A trip to Selhurst Park is never an easy one to navigate but a stellar opening 30 minutes was all it took for Arsenal to manage a 2-0 victory over Patrick Vieira and Crystal Palace. A first-half goal from Gabriel Martinelli and an unfortunate second-half own goal from Marc Guehi were all it took for Arsenal to see out the victory as their defensive spine was stout. Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko made their full Arsenal debuts to good effect.
While Jesus didn't score, he was a menace in the press and creating chances but the team just needs more chemistry to turn his chances into goals. Martinelli dragged a big chance wide that was created by Jesus in the opening minutes, but made up for it via a set play. In a goal made on the training ground, Bukayo Saka floated a corner to an oncoming Zinchenko who headed it across goal for an easy finish.
Defending set plays was a challenge for Crystal Palace last season as they conceded 16 goals from dead ball scenarios. Getting this season off to that start won't inspire confidence that things are changing for Vieira's side anytime soon. Crystal Palace did claw back into the match with Odsonne Édouard testing Aaron Ramsdale before the half but William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães were strong to deny good chances.
Granit Xhaka's yellow card for simulation after being grazed by Joachim Andersen in the 44th minute felt like a turning point as it led to another chance by Édouard, but Saliba was excellent in his positioning to deny the chance. After the half, Vieira's tweaks began to show as Palace were sending long balls over the defense to Jordan Ayew in behind Zinchenko, who forced another save out of Ramsdale.
He wanted to target space that was left in behind after Zinchenko was doing his best Joao Cancelo impression pushing high up the pitch for Arsenal on the left and it worked to good effect. Once Ben White entered the book after his long day trying to contain Wilfred Zaha, the Palace attack only got stronger as Zaha had more space to interchange with Eberechi Eze, who had been kept in check by Saka's help defense in the first half. But it wouldn't be enough to get back into the match against a strong Arsenal side.
Just when Crystal Palace thought there was hope, Saka dashed it with a cross into the box that deflected off of Guehi for an own goal. After losing at Selhurst Park last season, winning in a tough match shows growth for Arsenal.
Here are a few takeaways from the match.
Shaky moments didn't cause the Arsenal defense to break
Last season if Ramsdale lost the ball out of the back or dropped a corner kick, it was getting turned into his own net. We're only 90 minutes into the new season but the hope is that Arsenal need to be beaten and they won't beat themselves with mistakes. Even with White conceding chances as an experimental right back -- an experiment that will likely end when Takehiro Tomiyasu is back in training soon -- the defense held strong. This is mainly due to calmness in the middle from Saliba and Gabriel.
Saliba's seven recoveries were second on the team as his calmness earned him the man of the match award. His composure on the ball allowed him to play out of trouble and not create extra issues for Ramsdale. Combine that with the press being led from the top of the pitch by Gabriel Jesus and it's no wonder why Crystal Palace struggled to create good chances.
Crystal Palace miss Conor Gallagher, but they might miss Michael Olise more
While this is a promising performance for the Eagles, it felt like something was missing. New Signing Cheick Doucouré partnered with Jeffrey Schlupp and Eze in midfield but they were unable to create much when Arsenal pressed heavily in the opening minutes. While Doucouré wanted to sit deeper and Schlupp is more comfortable higher up the pitch, it left Eze alone to create chances. He did a good job registering Palace's most dangerous chance per expected goals (xG) at 0.45 but he needed someone else to create space in the final third.
Last season that was Gallagher who scored eight goals and assisted three more in the league but this season Vieira is counting on Olise being that person. Olise scored two goals assisting five in less than 1200 minutes but he's currently out injured with an ankle issue. He's back training with the team, but, per Vieira, it may take a few weeks to get up to speed after not having a proper preseason. Once Olise is back, Palace could be in for quite an uptick as going toe to toe with Arsenal is impressive.
Looking ahead
Arsenal will have another tricky tie against Leicester City on August 13. While it's another matchup versus a team that can cause them issues, the friendly confines to the Emirates Stadium will make things easier to cope with. Crystal Palace will be heading into one of the toughest environments in the league with a trip to Anfield awaiting on Monday, August 15. It's good that they'll get the extra rest and Vieira would rather play Liverpool now than when they hit their stride but facing two teams from last season's top five in your first two matches isn't what the doctor ordered.