The Premier League is back and here at lace em up we can’t wait for the start of an amazing new English Premier League season, the first match was a London derby between Arsenal and Crystal Palace. How did the match go? Who won the important duels? Let’s talk it through in our match review of the opening day of the premier league.
Arsenal Dominate The First Half
Arsenal completely dominated the first half fast and dynamic football was the name of the game. Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko settled in very well in their new clubs linking up beautifully with Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard. A goal in the 11th minute from a well-worked corner scored by Gabriel Martinelli gave Arsenal a very well-deserved lead that 5 minutes earlier should’ve come sooner. Crystal Palace had parts where they looked like they could exploit a new Arsenal defense but it was never anything concrete.
Crystal Palace Improve In The Second Half
The second half was a lot better for The Eagles, playing more dynamic and fast-paced football with Eberechi Eze and Joachim Andersen linking up very well to create some chances for Patrick Viera’s side. Eze and Edouard both had amazing chances late on to equalize the game and save a point for Palace, but late on a Bukayo Saka cross that hit off the head of Marc Guehi in an unfortunate own goal. Arsenal got all three points and in all honesty, they were very deserving of it. The better team the whole game won and it’s a very good start to the season for the Gooners.
Lace ‘Em Up’s Man Of The Match
There were a couple of players who could’ve got the man of the match award, but Gabriel Martinelli is the most deserving in my opinion linking up very well with the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, and Oleksander Zinchenko for the opening goal.
William Saliba was another player who could’ve got man of the match after a fantastic debut for the London team, a defensive stalwart who very barely put a foot wrong. The Frenchman is only 21 years old and looks like he’s been in the team for years, with age on his side while also being very tall, strong, and good with his feet. This young central defender looks like he could be a certainty to be starting in the defense for Arsenal for the upcoming season.
What Does This Mean For Both Teams Moving Forward?
So what does this mean for both clubs? Well, Arsenal can look at this game as a very strong start to the season, debutants looked very sharp, especially Gabriel Jesus who was on fire today. Crystal Palace would need to take this and rebuild on what was a pretty disappointing result for The Eagles with two very lackluster performances in both halves.
Both clubs will have different mentalities this season and different goals obviously. Arsenal will be wanting to challenge for the Champions League while Crystal Palace will be hoping to stay in the Premier League at the very least. It feels like Mikel Arteta is finally proving himself as a respectable manager and if this result is anything to go by it could bode well for the upcoming season for the Gooners. Patrick Viera has a young team that will need to start picking up results to stay in the league, but in my opinion, The Eagles are still very strong and should avoid relegation.
The First Match Of The 22/23 Premier Leauge Season Is In The Back Of The Net
Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal squad can be very happy with what they produced out on the pitch yesterday while Patrick Viera and his Palace team need to restart and hope for a better result next time. Arsenal has Leicester up next, who might struggle after suffering some big losses in their team. Crystal Palace on the other hand has my boys Liverpool up next so you know they are losing that.
UP THE REDS.
On a serious note, both clubs have tough fixtures coming up that could either make or break their season. In the Premier League, the one thing you should always expect is the unexpected and that’s what makes it the best league in the world.
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