Crystal Palace 0-2 Arsenal: 3 talking points as Gunners start season with a win

pic.twitter.com/u9liEGghBq

<p>&mdash; Arsenal (@Arsenal) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/08/05/3-talking-points-arsenal-2-0-victory-palace/2/"https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1555661863001755650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>August 5, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/08/05/3-talking-points-arsenal-2-0-victory-palace/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div> <p>Arsenal were second best for most of the second half, but Bukayo Saka helped the Gunners double their lead with five minutes to go. The winger took the ball and drove into the box before lashing home across Vicente Guaita in the Palace goal via a cruel Marc Guehi deflection.</p> <p>The Gunners managed to keep Palace at bay as they secured a crucial 2-0 win to kick off their Premier League season with three points.</p> <h2>3 talking points as Arsenal starthe t Premier League season with a win</h2> <p>The game provided plenty of talking points, and here they are.</p> <h2>1. William Saliba was sensational</h2> <p>Much has been made of Saliba&rsquo;s pre-season, but some were sceptical as to whether he could translate such controlled dominance over to the Premier League. Well, no one can doubt his quality as he was the best player on the pitch in a Man of the Match performance.</p> <p>https://twitter.com/Squawka/status/1555659052759277568?s=20&#038;t=4RDOU2AFs1YEpJ6Qdlcw8A</p> <p>The 21-year-old dealt with everything thrown at him with ease. He covered well, was tidy in possession, and was never flustered. He is like a brand new signing, and in truth, he is Arsenal&rsquo;s best defender without question.</p> <p>Saliba was simply a level about tonight as he was cool, calm, and composed in everything he did and was a rock in the heart of the Arsenal defence.</p> <p>What a performance.</p> <p><em>Continued on the next slide&#8230;</em></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/08/05/3-talking-points-arsenal-2-0-victory-palace/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;Talking Point #2 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_128312" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-128312 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/08/05/3-talking-points-arsenal-2-0-victory-palace/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1242325900.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1242325900.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1242325900-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Gabriel Martinelli opened his account for the new season. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>2. A winning start to the season</h2> <p>All of Arsenal’s pre-season wins meant zero as we headed into the first game of the league campaign. Those results would not matter, but the one that would was this.</p> <p>After starting last year winless and goalless in the first three games, Arsenal secured a vital three points with a 2-0 victory.</p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Gabriel Martinelli’s goal against Crystal Palace. ⚽️ <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/08/05/3-talking-points-arsenal-2-0-victory-palace/2/"https://t.co/fA67W30lnb">pic.twitter.com/fA67W30lnb

<p>— TheAFCnewsroom (@TheAFCnewsroom) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/08/05/3-talking-points-arsenal-2-0-victory-palace/2/"https://twitter.com/TheAFCnewsroom/status/1555635955322822656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>August 5, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/08/05/3-talking-points-arsenal-2-0-victory-palace/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div> <p>A dominant first 35 minutes saw Arsenal take the lead through Gabriel Martinelli, and after a late own goal, the points were secured.</p> <p>The win solidifies what the Gunners had done throughout the pre-season and capped off the perfect offseason. A win is the perfect tonic for the Gunners as they can now sit back and watch the rest of the action across the weekend after doing their job and banking three points.</p> <p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/08/05/3-talking-points-arsenal-2-0-victory-palace/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Talking Point #3 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_128317" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-128317 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/08/05/3-talking-points-arsenal-2-0-victory-palace/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1242327970.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1242327970.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1242327970-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Mikel Arteta was pleased with his side’s efforts. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>3. Arteta-ball in full effect</h2> <p>Arsenal were simply devastating in the opening 35 minutes. They started as they had in just about every pre-season game. They pressed, harried, and put the Palace side under pressure they couldn’t handle.</p> <p>Martinelli’s goal capped off the perfect start and sent the visitors on their way. The second half was far less dominant, but again, as the team showed last season, they can do a job when they have a lead to protect.</p> <p>https://twitter.com/TikiTakaConnor/status/1555662324530397185?s=20&amp;t=4RDOU2AFs1YEpJ6Qdlcw8A</p> <p>This was evident tonight as Palace was pushing hard for an equaliser, but the Gunners’ defence, led by Saliba, stood firm and got the second goal that killed the contest.</p> <p>Every player did their role tonight, particularly in the first half, as Palace simply could not string two passes together in what has now become the norm for Arsenal under Arteta.</p> <p>While the second half was not what Arteta would have liked, the defensive solidity is pleasing, and they also kept a clean sheet.</p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="PFyqc9O3QB"><p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/08/05/3-talking-points-arsenal-2-0-victory-palace/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/08/05/palace-0-2-arsenal-player-ratings-gunners-win-opening-night/">Crystal Palace 0-2 Arsenal: Player ratings as Gunners win on opening night</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/08/05/3-talking-points-arsenal-2-0-victory-palace/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/08/05/palace-0-2-arsenal-player-ratings-gunners-win-opening-night/embed/#?secret=PFyqc9O3QB" data-secret="PFyqc9O3QB" width="500" height="282" title="“Crystal Palace 0-2 Arsenal: Player ratings as Gunners win on opening night” — Pain in the Arsenal" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p></div> <p>A near-perfect night.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">