There was, as the saying goes, little for the end-of-season highlights reel here. Arsenal will not mind, given they navigated their way through an almighty scrap, and the celebrations of their coaching staff at the end were a reminder that the points are ultimately what matter. A refashioned side has not yet approached last season’s footballing heights but the time to draw any conclusions remains far off. Two victories from two, however they have come, give Mikel Arteta some reassurance they have rediscovered the winning habit that escaped them in the spring.
Perhaps opponents with a full suite of senior forwards would have punished them after Takehiro Tomiyasu was dismissed midway through the second half. Arsenal had broken through eight minutes after the interval through Martin Ødegaard’s penalty and looked in full control until the defender was harshly shown a second yellow card for fouling Jordan Ayew. Crystal Palace barely have a kitchen sink to reach for but threw what they could at their depleted visitors, missing a couple of half-chances, and Arsenal were visibly relieved when the final whistle came.
