England defender Ezri Kosa has described his first Emirates Stadium appearance for Arsenal as a memorable experience, saying he “felt right at home from day one” after helping the Gunners secure a 2-1 comeback victory over Chelsea on Sunday.
Konsa impressed on his home debut, contesting 12 duels and winning eight — his highest figures in a Premier League match since December 2024. He also formed a solid partnership with Gabriel at the centre of Arsenal’s defence.
The 28-year-old produced one of the standout moments of the match when he dispossessed Chelsea midfielder Morgan Rogers as the visitors attempted to launch a counter-attack, prompting a loud reaction from the Emirates crowd.
Rogers is a former Aston Villa teammate and close friend of Konsa, but the Arsenal defender insisted their relationship was irrelevant once the match got underway.
“[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,” Konsa told Arsenal’s website.
Reflecting on his first appearance at the Emirates, Konsa said he thoroughly enjoyed the occasion, particularly his first London derby.
“I really enjoyed the occasion. 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.”
Arsenal were forced to come from behind after Rogers gave Chelsea an early lead. Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard then scored to complete the turnaround and maintain Arsenal’s perfect start to the Premier League campaign.
Konsa praised the team’s response to conceding early, saying it demonstrated the character and mentality within the squad.
“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.”
The defender, who joined Arsenal from Aston Villa during the summer, said he has quickly settled into his new surroundings despite only arriving a couple of weeks ago.
“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.”
Despite Arsenal’s impressive start, Konsa warned his teammates against becoming complacent and urged them to remain focused on each game.
“I think it’s important you go into different games with confidence. We’ve started really well but it’s still early days. We’re going to take it game by game and day by day.”
Konsa had made his Arsenal debut the previous week when he came on for the final 11 minutes in the 1-0 victory over his former club Aston Villa at Villa Park.
The defender will now hope to build on his impressive start as Arsenal look to maintain their strong early-season form.
