(Football news) Arsenal secured all three points in the opening match of the 2022/23 Premier League season, defeating Crystal Palace 2-0 at Selhurst Park. Gabrielle Martinelli found the back of the net for Arsenal while an own goal by Marc Guehi was enough to make a winning start for Mikel Arteta’s team. After a slow start, the hosts slowly grew into the game and Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale was forced to make two saves while William Saliba showcased an impressive performance to secure a clean sheet for the North London side.
The Gunners got off to a bright start with Martinelli squandering an early chance after some superb dribbling by Gabriel Jesus which quietened the home crowd. However, Arsenal took their foot of the pedal after taking the lead, allowing Palace to grow into the game which resulted in Ramsdale being forced to make a save off Odsonne Edouard's close-range header just before the break. The goalkeeper was called into action again in the 52nd minute when Wilfred Zaha provided the pass to Eberechi Eze, whose shot from an angle was denied by Ramsdale.
With momentum on their side, Palace fought hard for the equaliser but Arsenal also had a few opportunities against the run of play, most notably when Martin Odegaard fluffed an opportunity from inside the box. The Gunners were forced to defend deep and resolutely to deny Crystal Palace an opportunity to get back into the game. They doubled their advantage when Bukayo Saka through some excellent wing play provided a cross in the box which was headed in by Palace defender Marc Guehi six minutes from time.
Speaking after the match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said “You don't win here without it [resilience] and we experienced that last season. We started in a really different way to what we did last year. Building that mentality and finding a way to go through those moments and clean sheets in this league is going to be vital for our success and we have managed to do that. Hopefully that will breed some confidence in the team."
Also read: Everything you need to know about the 2022/23 Premier League season
