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If this high-tempo contest is to grow into a genuine title race, Arsenal already seem far beyond merely holding a new three-point advantage over Chelsea.

Xabi Alonso’s team showed spark and energy that tested the champions, but they never truly had a midfield, and that meant they never had control, leading to Alonso’s first defeat. That command is what separates Arsenal, after a 2-1 victory that preserved their 100 per cent record from three matches.

One of the clearest takeaways from this win was that Mikel Arteta’s side looked more open and more attacking than the Premier League has become used to seeing from them, with much of that shaped by Chelsea’s willingness to take them on.

Arsenal showed their quality to seal an important win over Chelsea.

That is one part of the story, but there is something else too, something even more ominous for the rest of the league. The Arsenal machine is now so finely tuned that it can operate at a quicker speed. The brilliant winning goal from Martin Odegaard captured that perfectly, because the move was almost identical to his strike against Manchester City in the Community Shield.

It was clearly not spontaneous attacking. It was a carefully drilled move, with every player knowing exactly which zone to attack and at precisely what time.

The only real surprise in the match was why Arsenal needed a second goal in the first place, after Kai Havertz had equalised. They had plainly been caught cold by Morgan Rogers’s opener after 77 seconds. The machine had not yet warmed up.

Morgan Rogers gave Chelsea the ideal start.

When an early set-piece came in, Arsenal’s defending was oddly hesitant and disjointed, allowing Rogers to hook home the opening goal. Some of that may perhaps have been due to Ezri Konsa adjusting to his new teammates, although he did so impressively quickly. By the second half, with Arsenal leading 2-1, he produced one outstanding challenge on Rogers to keep Chelsea under control and lift the atmosphere at the Emirates.

“Very English,” Arteta said with a laugh.

Rogers’s goal, the first Arsenal have conceded this season, may also have provided the fuel they needed.

The next 50 minutes amounted to one of their most complete performances. “The team reacted spectacularly,” Arteta said. “It was beautiful.”

They circulated the ball at speed, gradually pinning Chelsea back. Alonso’s forwards ensured the visitors remained a threat, but it was nothing like the pressure Emiliano Martinez had to withstand at the other end.

Kai Havertz blasted in Arsenal’s first goal.

Where Chelsea relied on individual creators trying to conjure something, Arsenal were about collective movement and sharp combinations.

The visitors could reasonably argue that the hosts were a little too fired up at times. Gabriel was fortunate that the officials did not interpret his contact with Martinez’s head as a deliberate kick. It might have become the turning point, given Chelsea were 1-0 ahead at that stage.

There was an edge throughout the game, clear in the confrontations. Cole Palmer and Declan Rice traded cynical fouls.

Another decisive moment arrived right at the end. Estevao underlined just how much attacking strength Chelsea possess by getting back into proper action and producing what may have been their best opening of the entire match.

The Brazilian cut inside Piero Hincapie with ease before bending the ball towards the top corner. But up went the outstretched hand of David Raya. It looked like it could rank among the saves of the season, comparable with the one against Brighton last season.

David Raya produced a stunning late save to protect the three points.

It was also one of several assured moments from Raya. You can sense it whenever he faces a free kick or a corner. Chelsea set-piece coach Austin MacPhee was up on his feet for every one, trying to inject energy. Yet amid all that, Raya claimed everything. He is unflappable.

And if it seems slightly unusual to focus on a goalkeeper in a match filled with such quality in open play — with Christos Tzolis and Pedro Neto still exchanging surging runs deep into the contest — it also says plenty about how well Arsenal function.

Mistakes or weaknesses stand out even more because they happen so rarely. Everything works with such efficiency, the long-term outcome of Arteta’s methods over six years.

That contrast with Chelsea kept surfacing in this game, which is perhaps unavoidable. Even Arsenal’s attack, so often criticised last season, appeared to have gone up another level.

Odegaard is truly in form. “His confidence is as high as I’ve seen, and he has a point to prove after last season,” Arteta said. “He gets to that point because he’s enjoying his football.”

Martin Odegaard delivered another captain’s display.

It was no coincidence that Arsenal first ran into difficulty in the match when Arteta withdrew the Norwegian along with fellow goalscorer Havertz.

That may point to one major issue still remaining, something that has been a theme throughout the summer: the depth, or lack of it, in attack. It could yet cost them in the Champions League, even if not in England.

Here, the forwards on the pitch highlighted another contrast with Chelsea.

While Raya looked so secure, Havertz arguably exposed Martinez’s tendency to make errors. He is an excellent goalkeeper with many strengths — even his abrasive personality can be an asset — but he is not entirely immovable. Martinez probably should have done better with Havertz’s finish, good though it was.

Emi Martinez again showed his tendency for the occasional error.

Arteta also spoke warmly about the German, saying that he “feels happy” and is in his best condition for a long time.

Alonso does have Chelsea in good shape, despite the lack of depth in midfield. He said afterwards that Moises Caicedo’s absence was only a precaution after returning too early last week. Alonso’s impact has otherwise been swift, and Chelsea have plenty of quality — if not necessarily a defence. They have let in seven goals in three matches.

“This is for sure something we need to address,” Alonso said. “We need to be tighter, more clinical, more balance.”

In other words, more like Arsenal.

Chelsea ran into a side that are inevitably far more cohesive, far more finely calibrated. And they are not the only ones facing that problem.

Arsenal look a level above everyone else in the Premier League.