | Ball-Playing Goalkeeper | Sweeper Keeper |
| RB | White | Full-Back | Full-Back |
| RCB | Konsa | Centre-Back | Stopping Centre-Back |
| LCB | Gabriel | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Covering Centre-Back |
| LB | Calafiori | Inverted Full-Back | Full-Back |
| RDM | Rice | Deep-Lying Playmaker | Pressing Defensive Midfielder |
| LDM | Lewis-Skelly | Half-Back | Defensive Midfielder |
| RW | Saka | Winger | Winger |
| AM | Ødegaard | Attacking Midfielder | Attacking Midfielder |
| LW | Tzolis | Inside Winger | Winger |
| ST | Havertz | Channel Forward | Centre Forward |
Team instructions
In Possession
- Passing DirectnessShorter
- TempoHigher
- Attacking TransitionPatient Build-Up
- Creative FreedomMore Expressive
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementHigh Press
- Defensive LineHigher
- Defensive TransitionCounter-Press
The idea: Havertz as a Channel Forward drifts to the right touchline to make three against two with Saka and Ødegaard, while Calafiori's runs from inside pull Chelsea's back five apart on the other side. It works against a zonal back five; you need a striker who is happy to receive wide and pass, not just finish.
What FM26 can't copy: Chelsea's goal came from a rehearsed free kick, and set-piece marking is set up separately from this card.
Our reading of this match in FM26 terms, not an exported tactic file. Role names as in FM26.
What if? Replay it with a different plan
Our best alternative plan: Formation 4-3-3, Eze on at 67' (for Tzolis), Guimarães on at 67' (for Lewis-Skelly). An extra midfielder to slow Palmer and the breaks to Neto, then Eze and Guimarães at 67' for a shot from the edge and a stronger body at set pieces. Small tweaks: this was already Arsenal's best display. It moves Arsenal's win chance from 77% to 83% (xG 2.05–0.39 becomes 2.20–0.24). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer Arsenal needed
Eberechi Eze
Chelsea spent most of the game in a 5-4-1 low block, and Arsenal had 16 shots against it. Eze is the squad's best shooter from the edge of the box and the most comfortable in tight spaces between the lines. With Chelsea's wing-backs tiring after an hour of chasing Havertz's overloads, he was the obvious way to add a third goal and end the game early.
Virgil van Dijk
Chelsea had 0.39 xG and still scored: a free kick after 77 seconds, Lacroix winning the first header and Arsenal failing to clear the second ball. With Saliba and Mosquera injured, the back line lacked a dominant organiser. Van Dijk wins that first header, organises the second-ball zone, and has the recovery pace to deal with the break on which Neto hit the post.
What the analysts said
“It was an absolute joy to watch our team play… just an avalanche.”Mikel Arteta
“I was happy the ball went through the legs of the defender, so it was tough to see the ball for him.”Kai Havertz
“He moves so well… he takes a lot of attention from the defenders.”Martin Ødegaard on Havertz
“The number of goals we're conceding is something we need to address.”Xabi Alonso
Behind after 77 seconds, Arsenal won it through Havertz's movement.
What's happening. Chelsea scored from a set piece inside two minutes. Arsenal answered with their best football of the season so far and won 2–1. Havertz scored the first and made the second for Ødegaard without touching the ball.
How it works. Chelsea defended zonally: each player guarded an area, not a man. Havertz kept leaving his area, drifting to the right touchline to make three against two, then stepping over a pass to drag defenders away. Against zonal marking nobody follows a moving striker, so his movement opens space for others. Against man-marking, as at Brighton, the same runs simply pull a marker along.
What the shots say. Replaying every shot, Arsenal win this game about nine times in ten. Chelsea's only real chance was the set piece. Arsenal created four big chances and scored one of them, so the margin could easily have been bigger.