Marcos Alonso scored in the final 10 minutes as Chelsea earned a 3-2 win against London rivals Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
The Spanish full-back profited from some good play from substitute Eden Hazard to tuck the ball past Petr Cech, making it two wins for two for the Blues and two defeats from two for their opponents.
Prior to the late strike, Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan found a way through for the Gunners as they recovered from early Pedro and Alvaro Morata goals.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. We may be just a week into the new season, but already this is a fixture that could have huge implications for both sides, as both are under new management and desperate to reclaim their place in the division's top four.
The Gunners were soundly beaten by Manchester City in their opening game under Unai Emery, while the Blues saw off Huddersfield Town 3-0 in West Yorkshire to give Maurizio Sarri a winning start. It is the toughest of starts for Emery, but he will at least be hoping for an improvement from last week's home loss to the champions.
CHELSEA TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, David Luiz, Alonso; Kante, Jorginho, Barkley; Willian, Morata, Pedro
SUBS: Kovacic, Hazard, Caballero, Moses, Christensen, Giroud, Zappacosta
Maurizio Sarri has named an unchanged starting lineup on the back of last weekend's 3-0 win away to Huddersfield Town. The Italian hinted after the win in West Yorkshire than changes would be kept to a minimum today, preferring to stick with a settled group that he had for the majority of pre-season. That means Eden Hazard, a late substitute at the John Smith's Stadium, is only on the bench.
The other big selection call made by Sarri is the decision to leave Real Madrid Mateo Kovacic on the bench, instead retaining faith in Ross Barkley. The ex-Everton ace was used heavily during the summer and has now started all three of the Blues' competitive fixtures this term, but this may well be his last chance to seriously impress as Kovacic is almost certain to come in next week alongside N'Golo Kante and Jorginho.
Alvaro Morata is also used through the middle despite his goalscoring woes, having netted just once in 15 outings since Boxing Day. French World Cup winner Olivier Giroud is on the bench for Chelsea following his late return to training, giving Sarri an alternative option from the bench in the second half. Giroud is aiming to become just the second player to score for both clubs in this Premier League fixture - Cesc Fabregas, injured today, is the other.
ARSENAL TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Cech; Bellerin, Sokratis, Mustafi, Monreal; Xhaka, Guendouzi; Mkhitaryan, Ozil, Iwobi; Aubameyang
SUBS: Leno, Elneny, Ramsey, Lacazette, Torreira, Lichtsteiner, Welbeck
Switching attention to the visitors' lineup, Unai Emery has made two changes from the 2-0 loss to Man City. The big news is that Alex Iwobi is preferred to Aaron Ramsey in the three-man attacking midfield, meaning a more advanced central position for Mesut Ozil, who has been told to step things up by his Spanish boss. Henrikh Mkhitaryan retains his place in attack, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang again leading the line.
Emery is also boosted by the return of Nacho Monreal at left-back, taking over from the injured Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Sead Kolasinac and Carl Jenkinson are still not close to a return, so Monreal's fitness is a positive for the Gunners. Elsewhere Arsenal remain the same, as Petr Cech is given the nod in goal a week on from his difficult afternoon against City, while Granit Xhaka and Matteo Guendouzi are selected in the engine room.
There had been calls for Alexandre Lacazette to be recalled to the starting lineup, having impressed from the bench against Man City six days ago, but Emery has instead made just the one change in attack. Aubameyang was always going to start today, and the former Monaco, Saint-Etienne and Borussia Dortmund ace is going in search of his 150th goal in European football's top five leagues.
Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri sticks with the same XI that saw off Huddersfield Town seven days ago, meaning no starts for Eden Hazard and Mateo Kovacic. Unai Emery does make a couple of changes to his Arsenal personnel, however, with Alex Iwobi and Nacho Monreal coming in for Aaron Ramsey and Ainsley Maitland-Niles respectively.
Chelsea were soundly beaten by Manchester City in the annual Community Shield curtain-raiser a fortnight ago, leaving new manager Sarri to ponder how long it would take before his side would fully click into gear. The early signs were not good, although it did have to be factored in that the Blues were facing the best side in the country - and arguably the best in the world right now.
The Blues had a disrupted summer to say the least, only taking the decision to sack Antonio Conte and replace him with Sarri a few weeks before their season opener. Sarri really could have done with a few weeks longer, as he arrived from Napoli - runners-up in Serie A last season with 91 points - with the reputation of playing a certain brand of football that cannot be taught overnight.
Thankfully for Sarri, Huddersfield were good opponents to face first up in the Premier League and the Blues came away from West Yorkshire with a pretty straightforward 3-0 win in the end. It was the ninth time in a row that a Chelsea manager avoided defeat in their opening game, and the biggest margin of victory since Luiz Felipe Scolari saw his side earn a 4-0 win away at Portsmouth a decade ago.
Chelsea salvaged their campaign last season thanks to victory in Conte's last match, earning a slender win over Manchester United in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium. That could not paper over the cracks, though, and the decision was - eventually! - taken to replace Conte with Sarri. The Blues have revamped their midfield with the additions of Jorginho and Kovacic, while Kepa Arrizabalaga has come in for Thibaut Courtois.
Jorginho is today aiming to become just the fourth Chelsea player to net in his first two Premier League games, along with Adrian Mutu, Deco and Diego Costa. The Italian's arrival really was huge, giving Sarri a player who knows his system inside out. The Italy international looked impressive against Huddersfield, with his inclusion also freeing Kante to get into more advanced positions - as his fourth goal in 107 league outings went some way to highlighting.
Hazard, who has scored at least 12 league goals in his last four seasons, is slowly being eased back to full speed and will add an awful lot to this Chelsea side. Pedro and Willian have looked sharp after getting minuted under their belts, but the elephant in the room remains the inclusion of Morata up top. One goal in 15 since Boxing Day is a dreadful return, particularly as he initially adapted so well, but Sarri remains confident that the Spaniard can turn things around.
There has been talk in the press this week of Sarri loosening the rules when it comes to what his players can eat, while also allowing them to choose whether they stay at the team hotel or at home the night before home games. That has gone a long way to winning over his new players, but doing that has never been a problem for Chelsea managers - keeping that faith tends to be more difficult; just ask Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte!
Chelsea face Arsenal and Liverpool here in the first two months of the season, but Sarri cannot really moan about the fixture list. The Blues can ease their way into the campaign, although defeat today and all of a sudden the Blues are seemingly just one bad result away from a full-blown crisis - that is how things tend to work around here! The good news for Sarri, however, is that he lost just four of 57 home league matches during his three years at Napoli, winning 43 of those.
That is an impressive record, but it does have to be pointed out that Sarri has failed to win any meaningful silverware at the age of 59. Chelsea targeted the Italian for a reason, however, and his immediate task is to lift Chelsea back into top-four contention while challenging in the three cup competitions. Finishing as runner-up with Napoli in Serie A was impressive enough; failing to finish higher than that during his time at Stamford Bridge will be considered a big disappointment.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Chelsea have won five of their last six home Premier League matches against Arsenal, with the exception being last November's goalless draw. The Gunners have failed to score on four of their last five league trips to Stamford Bridge, and have netted one in six overall, but they also have back-to-back clean sheets here in all competitions.
That is a hugely disappointing record for Arsenal, having failed to leave here with all three points since 2011. They did claim bragging rights in the EFL Cup semi-final clash at the turn of the year, however, which only piled the pressure on Conte. It was not enough to keep Arsene Wenger in the job, however, and now the North Londoners are preparing for their first competitive away game without the Frenchman in charge since 1996.
Goals from Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva earned Man City a deserved 2-0 win in last week's fixture at the Emirates Stadium, giving Emery plenty to ponder. The Spaniard, who won a domestic treble at Paris Saint-Germain last term, claimed after the match that there were positives to take from his side's second-half display, though that was at a point when the Citizens had taken their foot off the gas.
Arsenal have become perennial slow starters in the Premier League, winning just two of their last nine opening-day fixtures, so this is certainly nothing new for them. Emery, though, did become the first Gunners boss in six to lose his opening match in charge - a run stretching back to 1986. There was a real emphasis on passing out from the back last weekend, which caused problems for experienced keeper Petr Cech in particular.
As Emery rightly pointed out after the match, however, Arsenal will not face a better side than Man City all season. Fighting fire with fire was not the best approach to take - we don't need Sam Allardyce to tell us that - and this is not exactly going to be an easy assignment, either. On the back of a positive pre-season that saw them win five from five, albeit with two of those coming via penalties, Arsenal could well kick off their Prem campaign with back-to-back losses.
In fact, defeat today and Arsenal could find themselves in the bottom three of the Premier League ahead of next weekend's showdown with pointless side West Ham United, really ramping up the pressure on both Emery and opposite number Manuel Pellegrini. It is at this point that we need to remind ourselves that, yes, it is just one week into the season! Football is a cynical sport, and time is not something managers tend to be afforded these days.
Emery said at his pre-match press conference that he is confident of an improved display from his side after being given a further seven days to work with them. It is a similar case for Sarri at Chelsea - the Blues won comfortably last weekend but tougher tests lie ahead, and they were second best throughout their showdown with Man City a week prior. It sets up what should be an intriguing contest at Stamford Bridge.
DID YOU KNOW? Arsenal have lost seven of their last eight away games, with the only exception being the victory at Huddersfield Town on the final day of last season. Eleven losses away from home last season equalled their joint-worst record in the Premier League, set in 1994-95 when it was a 42-game campaign. It goes without saying that a massive improvement is needed over the next 10 months or so.
Not since 2012 have Arsenal failed to score in their first two Premier League matches, meanwhile, when being held by Sunderland and Stoke City. Unai Emery will have taken some positives away from the 2-0 loss against Man City, though, and as the Spaniard said on Friday, he is confident of an improved display today. Defeat today, however, and already his honeymoon period will be over.
With kickoff in West London now just a couple of minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Maurizio Sarri: "I am not worried about [Alvaro] Morata. Morata is a very good player. I think in this moment he needs only to gain confidence. But he's a great player. He needs to gain confidence. But he's improving. I'm not really worried about him. He needs to score. As do all strikers in the world, I think."
Unai Emery: "We need to keep our personality, our mentality. Against [Manchester] City, the team kept their ideas, kept their spirit in the game for the full 90 minutes even when we were losing. That was a good thing... I want us to continue with this work and to be competitive for 90 minutes, but with a better performance both individually and collectively."
KICKOFF: Arsenal, aiming to avoid back-to-back defeats to begin Unai Emery's tenure, get us up and running in this blockbuster clash. While the Gunners were soundly beaten by Manchester City, Chelsea saw off Huddersfield Town 3-0 in their opener.
SAVE! An early save for home debutant Kepa Arrizabalaga to make, but it is pretty much the simplest stop he will make all season. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang failed to make the contact he wanted on the edge of the box, with the ball trickling towards goal.
David Luiz, who many believed will struggle in Sarri's four-man backline, gets forward in trademark fashion and sends a dipping shot over the crossbar. Less than a minute later, Pedro cut inside and sent a curler equally as wide.
Jorginho with great vision to send the ball over the top to Ross Barkley, who could not bring in under control. Poor from Hector Bellerin as he attempted to step out of defence to catch the midfielder offside, but got it horribly wrong.
Chelsea are knocking the ball around with ease in the early stages; Luiz, Jorginho and Kante are seeing plenty of it. Arsenal, much like last weekend, are trying to pass their way out from the back but are not really getting anywhere.
GOAL! CHELSEA 1-0 ARSENAL (PEDRO)
Mesut Ozil volleyed wide at one end and, a minute or so later, Chelsea were putting the ball in the back of the net up the other. Jorginho sends Marcos Alonso away down the left and the Spaniard squared it for Pedro to finish off.
That is the second time today that Hector Bellerin has been caught out at the back. Had Mesut Ozil converted Nacho Monreal's cross 60 seconds before that Pedro goal, it would not have mattered. Worrying signs for the Gunners.
CLOSE! So, so easy for Chelsea. Jorginho is bossing things in the engine room, picking out Kante - yes, Kante! - inside the box with a searching ball. The Frenchman eventually found Ross Barkley, whose shot dipped on to the roof of the net.
There has been no change to the flow of the game - Chelsea are constantly getting in behind and are good value for their one-goal lead. Arsenal have created just one opening so far, which Mesut Ozil was unable to make the most of.
SAVE! Better from Arsenal, as the ball is slid into some space for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The striker does better with this shot compared to the one a couple of minutes in, but it was still pretty much straight at Kepa Arrizabalaga from an angle.
CHANCE! This is an unbelievable miss from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is one goal short of 150 in European football's elite leagues. Hector Bellerin bursts into the box and lays it off nicely for the Gabonese, but he could only hit it over the bar from 10 yards.
GOAL! CHELSEA 2-0 ARSENAL (ALVARO MORATA)
Chelsea's first goal came a minute after a miss up the other end; this one was no different, as 55 seconds after Aubameyang's shocking miss the ball is being put past Petr Cech. Alvaro Morata got on the end of a long ball, cut inside Mustafi and kept his cool to convert.
A penny for Emery's thoughts right now. His team have been second best this evening, as the scoreline suggests, but they really should have been on level terms. Just 55 seconds between Aubameyang missing a sitter and Morata tucking the ball past Cech.
That goal will give Morata plenty of confidence - just his second strike in 17 matches since December 26. A big 20 minutes ahead now; Chelsea will be looking to protect their two-goal advantage for the second half.
It was Cesar Azpilicueta who claimed the assist for that second goal. The versatile Spanish defender linked brilliantly with his compatriot in the first half of last season; getting them back on the same wavelength was no doubt a priority for Sarri.
YELLOW CARD! Two games into the season and Granit Xhaka has just picked up his second yellow card. A nasty challenge from the Swiss, but is was not deserving of anything more than a caution. Arsenal at risk of losing their heads as we hit the half-hour mark.
No chances at either end since Alvaro Morata doubled Chelsea's advantage with a well-taken goal. As the cliche goes, the next goal in this game, if there is to be another one, really will be crucial.
CHANCE! Shkodran Mustafi is extremely lucky to get away with this, as he loses possession deep in his own half but wins a free kick. Mkhitaryan and Ozil have shots blocked on the edge of the Chelsea box, before Mkhitaryan skied a sitter from nine yards.
Two shocking misses from Arsenal's perspective in this first half - had Aubameyang or Mkhitaryan converted the scoreline would look a little different. Chelsea have to be careful now because their levels have dropped since Morata's goal.
Willian is the latest to get in behind and pick out Kante, who could not squeeze the ball home. Prior to that, Arsenal again got themselves in trouble when attempting to play it out from the back - Granit Xhaka the guilty party this time.
GOAL! CHELSEA 2-1 ARSENAL (HENRIKH MKHITARYAN)
He was guilty of missing a good chance a little earlier, but Henrikh Mkhitaryan does now have his name on the scoresheet in what is turning out to be a thrilling game. The Armenian unleashed a shot from 20 yard, which Kepa Arrizabalaga could not keep out despite getting a touch to the ball.
SAVE! Arsenal switch off after grabbing themselves a lifeline, with Alvaro Morata working himself some space and getting a shot away that forced Petr Cech into a half-decent stop. This has been a gripping first half at Stamford Bridge.
GOAL! CHELSEA 2-2 ARSENAL (ALEX IWOBI)
Talk about turning a game on its head! Arsenal, two goals down five minutes ago are back on level terms in West London. Henrikh Mkhitaryan had far too much time down the right to pick out Alex Iwobi in the middle, and the Nigerian smashed the ball high into the net.
SAVE! All of a sudden, Arsenal are now the time in the ascendancy and chasing a third goal of the evening. Matteo Guendouzi carries the ball forward and gets in a decent, low shot for Kepa Arrizabalaga to get behind.
CHANCE! This is an incredible game of football. Both teams have forgotten how to defend, with Alex Iwobi the latest to take advantage, getting into a good position down the left and teeing up Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang to slot narrowly wide - another big chance goes begging for the Gabonese striker.
HALF TIME: CHELSEA 2-2 ARSENAL
Yet another big chance goes begging for Arsenal, with Alex Iwobi failing to convert from right in front of goal moments before the half-time whistle sounded. We have a game of the season contender in West London, where it is 2-2 at the break.
Chelsea needed less than a quarter of the game to open up a two-goal lead, with Pedro getting the ball rolling with a close-range finish after being teed up by Marcos Alonso. Jorginho played a key part in the opener thanks to his initial pass into Alonso's path from deep, and the Italian was one of a handful of Chelsea players being given freedom to pop up wherever they wanted.
The former Napoli man set a more advanced N'Golo Kante free soon after, but the Frenchman passed up the chance to shoot and instead laid it off for Ross Barkley, whose shot dripped on to the roof of the net. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a tame early shot kept out and only fared slightly better 17 minutes in as he fired straight at Kepa Arrizabalaga with the angle against him.
Aubameyang was guilty of a huge miss moments later, skying the ball after being picked out right in front of goal by Hector Bellerin, and it would prove a big moment in the match as Alvaro Morata cut inside Shkodran Mustafi and tucked past Petr Cech just 55 seconds later. Despite being outplayed for large parts of the first half, the Gunners were still able to create further big opportunities. Henrikh Mkhitaryan somehow missed from a similar position to Aubameyang before him, but the Armenian made amends with his edge-of-the-box shot which crept out of Kepa's reach.
Four minutes later the visitors were back on level terms as, after Cech kept out Morata with a decent save, Alex Iwobi was well positioned to convert Mkhitaryan's cutback from 10 yards. Matteo Guendouzi was next to get a shot on target in an action-packed first half, while Iwobi and Aubameyang should have done better with their efforts from inside the area.
CHELSEA SUBS: Kovacic, Hazard, Caballero, Moses, Christensen, Giroud, Zappacosta
ARSENAL SUBS: Leno, Elneny, Ramsey, Lacazette, Torreira, Lichtsteiner, Welbeck
KICKOFF: We are back under way at Stamford Bridge, where there is news of a half-time change - Lucas Torreira, who many tipped to start today, is on for Granit Xhaka in a like-for-like change. Chelsea remain as they were from the end of a thrilling first half.
The early signs are promising for the neutral - the two sides still cannot defend. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, guilty of missing two glorious chances this evening, fizzes the ball across goal after getting in behind, but nobody in red could get on the end of it.
Pedro attempts to chip the ball over Petr Cech but does not quite pull it off. Five minutes into the second half and we have yet to see a goal! Eden Hazard has been sent out to warm-up, which is not a good sight for Arsenal fans.
Chelsea looking a little calmer over the past couple of minutes. Arsenal are pressing high up the pitch, but more importantly than that is the fact they are doing it as a unit. Monreal comes in from nowhere but is unable to meet a cross into the box.
SHOT! N'Golo Kante is going to bag far more goals this season than we have become used to. The Frenchman is again picked out in a good position inside the box, but on this occasion his shot is blocked by Sokratis before it could find the back of the net.
More than 10 minutes of the second half played and we are awaiting the first clear-cut opportunity. Aubameyang has gone in behind at one end and Kante had a shot blocked at the other, but Cech and Kepa have not been tested since the restart.
SAVE! Ross Barkley's best moment of the match so far, flicking the ball into some space and getting an angled shot on target which Petr Cech was equal to. Chelsea are starting to turn the screw a little now in search of the game's fifth goal.
DISALLOWED GOAL! Aubameyang with a brilliant little finish from his most difficult chance yet, but the offside flag had already gone up. We have now played an hour at Stamford Bridge - will either manager be tempted to make a change in the next few minutes?
CHELSEA SUBS! Mateo Kovacic and Eden Hazard, being eased into the side, are brought on for the final 28 minutes. Ross Barkley, whose best moment saw his shot kept out by Petr Cech, and Willian are the players to make way.
Chelsea are the side in control of possession and they are looking lively, but Arsenal have shown countless times today that they have the ability to create openings pretty much out of nowhere. Cech saves from Morata, but the offside flag was up.
SAVE! Jorginho, better known for his creativity from deep than his goalscoring, gets a shot away from range which deflected into the path of Petr Cech. The Blues are looking the more likely side to nick a fifth goal of the evening.
Arsenal fail to clear Morata's mishit cross, but they got away with it as the follow-up shot was blocked. Surprised Gunners boss Emery has yet to make his second change of the game, with Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Lacazette among his options.
ARSENAL SUBS! Here comes that second Arsenal change, 25 minutes after the first, as Aaron Ramsey comes on for the disappointing Mesut Ozil in a like-for-like change behind lone striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
We rarely saw Ozil taken off during Wenger's tenure - Emery is clearly not afraid to make big calls such as this one. It was the most obvious change to make, in truth, as the German has not been at full flow and a fresh Ramsey has the ability to turn the game in his side's favour.
Brilliant from Eden Hazard, who somehow managed to wriggle away from a fatigued Hector Bellerin and put a nice ball across the face of goal for one of his teammates to tap in. There was nobody around, though, and another opportunity goes begging.
SUBS! More attacking changes, with Alexandre Lacazette on for Alex Iwobi and former Gunner Olivier Giroud replacing Alvaro Morata. Before that, David Luiz's dipping free kick was parried to safety by Petr Cech.
Chelsea have been the better side in this second half and will feel that they deserve a winner. Cech has not been seriously tested enough since the restart, though, and as things stand the sides will take a point apiece from the contest.
YELLOW CARD! Ramsey's low shot is not held on to by Kepa, and Lacazette was first to the rebound. The free kick was awarded for an infringement, though, meaning that Chelsea survived a real scare. Shkodran Mustafi has been cautioned for his challenge.
CLOSE! N'Golo Kante has been a huge goal threat today. The Frenchman gets away from Sokratis but can only head the cross over the bar - he should have been testing Petr Cech at the very least. Into the final 10 minutes and we remain locked at 2-2.
GOAL! CHELSEA 3-2 ARSENAL (MARCOS ALONSO)
Chelsea have been knocking on the door and they appear to have found a winner in this crazy London derby. Eden Hazard assisted the goal by creating some space down the left and squaring it for Marcos Alonso to tuck past Petr Cech.
The onus is now on Arsenal to find a leveller in the remaining five minutes. They showed great character in the first half to come back from two goals down, but they have not really offered much in an attacking sense in the second 45.
Chelsea are the side knocking on the door for a fourth goal, with Olivier Giroud forcing Petr Cech into a decent save. We are now into the final few minutes and it is not looking as though it is going to be Arsenal's day.
CLOSE! David Luiz is caught out at the back and Aaron Ramsey so nearly punished him. The Welshman struck a fierce shot than dipped on to the roof of Kepa's net. Three minutes have been added on at the end of this second half.
That Aaron Ramsey shot aside, Arsenal have not really looked like scoring since falling behind. The Gunners did brilliantly to battle back from two down in the first half, but opponents Chelsea have been the better team overall.
FULL TIME: CHELSEA 3-2 ARSENAL
Chelsea could have added a fourth goal to their tally from the final meaningful act of the game, but Olivier Giroud was denied by Petr Cech when the Blues were left with two against one. Not that it matters - the home side have won back-to-back matches under Maurizio Sarri, with Marcos Alonso's late strike here securing a 3-2 win over London rivals Arsenal.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from Stamford Bridge. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while reaction from both camps will be available elsewhere on the site in due course. Thanks for joining!
