LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 21: Aaron Ramsdale and Kai Havertz of Arsenal celebrate their team's victory after the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal FC at Selhurst Park on August 21, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Crystal Palace 0-1 Arsenal: 3 talking points as Gunners grind it out win
by Adam Schultz
Declan Rice was the MOTM in the eyes of many. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
3. Declan Rice getting comfortable in Arteta’s system
Two games into his Arsenal career and already a Man of the Match performance from Rice. The England midfielder controlled things superbly well in the first half with his passing, with his athleticism and shrewd positioning allowing him to mop things up in front of the defence.
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1693751078842441754?s=20
His driving runs forward and ability to pick out the right pass while fending off pressure was elite as he showed the Gunners faithful exactly why Arteta went so hard to sign him.
£105m has never looked like so much of a bargain!
Monday’s game</a>.</p>
<h2>1. Eddie Nketiah shows his worth</h2>
<p>If there is one thing we all know about Eddie Nketiah, it’s that the penalty box is his favourite place, and against Palace, a darting run from a free kick saw Eddie take a touch around Johnstone, who took him down as a penalty was awarded.</p>
<p>While not a free-flowing goal scorer, Nketiah has a knack for producing a moment here and there that will ultimately have big repercussions.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨 Danny Murphy on Eddie Nketiah and Arsenal’s penalty: “Nicely put away.(Odegaard’s penalty)”</p>
<p>🗣️ “But it’s all because of the quick thinking of Nektiah, making the run in behind for the free-kick. Very clever. It’s what top players do. He’s been electric, Nketiah. He deserves… <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/08/22/crystal-palace-0-1-arsenal-3-talking-points-gunners-grind-win/3/"https://t.co/ssmUpRAi7T">pic.twitter.com/ssmUpRAi7T
<p>— afcsphere (@afcsphere) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/08/22/crystal-palace-0-1-arsenal-3-talking-points-gunners-grind-win/3/"https://twitter.com/afcsphere/status/1693740333467566480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>August 21, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>If Eddie isn’t playing against Palace, there’s a fair chance Arsenal don’t win the game. It’s not a goal, but it’s the next best thing, and with Gabriel Jesus still sidelined, Nketiah needs to pull his weight, and so far, he’s doing just that.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/08/22/crystal-palace-0-1-arsenal-3-talking-points-gunners-grind-win/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Talking Point #2 </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-135962 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/08/22/crystal-palace-0-1-arsenal-3-talking-points-gunners-grind-win/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1706,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1629965943-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1629965943-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1629965943-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1629965943-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1629965943-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:2560px;">William Saliba starred yet again. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>2. William Saliba a colossus in defence</h2>
<p>This is something we already knew, right? William Saliba is the glue that makes this entire Arsenal side stick together, and at Selhurst Park, the Frenchman was at his best.</p>
<p>His distribution was once again on point, but it was his challenges and his last-ditch tackle, which saved a certain Palace goal, that highlighted yet another impressive outing from the defender.</p>
<p>Saliba was solid all night, and it is something that we have become accustomed to since his arrival back in north London.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/08/22/crystal-palace-0-1-arsenal-3-talking-points-gunners-grind-win/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Talking Point #3 </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-135963 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/08/22/crystal-palace-0-1-arsenal-3-talking-points-gunners-grind-win/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1706,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1630097679-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1630097679-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1630097679-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1630097679-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1630097679-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:2560px;">Declan Rice was the MOTM in the eyes of many. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>3. Declan Rice getting comfortable in Arteta’s system</h2>
<p>Two games into his Arsenal career and already a Man of the Match performance from Rice. The England midfielder controlled things superbly well in the first half with his passing, with his athleticism and shrewd positioning allowing him to mop things up in front of the defence.</p>
<p>https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1693751078842441754?s=20</p>
<p>His driving runs forward and ability to pick out the right pass while fending off pressure was elite as he showed the Gunners faithful exactly why Arteta went so hard to sign him.</p>
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<p>£105m has never looked like so much of a bargain!</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
