Troy Deeney named four Arsenal players in his team of the week including the ‘best goalkeeper in the Premier League’, David Raya.
Mikel Arteta’s defending champions maintained their perfect start to the new season with a 2-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday.
Arsenal trailed through Morgan Rogers’ early opener but came from behind thanks to goals from Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard.
The win means only Arsenal and Manchester City boast a perfect record after three games while Chelsea taste defeat for the first time this season.
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Deeney picked Raya as the goalkeeper in his Premier League team of the week for BBC Sport after he pulled off a brilliant save to deny Estevao a Chelsea equaliser late on.
Arsenal summer signing Ezri Konsa was also included after an impressive performance alongside Gabriel, with Chelsea’s dazzling front-three kept relatively quiet at the Emirates Stadium.
Martin Odegaard continued his superb start to the season with another goal and earned a place in Deeney’s team alongside Arsenal’s ‘best footballer’ Havertz.
Analysing Raya’s performance against Chelsea, Deeney said: ‘Huge saves, again. It’s why he’s the best goalkeeper in the league. He keeps just coming up with big moments.’
Turning his attentions to England defender Konsa, the ex-Premier League striker said: ‘Solid performance. He comes in again and just makes that massive tackle on Morgan Rogers.
‘I think he slots into what is an already incredible Arsenal team. I can see a position now that they just can’t live without him, he’ll have to play right-back when everybody comes fit and available.’
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On Odegaard, Deeney added: ‘Captain, leader and a massive winner. It’s just one of those moments where you just think, how did they talk about getting rid of Odegaard? It’s scary.’
Discussing Havertz, the Watford legend continued: ‘The best striker for Arsenal, hands down. They keep telling us that Gyokeres will come good, but Havertz is their best striker.
‘He proves it week in, week out. He’s the best footballer they’ve got, and also their best finisher.’
Troy Deeney’s Premier League team of the week
David Raya (Arsenal)
Ezri Konsa (Arsenal)
Ronald Araujo (Liverpool)
Tyrick Mitchell (Crystal Palace)
Harvey Barnes (Newcastle United)
Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
Cody Gakpo (Liverpool)
Cesar Palacios (Fulham)
Alexander Isak (Liverpool)
Kai Havertz (Arsenal)
Arteta was full of praise for his players after Arsenal’s derby win over Chelsea, describing his team’s performance as ‘incredible’.
‘It wasn’t the right start but we certainly reacted in an amazing way,’ Arteta said. ‘I enjoyed the way we competed; we took risks, it was a joy to watch and an incredible game.
‘They have a great coach who can set them up in great condition. With the quality they have, you feel they can create something out of nothing at any moment.
‘We constrained them well. Overall, it was an incredible performance from our side.’
On Odegaard’s superb start to the season, Arteta added: ‘I think he is enjoying his football. His personal life is settled, he is available, he is training.
‘He has his routine and if he is intelligent, he can take a lot of benefits from the players around him. I think he was outstanding today.’
Arsenal return to action on Wednesday, kick-starting their Champions League campaign against Italian side Napoli.
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