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Mikel Arteta has delivered a firm warning to the rest of the Premier League, saying his Arsenal team are capable of going beyond the standards that made them champions last season. The Gunners kept up their flawless start to the new campaign with a hard-fought comeback win over London rivals Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.

Arteta believes the champions have an even higher ceiling

The Arsenal manager feels his side is already showing signs of moving beyond the benchmark they established during last season’s memorable title-winning run. After an impressive 2-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday, the Spaniard made it clear that his squad has the drive to scale even greater heights. Arsenal went behind early to Morgan Rogers, who scored in the second minute, but goals from Kai Havertz and captain Martin Odegaard changed the game and earned an important three points. The result leaves the Gunners level with Manchester City as the only sides with a perfect record after three matches.

Looking back on the display, Arteta praised the way his players responded to the early setback against Xabi Alonso’s team. "I think it was an exceptional performance. I enjoyed every minute of it from the beginning to the end, and the beginning was tough," Arteta said. "I think it's an indication for us of how capable we are to perform at an even higher level than last season, and it depends on how we maintain and sustain that desire, that humbleness and continue every day to try to find a better version of myself and the team. We still have a lot to grow and a lot to offer, and this is the ambition of the team."

Attacking chemistry gives Arsenal another dimension

Although the North London club had a fairly quiet summer transfer window when it came to bringing in strikers — instead allowing players such as Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard to leave — their attacking movement now seems to be reaching a new level. The trio of Havertz, Odegaard and Bukayo Saka repeatedly troubled the Chelsea defence, while new signing Christos Tzolis brought added creativity from wide areas.

Arteta also highlighted the improving understanding between his key attacking creators as a major reason for encouragement. "Odegaard has a point to prove from last season after missing so much football," Arteta noted. "When that happens, Kai the same, Bukayo the same, we miss so many attacking players last season for long, long periods. I don't know how many times they've played together those two in the last year or so, but probably not ​much, and when you start ​to feel the chemistry ⁠they have between them and what they can produce, it's great."

Reality check for Alonso’s Chelsea

For Chelsea, the loss served as a major reminder of the work still to be done after an encouraging start under former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso. Even though his side dropped their first points of the season, Alonso stayed defiant and called on his players to remain committed to the longer-term project at Stamford Bridge.

"We want to start having clean sheets, they will come. The players are committed to working hard, to knowing that we're on the way to compete in each game. Not happy that we couldn't get anything but we need to keep calm and carry on," Alonso noted.

Momentum grows ahead of Champions League return

The win represents an important step up for Arsenal, who had already followed a comfortable opening victory over Coventry City and a narrow, hard-earned win at Aston Villa with a display full of tactical maturity. Arsenal now turn their attention to the start of their Champions League campaign, with a strong opening position ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Napoli. There are still some concerns within the squad, though, as Cristhian Mosquera was a notable absentee from the matchday group against Chelsea. Arteta offered a short update on the defender, saying: "He had a muscular issue, and we think it's not too much, but we need to wait and see in the next few days how this evolves."