CRYSTAL PALACE 0-1 ARSENAL: Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal were made to work hard to keep their 100 per cent record intact at Selhurst Park on Monday night
Mikel Arteta was made to suffer but ten-man Arsenal showed the fight required to grind out a precious win at Selhurst Park.
Gunners captain Martin Odegaard struck the decisive penalty after 53 minutes and that might have paved the way for a more comfortable win. But Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu was sent off following a second – and very harsh – yellow card after 67 minutes to leave the visitors hanging on by the end.
Arsenal boss Arteta understandably went crazy in his technical area at the officials after referee David Coote sent off Tomiyasu just seven minutes after booking him for time wasting. Tomiyasu, who was also unlucky with the first one, was then judged to have tripped Jordan Ayew but TV replays suggested it was the wrong call and yet VAR could not intervene as it was a second yellow.
That invited Crystal Palace onto Arsenal in search of an equaliser and the visitors had to dig deep for a win which certainly felt like much harder work than last season’s fixture at Selhurst Park. Arsenal won at Palace in their season opener last August and that almost set the tone for their title challenge as they looked classy and comfortable.