Arsenal battled to beat Crystal Palace 2-0 on Friday to get the new Premier League season underway, with Gabriel Martinelli scoring the first goal before home defender Marc Guehi turned the ball into his own net late on at Selhurst Park. The Gunners, who finished fifth last term, took the lead in the 20th minute when new signing Oleksandr Zinchenko headed Bukayo Saka’s corner back across goal and Martinelli was on hand to nod home as the Palace defence was caught flat-footed.
Aaron Ramsdale 7 – A nervy performance. Invited unnecessary pressure onto his defence by taking too long on the ball. Good save after 41 minutes to deny Edouard.
Oleksandr Zinchenko 8 – Came close to scoring his first Premier League goal after a strike was parried away by Guaita after 9 minutes.
Gabriel 7 – Overall the Brazilian dealt well with his defensive duties.
William Saliba 9 – An impressive performance in the heart of defence on his competitive debut. Provided some crucial interventions, including two sliding tackles to stop Zaha.
Ben White 7 – A solid performance out of position at right-back. Booked after 62 minutes as he dragged down Zaha.
Thomas Partey 6 – Offered a physical presence in midfield. Drove forward at 35 minutes before being brought down by Ayew.
Granit Xhaka 7 – A confident performance in midfield. Booked for diving after 44 minutes after going down easily following pressure from Andersen.
Gabriel Martinelli 7 – Scored the first goal of the new Premier League season, heading home from close range and making up for his clear miss in the opening minutes.
Bukayo Saka 7 – Regularly threatened in attack and repeatedly got back to help Ben White in defence.
Martin Odegaard 6 – The Arsenal captain had a relatively quiet night, but showed some nice touches in the middle.
Gabriel Jesus 8 – Looked dangerous all night. Showed his quality with great footwork after just 3 minutes.