The Arsenal captain completed the turnaround in the 50th minute, firing home the winning goal after Kai Havertz had cancelled out Chelsea’s opener before the interval.
Morgan Rogers had given the visitors a shock lead after just 77 seconds, with the 117m-pound off-season signing scoring the first goal Arsenal had conceded this season.
Odegaard was praised for producing a match-winning display and later highlighted the collective resolve that enabled Arsenal to recover from such an early setback.
He stressed that the victory was about more than his own contribution, pointing to the squad’s ability to withstand adversity without losing belief.
“It was a big game, massive game, [against a] tough opponent and we got there in the end, so brilliant,” Odegaard told Sky Sports.
“Our mentality is to keep fighting. We have shown that many times. We never want to concede early but the reaction is top. We got our reward in [the] end and the response was brilliant. We showed our quality with and without the ball and the result reflects that.”
Havertz also applauded Odegaard’s return to his best level, while maintaining that Arsenal have enough depth to compete across multiple competitions.
He felt their tactical organisation and familiarity with one another ultimately proved decisive against a Chelsea side boasting considerable investment.
