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Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville have shared their views after Arsenal registered a 2-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday. Carragher was hugely impressed by Arsenal's defensive strength even without William Saliba, while Neville delivered a sharp assessment of Chelsea's back three, although he still believes in Xabi Alonso's wider project at Stamford Bridge.

Carragher praises Arsenal's solidity

Arsenal kept up their perfect start to the season with a hard-earned 2-1 victory against Chelsea, with Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard getting the goals. Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher highlighted Mikel Arteta's side for the way they stood firm defensively, particularly in the absence of William Saliba.

Carragher feels Arsenal's capacity to shut teams out is an alarming sign for their title challengers. He said: "I think the worrying thing for everybody else already is that Saliba, - who is genuinely world-class arguably probably the best centre-back in world football – has not played a minute of football so far this season. And it doesn’t look like anyone can score against them."

Neville slams Chelsea defence

While Arsenal continue to look impressive, Chelsea have now let in seven goals in their first three matches under Xabi Alonso. Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast, Gary Neville criticised the Blues' defensive set-up. He was especially troubled by how disconnected they appeared at the Emirates Stadium.

Neville explained: "The back three, when I watch them, it's almost like their legs aren't connected to their hips and the hips aren't connected to their bodies. It's almost like they're a bit all over the place." In spite of that strong criticism, he indicated that Alonso may need to bring in more players to sort out the problem.

Optimism remains for Alonso

Even with the defensive problems, Neville remains notably optimistic about Chelsea's direction under Alonso. He praised wing-backs Pedro Neto and Jorrel Hato, as well as their attacking options, and made a bold call on where they could finish in the league.

"I think they can finish second - third is the absolute lowest I can see Chelsea finishing," Neville stated. "I'm as positive as I have been for three four five years about Chelsea because I think they're going in the right direction." Alonso himself admitted that his side need to be more compact defensively, but he was satisfied with their spirit and attitude in defeat.

What next for Arsenal and Chelsea?

Arsenal will aim to carry this momentum forward when they travel to face Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday, before returning to league action away at Sunderland on Saturday. Chelsea, meanwhile, must quickly solve their defensive frailties. Alonso now has nearly a week on the training ground to reshape his backline before the Blues host Hull City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.