Ezri Konsa was delighted with his tackle on former Aston Villa teammate Morgan Rogers that brought a roar of approval from Arsenal fans during Sunday’s 2-1 win over Chelsea.
The champions were defending a one-goal lead late in the match when Rogers threatened to go clean through on goal until he was stopped in his tracks by a perfectly-timed challenge from Konsa on his home debut.
The Emirates Stadium crowd reacted with a cheer almost as loud the one that greeted the winning goal scored by Martin Odegaard early in the second half, as Mikel Arteta’s side recovered from a goal down to maintain their perfect start to the season.
“I love duels,” Konsa said. “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.
“[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.”
Arsenal fell behind to a volley from Rogers after 77 seconds but hit back to level midway through the first half, Kai Havertz cutting in off the flank to beat Emiliano Martínez and score against his former team.
Chelsea’s front three of Cole Palmer, João Pedro and Rogers were lively again but the visitors ultimately could not find their way past Konsa and co for a second time.
“I really enjoyed the occasion,” the England defender said. “My first London derby and I thought the fans were fantastic, superb. 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.”
Konsa, who made his debut in last week’s 1-0 win away against his former side Villa, was in the side on Sunday in place of Cristhian Mosquera, who was injured, and long-term absentee William Saliba.
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“I felt right at home from day one,” he 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.”
Arsenal are one of two teams in the league with perfect winning records after three matches. The Gunners are second on goal difference behind Manchester City.
