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Ezri Konsa has spoken of his happiness after marking his home debut for Arsenal with a win in their hard-fought 2-1 victory over Chelsea. The summer arrival made an important impact in defence as the Gunners came from behind after an early setback to take all three points in a high-intensity London derby at the Emirates Stadium.

Winning the battle at the Emirates

Settling into a new club can often be challenging, but Konsa seems to have adapted to life at Arsenal with impressive ease. Handed his first full home start, the former Aston Villa defender looked completely at ease in Mikel Arteta’s backline. Even with the pressure that comes with a London derby, Konsa excelled alongside Gabriel, offering the physical strength and tactical discipline needed to deal with a dangerous Chelsea attack that had gone ahead very early through Morgan Rogers.

Speaking about the atmosphere and the importance of the result, Konsa was quick to praise the Arsenal supporters for helping drive the comeback. “I really enjoyed the occasion. My first London derby and I thought the fans were fantastic, superb,” the defender said. “They stayed behind us throughout the whole game; without them, these games are impossible. Conceding so early isn't great, and I know we take a lot of pride here in keeping clean sheets, but I thought the reaction was second to none, it was fantastic. It just goes to show the character and the mentality of this team.”

Dominating the individual duels

From a statistical point of view, Konsa delivered an elite display. He was involved in 12 duels during the match, more than any other Arsenal player on the field, and won eight of them. One moment in particular that lifted the Emirates crowd was a fierce sliding tackle on Morgan Rogers, which brought a Chelsea counter-attack to an immediate halt.

For Konsa, those one-on-one contests are central to his job on the pitch. “I love duels. As a defender, I think these are things you have to cherish. For me personally, I love a challenge. I love being in duels. I had a few today and I'm glad I came out on top,” Konsa explained.

“[Rogers] is a good friend of mine, but on the pitch, it's a different story. I saw the opportunity to go in and make the tackle, and it came off.”

Stepping up in Mosquera’s absence

Konsa’s place in the starting XI became necessary after Cristhian Mosquera, who had been a regular in the early part of the season, suffered a muscular injury in the previous win over Aston Villa. Although losing an established starter is never ideal, the ease with which Konsa slotted into the side underlined the squad depth available at the Emirates. The 28-year-old has only been at the club for a few weeks, but he has already taken on board the tactical details needed to operate in Arteta’s high-pressing system.

Arteta has been hugely impressed by the way the new signing has coped with the increased responsibility. The Arsenal manager pointed out that despite having only limited time training with the full squad, the defender has produced a level of performance far beyond what might normally be expected from a newcomer. “What Ezri has done - he's played 11 minutes; he had five or six training sessions and the way he played man-to-man against an opponent like Joao Pedro - I thought he was phenomenal,” Arteta stated.

Adapting to the Arteta way

For plenty of players, adjusting to a new tactical approach can take months on the training ground. Konsa, though, believes Arsenal’s style of play suits him naturally. The focus on keeping the ball, holding a high defensive line, and defending aggressively in one-on-one situations matches perfectly with the kind of football he enjoys playing.

“I felt right at home from day one,” Konsa said. “The boys have been top, the staff have been top. Like I said before in previous interviews, this style really suits me - I love the boss' way of playing. The amount of quality that we have and the amount of quality I have around me makes things easier,” Konsa concluded.