The Chelsea manager expressed satisfaction with the display and attitude of his players despite the team suffering their first league defeat of the season against Arsenal at the Emirates.
Speaking after the 2-1 scoreline on Sunday, September 6, 2026, the Spaniard backed his side to bounce back from a defeat he described as hurting.
Losing at the Emirates
“It hurts to lose any game, and it hurts to lose here at the Emirates,” Alonso said.
The Blues took an early lead through Morgan Rogers, but the hosts turned the game on its head early in the second half when Martin Odegaard added to Kai Havertz’s 26th-minute equaliser.
“It hurts. It hurts because a defeat has to hurt,” the manager stressed. “It was a very intense game with different phases. We had a couple of chances in the first half and opportunities to equalise later, but we could have done better with the second goal we conceded so early in the half.”
The manager backed his team to learn from the defeat and improve going forward, admitting that it was encouraging to see the fighting spirit from his lads against the reigning champions.
“It is a new era here, and I am happy with my players and the attitude they showed. They fought until the end, and we could have taken something away from the Emirates, but it was not to be,” he added.
He also addressed Chelsea’s defensive issues, with the Blues failing to keep a clean sheet in any of their opening three matches.
“My clear priority is to win games, and that is always easier when you don’t concede. There is a real desire to improve game by game and build something we believe in, but our defense is certainly something we need to address,” he added.
Arsenal asserts London derby dominance
The Londoners got close to securing a crucial away point in the final moment of the game when Estevao had a shot parried out by David Raya.
The clash ultimately ended with the hosts delivering a resolute defensive display to hand Chelsea and Xabi Alonso their first defeat in the league this season.
Meanwhile, the Gunners extended their winning run against their London rivals to move second on the log behind early pace-setters Manchester City.
