Arsenal began their Premier League campaign with a victory, defeating Manchester United 1-0 thanks to Riccardo Calafiori’s goal on Sunday. Meanwhile, Chelsea, the reigning world champions, managed to secure a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace.
With Arsenal finishing as runners-up for three consecutive seasons, Mikel Arteta faces the challenge of clinching the club’s first league title since 2003/04.
The Gunners weren’t at their best at Old Trafford but secured three vital points following an error by United’s backup goalkeeper, Altay Bayindir.
Bayindir misjudged Declan Rice’s corner in the 13th minute, allowing Calafiori to score with an easy header.
United debuted their new £200 million ($271 million) attacking line-up featuring Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko, but struggled against the Premier League’s top defense of the past two seasons.
Patrick Dorgu nearly equalized when his long-range shot hit the post.
Arsenal’s goalkeeper, David Raya, made crucial saves to prevent Cunha and Mbeumo from scoring in their United debuts.
Chelsea’s struggles
Chelsea experienced a Club World Cup hangover as FA Cup winners Palace held them to a goalless draw.
Eberechi Eze’s early free-kick was disallowed by VAR due to Marc Guehi’s interference with the Chelsea wall.
Chelsea’s new signing, Estevao, almost secured a win, but the world champions lacked sharpness against Palace’s strong defense.
Palace’s key players, Guehi and Eze, played despite transfer speculations linking them to Liverpool and Tottenham.
“As long as they are fully committed, they will play,” said Palace manager Oliver Glasner. “They showed their talent and character,” he added.
Chelsea’s recent triumph over Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final had boosted their title aspirations.
However, Enzo Maresca lamented the limited preparation time since their New York victory against PSG just 35 days prior.
“They had eight pre-season matches, we had only two,” explained the Italian manager. “We expected a tough match and aside from the early free-kick, we didn’t concede chances.”
‘Stunning goals’
Nottingham Forest dismissed manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s concerns about summer signings with a convincing 3-1 win over a revamped Brentford.
Chris Wood scored twice, surrounding Dan Ndyoe’s debut goal for Forest in a challenging encounter for new Brentford manager Keith Andrews.
“We played excellently in the first half with beautiful combinations and goals,” said Nuno.
“We want a balanced squad that provides options and solutions.”
Brentford lost their manager, captain, and top scorer during the off-season.
Thomas Frank moved to Tottenham, Mbeumo joined Manchester United, and Arsenal signed Christian Norgaard.
Yoane Wissa also missed the match, anticipating a transfer to Newcastle.
Igor Thiago’s late penalty goal was the only consolation for Brentford.
“I have faith, but we must take responsibility for our poor first-half performance,” said Andrews.
