Crystal Palace 0

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 21: Aaron Ramsdale and Kai Havertz of Arsenal celebrate their team's victory after the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal FC at Selhurst Park on August 21, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Arsenal were made to work overtime for their 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, but Mikel Arteta’s side navigated the troubled seas to win the first two games of the Premier League season.

It was hard, tough, and tense, but Arsenal maintained their perfect record to start the League campaign with a 1-0 win over Palace at Selhurst Park.

The first half didn’t hit any real high notes as Eddie Nketiah missed two good chances but made up for them at the beginning of the second half.

Nketiah was brought down by Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone inside the box after a clever free-kick routine. Skipper Martin Odegaard stepped up and slotted home as he scored what would be the winning goal.

https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1693760138728149452?s=20

Arsenal looked comfortable enough until Takehiro Tomiyasu’s two yellow cards in seven-minute saw the Gunners go down to 10 men. Palace, as expected, dominated the closing stages, but the visitors held firm to grab a vital three points.

Here are the talking points from Monday’s game.

If there is one thing we all know about Eddie Nketiah, it’s that the penalty box is his favourite place, and against Palace, a darting run from a free kick saw Eddie take a touch around Johnstone, who took him down as a penalty was awarded.

While not a free-flowing goal scorer, Nketiah has a knack for producing a moment here and there that will ultimately have big repercussions.

🚨 Danny Murphy on Eddie Nketiah and Arsenal’s penalty: “Nicely put away.(Odegaard’s penalty)”

🗣️ “But it’s all because of the quick thinking of Nektiah, making the run in behind for the free-kick. Very clever. It’s what top players do. He’s been electric, Nketiah. He deserves… pic.twitter.com/ssmUpRAi7T

— afcsphere (@afcsphere) August 21, 2023

If Eddie isn’t playing against Palace, there’s a fair chance Arsenal don’t win the game. It’s not a goal, but it’s the next best thing, and with Gabriel Jesus still sidelined, Nketiah needs to pull his weight, and so far, he’s doing just that.

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