Arsenal relied on Martin Odegaard’s 54th-minute penalty and solid defensive effort with only 10 men left to secure a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Monday.
Takehiro Tomiyasu was sent off in the 67th minute after receiving a second yellow card, forcing Arsenal to withdraw to secure a second consecutive win in the opening campaign.
In the end, a penalty split the two teams, with Odegaard fouling Sam Johnstone from the spot after the Palace keeper knocked out Eddie Nketiah on a quick free-kick. Bukayo Saka usually takes Arsenal’s penalty kicks but he passes the ball to captain Odegaard.
Arsenal are catching up with potential rivals Manchester City, the defending champions, by winning consecutively. The first game – 2-1 at home to Nottingham Forest – was not easy either.
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice said: “We know City are the best team in the world at the moment and they are very difficult to stop. “But it’s a big challenge ahead.”
Palace posed little threat to attack until Tomiyasu, who was shown a yellow card in the 60th minute for taking a throw-in for too long, allegedly pulled Jordan Ayew’s shirt after the Palace forward turned to give chase. ball over head.
The second card looked harsh and Tomiyasu was stunned by the decision as he became the fifth player in the second round of the Premier League to be sent off. The match officials are controlling the time-wasting behavior, especially this season, which explains why Tomiyasu received the first yellow card.
“We knew what was going on, we knew if we wasted time we would get a yellow card,” Rice said. “It can frustrate me at times but they made the rules at the beginning of the season.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta pulled out a host of attacking players in the final 20 minutes and replaced them with defenders to secure the lead. In particular, midfielder William Saliba and his replacement Gabriel played very impressively when helping Arsenal through the match.
“I like winning like this,” Arteta said.
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“Even with 10 men, we didn’t concede and read the game very well. … It shows how much we want it.”
In the first half, Nketiah squandered two good chances when he was overtaken by Saka and then Rice. His first attempt hit the post and his second went over the bar.
Palace won their opening match against Sheffield United 1-0.
Besides City and Arsenal, Brighton is the only team to win a maximum of 6 points after 2 matches.
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