Gunners get 1st win of season

Arsene Wenger breathed a sigh of relief as Arsenal got their title challenge up and running with a hard-fought 2-1 win at Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Arsenal bounced back from their opening-game loss to secure a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon.

“It was a bad performance (last week) but even though we lost last week, the most important in football is to bounce back the week after and keep your faith in your game, which is what we tried to do and succeeded (in doing) today”, Giroud told Sky Sports.

Keen to put that result quickly behind them, Arsenal made a positive start and saw Giroud and Sanchez both denied inside 10 minutes by crucial defensive blocks.

“We were still very good at times and that’s what we can do – we’re very good at moments in the game and some of those moments can put us in the driving seat”.

McArthur added: “We need to get better at home, especially as our form past year was not good enough”.

Arsenal struck next on 55 minutes, as Hector Bellerin’s deep cross from the Palace right was headed back down goalwards by a huge leap from Sanchez, and the ball cannoned into the net off Eagles captain Delaney. “I thought Yohan Cabaye was terrific, as were Pape Souare, Connor Wickham, the goalkeeper [Alex McCarthy] and they are all relatively new players”.

It wasn’t the prettiest Arsenal victory, but Wenger will be particularly pleased at the fight his team showed at a bouncing Selhurst Park. “I think he had a much stronger performance than recently”.

Bamford will be best remembered by Dons’ fans for his spell at the club in the first half of 2013-2014 season where he scored 17 goals before leaving for Derby County in January.

Francis Coquelin – who had been yellow carded in the first period and avoided a second cautionable offence by pushing Wilfried Zaha – clattered into McArthur right in front of Lee Mason just past the hour-mark – but the referee chose to ignore it. Arsene Wenger took the Frenchman off shortly afterwards. However, along with his midfield partner Santi Cazorla, Özil proved instrumental in putting the north London side back into the lead courtesy of a Damien Delaney own-goal. For a striker it’s always nice to score, early in the game, and then you can play with freedom and take more risks.

A second looked likely as Wenger’s side – who made two changes from the West Ham defeat – enjoyed prolonged spells of possession but, against the run of play, Palace drew level.