Gabriel Magalhaes' second half goal at Stamford Bridge took Arsenal back to the top of the Premier League table after Manchester City had overtaken them the day prior thanks to a last-gasp 2-1 win over Fulham at the Etihad Stadium.
Arsenal will spend the next six weeks at the top of the table if they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers this weekend before the league goes on a break for the FIFA World Cup.
Arsenal narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification last season but have already beaten the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspurs and now Chelsea this term to underline their title credentials.
After nullifying any threat posed by Chelsea at their own backyard, Arteta believes his young side are coming of age.
He told BT Sport: "We wanted to get back to the top, but the competition is so difficult in this league. The challenge for us was to come to this stage and play against a top team to perform and win the game and the boys did that."
Asked what impressed him the most, the Spaniard replied: "I think for such a young team the maturity they showed, the composure, the resilience and the courage to play the way we wanted to play it was phenomenal. It's easy to say it before the game but to do it against these opponents it's a different story.
"Winning against these opponents in this stadium I think is another step for these players to keep believing that they can do it under pressure against big opponents and we have to enjoy it."
Arsenal remain two points clear of second placed Manchester City.
