Crystal Palace 0-2 Arsenal: Gabriel Martinelli, Marc Guehi own goal gets Gunners off to perfect start

Arsenal started their 2022-23 Premier League campaign with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The visitors dominated the opening exchanges and deservedly took the lead when a well-worked corner led to Gabriel Martinelli heading them in front. Later in the half Palace came back into it, with Odsonne Edouard forcing a fine save out of Aaron Ramsdale.

Ad/> Eberechi Eze forced another good save from Ramsdale early in the second half, but despite more possession Palace couldn’t force an equaliser and a late own goal by Marc Guehi secured all three points for Arsenal. TransfersBenteke joins D.C. United in shock move from Crystal Palace3 HOURS AGO Palace now travel to face Liverpool at Anfield a week on Monday, while Arsenal are at home to Leicester a week on Saturday.

TALKING POINT The City boys in London. They flagged a little in the second half, but Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko showed enough touches of quality tonight to give Arsenal fans hope of qualifying for the Champions League at the end of the season and end their absence from the competition. In the first 25 minutes of the match both players were prominent as Arsenal dominated a Palace team that had blown them away by three goals here in April.

Arsenal then held out impressively before seeing out the victory, and these are promising signs for the season ahead. Maybe the equation is this simple: if you want to be a title-challenging side, you by title-winning calibre players. Arsenal won’t reach the stratospheric heights of Manchester City and Liverpool this season, but Jesus and Zinchenko look to be an immediate upgrade that will at least send them in that direction.