Arsenal and Crystal Palace came into their London derby on Monday following wins in their first matches of the new Premier League season.
The Gunners narrowly defeated Nottingham Forest while Palace beat Sheffield United, setting the tone for an exciting clash at Selhurst Park.
Arsenal started on the front foot but did not produce any dangerous chances until the 28th minute when Eddie Nketiah spun away from the Palace defence before his finish clattered off the post.
Palace were threatening down the right with Jordan Ayew spraying crosses that caused Arsenal’s backline some issues.
He also had a chance to score, but William Saliba recovered and put in a sterling tackle to take the ball away from the Ghanaian international.
Declan Rice set Nketiah up for another glorious opportunity to open the scoring, but the striker lifted his chip too high.
Martin Odegaard heated Sam Johnstone’s gloves in the 41st minute with a strike from distance but the Palace keeper was equal to it.
Palace and Arsenal went into the dressing room at half-time with the game goalless, but they had played an exciting half of football.
The Gunners bossed possession and created the better chances, but the game hung in the balance as the Palace showed they were still dangerous.
Arsenal started the second half well and received their reward ten minutes later. From a sharp free-kick, Nketiah forced Johnstone to bring him down, earning his side a penalty that captain Odegaard rolled into the net.
However, their hopes of adding to their lead suffered a blow after 68 minutes when referee David Coote sent off Takehiro Tomiyasu for stopping a Palace attack by bringing Jordan Ayew down.
It was his second yellow card, but both bookings looked extremely harsh.
Another talking point came five minutes later when Eberechi Eze danced inside the Arsenal box, and Thomas Partey tripped him, but the England international did not get a penalty.
Palace had the advantage and poured forward, looking to take a point from the game, but they could not snatch anything.
Arsenal defended well and took home all three points for a strong showing.
Crystal 0-1 Arsenal: Player Ratings
Crystal Palace
Sam Johnstone (3/10) – Gave away a silly penalty after his defence got caught out. Looked unsure when Odegaard took the spot kick and lost his side the game today.
Joachim Andersen (6/10) – Sprayed the ball around well and looked okay holding his own against Arsenal’s early barrage of attacks.
Joel Ward (6/10) – Managed to keep Gabriel Martinelli relatively quiet for most of the game. He didn’t get forward much to keep an eye on the Brazilian.
Marc Guehi (6/10) – Lost Eddie Nketiah a few times today, but grew into the game.
Tyrick Mitchell (5/10) – Had a rough day dealing with Saka but still managed to get forward. Missed a chance to snatch a point for his side late on.
Jeffrey Schlupp (5.5/10) – He worked hard defensively but did not affect the attack enough. Substituted for more attacking threat.
Jordan Ayew (7.5/10) – The Ghanaian national team captain was a constant threat down the right side of Palace’s attack and kept trying to make things happen till the final minute.
Eberechi Eze (7/10) – Eze looked bright and sharp and should have earned his side a penalty, but VAR interestingly overlooked it. Looked good today.
Cheick Doucoure (5/10) – He was getting outdone in the midfield battle as Arsenal dominated proceedings.
Jefferson Lerma (5/10) – Like his midfield partner, he was getting outdone in the centre until they had the man advantage.
Odsonne Edouard (5/10) – Threatened to cause problems for Arsenal’s backline but petered off as the game went on.
Substitutes
Naouirou Ahamada (6/10)
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi (6/10)
Arsenal
Aaron Ramsdale (7/10) – Commanded his area and came out to claim some good crosses into his box. Authoritative.
Thomas Partey (5.5/10) – Looked uncomfortable in his makeshift hybrid role and could have cost his side points with a trip on Eze.
Ben White (7/10) – A solid showing from the Englishman today. Looked calm and assured and helped put out some fires.
William Saliba (8/10) – Got turned once and recovered perfectly. Made an excellent block to deny Palace a point.
Takehiro Tomiyasu (4/10) – Made the day hard for his side by getting sent off.
Declan Rice (7/10) – Looked solid and held down the fort in midfield. Dominated the game from the centre and fought a good fight after they went down.
Kai Havertz (5/10) – Not bad, not great. He was there, but he was not making any difference offensively or defensively.
Martin Odegaard (8.5/10) (MOTM) – The young leader looked good, controlling proceedings with technical excellence. He dispatched his penalty to give his side the lead and worked hard when they went down to ten men.
Bukayo Saka (7.5/10) – The Englishman carried a threat every time he had the ball and looked to make something happen. Held up the ball well when his side was down.
Eddie Nketiah (6.5/10) – Missed two chances to give his side the lead but won the penalty to open the scoring.
Gabriel Martinelli (6/10) – He wasn’t as influential as he can be today. He struggled to give his side the impetus down the left flank.
Substitutes
Gabriel Magalhaes (8/10)
Oleksandr Zinchenko (N/A)
Jakub Kiwior (N/A)
Jorginho (N/A)
