🔬 The Debrief: Rice worth his weight, Palace just fall short | OneFootball

Arsenal secured back-to-back victories in their Premier League showdown with Crystal Palace.

Here we break down a cagey evening beneath the Selhurst Park floodlights.

What happened?

Mikel Arteta’s side had to do it the hard way as they were reduced to 10 men and had to grind out a narrow victory courtesy of Martin Ødegaard’s second-half penalty.

Man of the Match

Just two games in, Declan Rice’s reported £105m move to the Emirates Stadium is already starting to appear small change after this display.

The England international kept his side ticking over towards their ultimately gritty win across the capital by dominating the midfield battle.

Standing out more than Arsenal’s iridescent away shirt is no mean feat, especially with a stats breakdown to rival some of Europe’s elite performers.

It’s still early days but Rice’s diligence at the heart of the engine room has fast become an asset for Arteta’s prospective title rechallenge.

Key Detail

The visitors were indebted to Gabriel Martinelli’s ingenuity at a free kick which culminated in Ødegaard dispatching a crucial spot kick.

His quick thinking caught the Eagles cold as Eddie Nketiah raced clear of their defence and in a collision course with an advancing Sam Johnstone.

There was only ever going to be one outcome when the pace of Arsenal’s homegrown forward made impact with Johnstone’s mistimed challenge.

Stat of the Match

Aaron Ramsdale’s latest shutout became Arsenal’s 200th in the Premier League away from home and their 11th since the start of last season.

That solid foundation will be key if Arteta’s side are to finish what they started by finally overhauling Manchester City in the current title race.

Coincidentally, the reigning champions and Fulham are the only teams remotely close to the Gunners’ latest feat with seven apiece on their travels.

What this means

Selhurst Park on a Monday night threatened to be an early test for Arsenal’s title credentials. Even after being reduced to 10 men by Takehiro Tomiyasu’s dismissal, they came through it with flying colours. Palace also deserve huge credit for going toe-to-toe with their London counterparts at every turn.

What they said

Declan Rice: “It’s only two games in, obviously there’s so much talk around the price tag and me playing for Arsenal, I want to keep proving people wrong, proving people I can play at the top & I want to keep putting in top performances, so I keep my feet on the ground & keep listening to everyone around me & keep pushing.”

Roy Hodgson: “When they went down to 10 men we gave it our best shot but they are a top quality team and were able to defend the efforts we had. There were very few disappointments in the game for me in terms of the performance. On another day I think we would be feeling even happier and proud of ourselves.”

What comes next?

Further London derbies await both clubs on Saturday as Arsenal host Fulham at the Emirates while Palace will travel to Brentford.