Arsenal found the clever trick after a half-played first half. Bukayo Saka sent the corner kick high and far across to the opposite end of the field. It looked harmless, but Oleksandr Zintchenko had tricked himself free, and the Ukrainian pushed the ball back into the box where Gabriel Martinelli was left all alone. From only a few meters away, he headed the ball over the goal line. – This is obviously a practiced variant from Arsenal, concluded Viasat’s expert, current Lillestrøm player Pål André Helland. – Arsenal have their own coach who only looks at set pieces. It is so important in football. So many goals are scored from set pieces. Here they have done their homework and seen how Palace line up. It’s like a game of chess, explained former Arsenal player Fredrik Ljungberg in Viasat’s studio. 1-0: Gabriel Martinelli celebrates after scoring 1-0. Photo: DAVID KLEIN / Reuters Pressed on from the start Arsenal started the match as if they had little time to score. The trio up front, with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli, pressed Crystal Palace deep into the pitch and caused trouble after just four minutes. New signing Jesus dribbled past the Palace defenders with Brazilian confidence and fired home. The shot was blocked, but the ball fell to Martinelli, who put the ball out of an almost open goal from an angle. MESSED UP CHANCE: Martin Ødegaard messed up a good opportunity against Crystal Palace. Photo: DAVID KLEIN / Reuters The tone was set anyway, and Arsenal continued the cannonade. At half-time, they found the corner variation they had trained on throughout the summer, and Martinelli sent Arsenal ahead. – It means a lot, I am very happy with the goal. But the most important thing is the victory, says Martinelli to Viaplay after the match. After the goal, Crystal Palace woke up, at the same time as the Arsenal defense started to mess it up. Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale came close to conceding a goal when he sent a through ball straight to the legs of Eberechi Eze, but was lucky as the ball bounced clear of the net. Close equalizer Just before the break, Eze caused trouble again. A brilliant cross was blocked in front of the goal by Joachim Andersen, but Odsonne Édouard’s header went straight at the keeper from close range. Both Édouard and Eze were to get the chance again both just before and just after the break, but first Granit Xhaka’s leg sent the ball just over the goal, before Ramsdale again made a masterful save. RESCUE: Ramsdale rescues alone with Eze. Photo: PAUL CHILDS / Reuters In the second half, Martin Ødegaard also showed himself, without convincing that his flair for goals has been awakened after the summer holidays. First he put a free kick a few meters outside the posts, before minutes later he was played alone with the goalkeeper. Ødegaard tried to play a pass rather than shoot, and the attack was called off for offside. On the brink, Marc Guéhi headed a cross from Saka into his own goal, putting the nail in the coffin. Arsenal thus took three points in the series opener.
ttn-69
– It’s like a game of chess – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
