If things couldn't have gone much worse for Arsenal against Sporting CP on Thursday night, they couldn't have gone much better in the opening 45 minutes against Crystal Palace, and they had Mikel Arteta's defensive approach to thank.
The penalty shoot-out defeat in the Europa League was a painful one, not least for Gabriel Martinelli. However, the Brazilian laid some demons to rest after his penalty miss as he showed quick footwork to find space and fire the opening goal beyond Joe Whitworth.
Even if the Gunners expected Martinelli to be unfazed, though, the loss of defenders William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu to injury was more concerning. Once again, though manager Arteta knew how to deal with the issue, paving the way for what turned into a comfortable win.
