Timo Werner is on the brink of leaving Chelsea to rejoin RB Leipzig, sources have told ESPN.
The 26-year-old is expected to arrive in Germany for a medical ahead of a permanent move thought to be worth in the region of €30 million, although various performance-related add-ons are yet to be finalized.
– Mixed performances for Chelsea new boys against Everton – Tuchel: Alonso wants to leave Chelsea – Don’t have ESPN? Get instant access
Werner is keen to kick-start his career ahead of the World Cup in Qatar after a disappointing two-year spell at Stamford Bridge.
The Germany international joined Chelsea in 2020 for €50m, opting not to take part in Leipzig’s rescheduled Champions League quarterfinal against Atletico Madrid — delayed due to COVID-19 — to give himself more time to adapt to English football.
Werner started well, scoring eight goals in his first 12 games up to mid-November, but managed just four more for the rest of the campaign as a loss of form and confidence set in.
Chelsea signed Romelu Lukaku for a club-record €115m last summer in a fresh challenge to Werner, but head coach Thomas Tuchel began to favor Kai Havertz as his central striker.
Although Lukaku has now returned to Inter on loan, Chelsea beat Everton 1-0 in their first game of the Premier League season with Havertz leading the line.
Tuchel’s side are in the market for another forward, and Barcelona’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is among those under consideration.
Werner was completely left out of the Chelsea squad for the match against Everton as talks with Leipzig continued.
He has scored 23 goals in 89 appearances for Chelsea and although Tuchel is thought to be reluctant to part with the forward given the wider pressure to strengthen the squad, there is recognition the midseason World Cup has heightened the player’s fears over a lack of regular action .
It’s that time of the year again — you’ve done your Premier League fantasy draft and are now checking which picks have worked out and which have let you down. If you selected any Manchester United players, it might already be a good time to move them on.
The painful reality for United supporters and fantasy managers alike right now is that no members of Erik ten Hag’s squad would come anywhere near to making a Premier League Best XI. And that won’t change if United are successful in completing one of the most surprising transfers of the summer — any summer — by signing journeyman forward Marko Arnautovic from Bologna.
Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford against Brighton & Hove Albion was a disastrous start for Ten Hag in his first competitive game as United manager. The former Ajax coach will have known that he was taking on a big challenge when, earlier this summer, he became the fifth permanent managerial appointment since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, but the manner of the Brighton defeat will have been a jolting reality check .
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Ten Hag saw first-hand that teams such as Brighton, without even half of the financial might and historical power of United, can outsmart and outplay a club with such apparent riches simply by being astute and strategic on and off the pitch. But with United, it always gets back to the players because they simply aren’t good enough, and that decline in quality stems back to before Ferguson stepped down.
That said, when Ferguson retired after guiding United to a 20th league title, more than half of his team would have made it into a best Premier League XI. Manchester City and Chelsea would have had a couple of players each, too, but the likes of David de Gea, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Michael Carrick, Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie would all have earned a place among the outstanding Premier League team of the 2012-13 season.
Throughout the first 20 years of the Premier League, it would have been a similar story. United may not always have dominated the best XI, but they would at least have had two or three players in it. If you were to repeat this exercise now, how many teams would you have to pick before a United player would be selected? The best Premier League XI of 2022-23 would be dominated by City and Liverpool players. You could make a case for Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane being the one outsider, but the England captain might have to accept a place in the second XI due to the claims of Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah.
The second XI would again be made up by those City and Liverpool players who didn’t make the first XI, with maybe Kane and Son Heung-Min added to it.
The third XI? Probably full of Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal players, with West Ham United’s Declan Rice anchoring the midfield as a rare selection from outside the so-called Big Six.
Which takes us to the fourth-best Premier League XI, and probably where Bruno Fernandes or Christian Eriksen — and maybe even Cristiano Ronaldo — would find a place alongside those City and Liverpool players who didn’t make the first three teams. De Gea’s decline in goal since 2013 would see him nowhere near any of the top 10 best XIs, while the rest of Ten Hag’s squad are either so low on confidence — Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho — or lacking in top- level quality — Scott McTominay, Fred, Diogo Dalot — that they wouldn’t be in contention either.
This is obviously a fantasy exercise based purely on opinion and everyone will have a different view, but what is clear is that Manchester United no longer have the best players. They are stacked with mediocrity and struggle even to get rid of those who are no longer good enough, such as Phil Jones, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Eric Bailly. It’s probably a statement of the obvious considering the club’s performances and lack of trophies in recent years, but it is also an important point about how the team has been run in the post-Ferguson era.
United would always challenge to sign the best players. They wouldn’t always get them, with Alan Shearer, Ronaldinho and Eden Hazard being three of the most high-profile players to reject a move to Old Trafford, but they had the ambition to pursue them and, more often than not, they beat a big rival to sign a Ferdinand, a Rooney or a Van Persie.
Romelu Lukaku was probably the last high-profile player that United signed ahead of a Big Six rival, with the Everton forward rejecting Chelsea to move to Old Trafford in 2017. Since then, a failure to close the deal has been seen United miss out on the likes of Haaland, Jude Bellingham, Darwin Nunez and, potentially this summer, Frenkie de Jong.
Joining United is now seen as a risky move by the best players. Why go to Old Trafford when the club is in such a state of flux, with fans protesting against the owners and the trophy cabinet beginning to gather dust?
That is the challenge facing Ten Hag. He not only has to build a winning team, but make the club an attractive proposition for new players to join. But it is a long way back, and it’s difficult to predict when United will have a player in the Premier League Best XI again.
A Brisbane school has clinched a deal with Manchester City to train the next generation of soccer champions through a new football program.
Key points:
Manchester City will establish a football school in partnership with St Laurence’s College, south Brisbane campus
It will include the coaching philosophy and methodology of Manchester City
A Manchester City coach will be employed at the school and students can train both during and after school
English Premier League’s Manchester City has established the state’s only Manchester City Football School at St Laurence’s College.
The football school will involve coaching programs delivered by a Manchester City coach for the St Laurence’s College students, making use of the FIFA-certified artificial football pitch at the college’s South Brisbane campus.
St Laurence’s College principal Chris Leadbetter told ABC Radio Brisbane the partnership had been in the works for some time, and he had struggled to not tell the students the exciting news.
Manchester City Football School has launched at St Laurence’s College in Brisbane.(Supplied: St Laurence’s College)
“They’ll implement a program in Year 5 to 7, it will be within the curriculum and also outside school hours,” Mr Leadbetter said.
“In Year 8 to Year 12 it will be a co-curriculum program, so before and after school, at our fields at the school or at our fields at Runcorn.
“So we’re very excited.”
While participation in the program is only open to St Laurence College students, budding soccer players from other schools will have the opportunity to participate in school holiday clinics.
“We are offering the program outside the school for next year and the year after, and there’s an information session at the college on September 7, to talk about the program,” Mr Leadbetter said.
The managing director of Football Education and Recreation for City Football Group Jorgina Busquets said it was a pleasure to bring the coaching philosophy and methodology of Manchester City to St Laurence’s College.
“As an organization we have a defined and innovative style when it comes to playing football and ensure that fun and development are intertwined as part of the experience,” she said.
Manchester United are in talks to sign Benjamin Sesko and Marko Arnautovic, sources have told ESPN.
United have made contact with Bologna about former Stoke and West Ham striker Arnautovic after Erik ten Hag pressed the club to sign an experienced forward who would be content with a back up role off the bench.
– Dawson: Familiar flaws on display as Ten Hag’s United lose opener
Arnautovic is 33-years-old and sources have told ESPN that Ten Hag is a fan of his character after working together during his time as a coach at FC Twente.
Sources have told ESPN that the move for Arnautovic is considered separate to the move for Benjamin Sesko and that talks remain ongoing with FC Salzburg for the 19-year-old forward.
Chelsea are also interested in Sesko, although sources have told ESPN that Salzburg would rather keep him until next summer. United are hopeful of adding at least one attacker to the squad before the transfer deadline on Sept. 1.
Anthony Martial is injured and Cristiano Ronaldo is still building up his fitness after a summer away from the squad while he dealt with a family issue.
Ronaldo was only named among the substitutes for the 2-1 defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford on Sunday with Ten Hag forced to use midfielder Christian Eriksen as a false No. 9.
Ten Hag was asked after the match about the need for new players but the Dutchman refused to give anything away.
“I don’t go into names and I think in this preseason 250 players are involved or linked with Man United, so that’s it,” he said. “We have two strikers [Ronaldo and Martial] maybe a third one, [Marcus] Rashford.
“We considered him as a striker, but he had a really good season on the left side and he had two really good chances but the typical nine wasn’t available today.”
Former Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney has said that the club must let Cristiano Ronaldo leave if they are to build a successful team for the future under new manager Erik ten Hag.
The 37-year-old Ronaldo, who re-signed for United from Juventus last season, reportedly wants to move away from Old Trafford after the team’s failure to qualify for the Champions League.
– Premier League team-by-team guide and burning questions – O’Hanlon: Ranking the Premier League’s best players (E+) – Premier League kit ranking: Which jerseys are 2022-23’s best?
“I think United should let Cristiano Ronaldo go. It’s not that Ronaldo can’t play in a Ten Hag team. He can play in any team,” Rooney, who now manages Major League Soccer side DC United, wrote in a column for the Times.
“Ronny will always score you goals. But my personal view is that United aren’t ready to challenge for the title now, so the aim has to be to build a team that can win the league in the next three to four years, and you have to plan for that.”
United kick off their Premier League campaign at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday and Ronaldo was named on the bench.
He netted 24 times in all competitions last season, emerging as one of the few bright sparks in an otherwise forgettable campaign for United that saw them finish sixth.
Ten Hag this week said he was happy to have a “top striker” like Ronaldo in the squad and looking forward to working with him.
Rooney, who is United’s all-time leading scorer, added he was hopeful that Ten Hag would be able to establish a clear playing style at his former club.
“I couldn’t work out what they were trying to do in terms of game plan, or see any patterns of play,” Rooney said of last season.
“I think one of the big things you’ll see from Ten Hag is him really trying to put his stamp on the playing identity.”
LONDON — Fulham showed they don’t want to be in the Premier League just to make up the numbers again as they came close to beating Liverpool at Craven Cottage, with the game finishing as a 2-2 draw..
– Report: Fulham 1-0 Liverpool | Premier League table | Next Prem fixtures
Aleksandar Mitrovic, who scored 43 goals in the Championship last season, showed that at the age of 27 he might finally be ready for the Premier League. After heading home the first goal, he then won and converted a penalty to make sure the home side collected a point.
Liverpool had to rely on the old and the new, as Darwin Nunez scored their first equalizer and Mohamed Salah netted the second — and they assisted each other’s goals.
JUMP TO: Player ratings | Best/worst performers | Highlights and notable moments | Post match quotes | Keystats | Upcoming fixtures
rapid reaction
Liverpool risk losing early ground
It feels almost absurd to suggest this on the opening day of the season, but such are the standards Liverpool and Manchester City have set in recent times that dropping two points at Fulham represents an early blow in the title race.
Jurgen Klopp’s side lost only two games in the league last season and were twice behind at Craven Cottage, showing admirable tenacity to fight back.
City have a tough-looking opener at West Ham United on Sunday, but they now have a chance to establish an early advantage over their closest rivals. Liverpool spent so much of last season chasing City — the last thing they want is that same feeling early in the new campaign.
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Nunez cameo excites… but injury problems deepen
Nunez marked his Premier League debut with a goal and an assist to salvage a point and lift a Liverpool display that was badly lacking inspiration prior to his 59th-minute introduction.
Both were fortuitous: His goal, just 13 minutes after coming on, came as he tried an improvised flick, only for Tosin Adarabioyo to turn the ball onto Nunez with the ricochet flying past Fulham goalkeeper Marek Rodak. The 23-year-old’s assist for Salah’s equalizer came as he tried to collect Trent Alexander-Arnold’s forward pass only to touch the ball into the Egyptian’s path for a tap-in. But both moments were products of his movement and energy from him. It can only be a matter of time before it starts.
Klopp was concerned about Liverpool’s injury problems before kick-off — Caoimhin Kelleher, Diogo Jota, Ibrahima Konate, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Kostas Tsimikas and Curtis Jones are all unavailable — and Thiago Alcantara may now be added to that list. The midfielder limped off six minutes into the second half with what appeared to be a hamstring problem.
Alexander-Arnold caught out again
There is no doubting Alexander-Arnold is one of the best full-backs in the world with the ball at his feet, but those nagging doubts about his defensive ability will persist after being caught out for Fulham’s opening goal.
Kenny Tete’s cross was superb, but Alexander-Arnold was not alive to the danger at the back post as Mitrovic squeezed a header past Alisson.
Liverpool finished last season by losing the Champions League final to a Real Madrid goal which owed plenty to another lapse in concentration from Alexander-Arnold. It is a lesson he needs to learn, otherwise further damage will be inflicted.
player ratings
Fulham: Rodak 7, Tete 8, Adarabioyo 7, Tim Ream 8, Antonee Robinson 7, Harrison Reed 8, Joao Palhinha 7, Bobby Decordova-Reid 7, Andreas Pereira 8, Neeskens Kebano 8, Mitrovic 9. Subs: Manor Solomon 6, Tom Cairney 6, Duffy 6.
Liverpool: Alisson 6, Alexander-Arnold 6, Joel Matip 6, Virgil van Dijk 6, Andrew Robertson 7, Jordan Henderson 6, Fabinho 6, Thiago 6, Salah 7, Roberto Firmino 5, Luis Diaz 6. Subs: Harvey Elliott 7, Nunez 8, James Milner 6, Fabio Carvalho 6.
Best and worst performers
BEST: Aleksandar Mitrovic — Can I finally do it in the Premier League? On this evidence, absolutely. All-action display: superb header for the opening goal and made Virgil van Dijk look ordinary to win a penalty for the second.
WORST: Robert firmino — His place in the Liverpool side is under threat from Nunez and there was little from the Brazilian here to suggest he should keep it. Liverpool were much more threatening when he went off just before the hour mark.
“You can’t always hug the boys — we do that usually when they deserve it,” Klopp told broadcaster BT Sport. “You start the game in a specific way which was the opposite to how we wanted to start — really, completely opposite.
“We got a point for a really bad game by my side, and now it’s a question of how did it happen. I said it to my colleagues, the attitude was not right in the beginning, then we wanted to fight back but you don’t ‘t find it easy anymore.
“We never had the momentum and yeah, we could have won the game because we had then the bigger chances obviously, but that would have probably been a bit too much today.”
Key Stats (provided by ESPN Stats & Information)
This is the only the second time that Liverpool has started a Premier League season with a draw against a newly promoted side. The other was in 2006-07 when Liverpool drew 1-1 at Sheffield United and finished third.
Darwin Nunez has now scored in both of his first two games since signing from Liverpool from Benfica this summer. He is the first Liverpool player aged 23 years or younger to score in a Premier League season opener since Philippe Coutinho in 2015.
up next
Fulham: The Cottagers will be on the road next Saturday when they head north to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers, then it’s the big local derby against Brentford at Craven Cottage on Saturday, Aug. 20.
Liverpool: There’s a behind-closed-doors friendly on Sunday against Aston Villa, with Liverpool next in competitive action on consecutive Mondays, against Crystal Palace at Anfield on Monday, Aug. 15 and a trip to Manchester United on Aug. 22.
Chelsea got off to a positive start despite a sluggish performance in the Premier League opener as they secured a 1-0 victory against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday evening.
A quiet first half saw the home side enjoy the best share of the chances, but it was Thomas Tuchel’s side who took the lead after Abdoulaye Doucoure fouled Ben Chilwell inside the box for Jorginho to score Chelsea’s first goal of the season. The Toffees reacted well after the break as Demarai Gray found space inside the box before testing Edouard Mendy, and it was the home side who came close again to finding the equalizer but for some desperate defending.
Chelsea continued to struggle to create meaningful chances despite some substitutions that saw Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek introduced, with a cautious approach preferring to resist pressure from the home side who lost patience as the game went on. Ten minutes of added time following a medical emergency in the stands forced Chelsea to remain resolute deep into injury time, and they were able to hold on for three vital, hard-fought points.
– Premier League team-by-team guide and burning questions – O’Hanlon: Ranking the Premier League’s best players (E+) – Premier League kit ranking: Which jerseys are 2022-23’s best?
Positives
Thiago Silva and Edouard Mendy were the standout stars for Chelsea on the day, with their vital contribution in helping to earn a clean sheet.
Negatives
Chelsea’s attacking play was predictable and poor too often, which saw them struggle to create chances from open play. Thomas Tuchel must also find a way to help support Raheem Sterling, who was crowded out by the opposition.
Manager Rating (out of 10)
4 — A win for Chelsea is all that matters, but Thomas Tuchel has plenty to work on after his side’s performance today. The Blues could have easily been punished, with their style of play not doing enough to support the attack, and that is something that must be improved in the next game.
Player Rating (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Edouard Mendy, 7 — A strong hand in the first half denied James Tarkowski from opening the scoring, and the Senegal international then palmed away Demarai Gray’s effort just moments into the second half.
DF Kalidou Koulibaly, 6 — The former Napoli centre-back looked positive at dealing with some defensive situations, particularly balls in the air, but an overall mixed Premier League debut for Everton could have been better with more care taken over some of his passes into midfield.
DF Thiago Silva, 8 — A vital interception that stopped a pass from Demarai Gray that would have created the best chance of the first half epitomises the 37-year-old’s defensive display on the day. Silva’s reading of the game set the standard for his team.
DF Cesar Azpilicueta, 6 — Azpilicueta kept things simple and didn’t look to make many mistakes, though he could have been closer to Thiago Silva in some moments when Everton were quickly breaking down the flank.
FM Ben Chilwell, 6 — The 25-year-old made the most of contact in the box from Abdoulaye Doucoure to win a penalty just before the break to earn maximum dividends from an instinctive run into the box.
MF Jorginho, 6 — A cool penalty saw Jorginho send Jordan Pickford the wrong way from the spot to hand Chelsea the lead. He had plenty of the ball across the 90 minutes but didn’t look to make enough interventions on the defensive side of his game.
MF N’Golo Kante, 7 — The France international broke up the play on a number of occasions. Kante was quick to stop the danger, while he kept things simple when transitioning the play forward.
FM Reece James, 5 — James regularly looked to stretch the play down the right flank, but Everton looked to counter his influence well by ensuring he was closed down. The 22-year-old picked up a needless yellow card for time-wasting before the hour mark.
FW Raheem Sterling, 6 — The England international enjoyed some promising moments in which he looked Chelsea’s brightest player going forward, but he was often left isolated and surrounded by Everton shirts.
FW Kai Havertz, 5 — An anonymous display from the Germany man who struggled to make any meaningful impact on the game.
FW Mason Mount, 5 — Mount struck a shot well early in the game to test Jordan Pickford in an otherwise quiet game for him. Astute movement helped carve a path for Chilwell to run through in the buildup to Chelsea being awarded a penalty.
Substitutions
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chilwell, 65″), 6 — A powerful run forced a foul from Vitaliy Mykolenko to give Chelsea a free kick in a dangerous area.
Christian Pulisic (Mount, 65″), 5 — The USMNT star came on for Mount just after the hour mark, but Pulisic didn’t get the service he required to make an impact.
Marc Cucurella (Koulibaly, 75″) N/R — Cucurella almost registered a debut assist with his well picked-out pass for Raheem Sterling, but the shot was blocked by Mykolenko.
Armando Broja (Havertz, 75″), N/R — Substituted in for Havertz for the final 15 minutes.
Conor Gallagher (Jorginho, 90+8″), N/R — A Chelsea debut saw Gallagher introduced for the final two minutes of the game.
Defender Marcos Alonso was not included in Chelsea’s line-up for their opening match of the Premier League season against Everton as he wants to leave the club, manager Thomas Tuchel said on Saturday.
“He asked to leave and we agreed to his wish,” Tuchel told reporters after his team beat Everton 1-0 for their first victory at Goodison Park since 2017.
“That is why it would not have made sense to put him on the pitch.”
– Mixed performances for Chelsea’s new stars Sterling, Koulibaly in win over Everton – ESPN+ viewers’ guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more – Don’t have ESPN? Get instant access
The 31-year-old Alonso arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2016, being a central part of the team throughout the subsequent seasons.
Barcelona had been keen to sign both Alonso and Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta, but the latter signed a new contract at Stamford Bridge with the Catalan club’s finances hampering their ability to make signings.
Chelsea lost defenders Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen on free transfers during the summer before signing Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella to bolster their backline.
Despite Saturday win, Tuchel said the team’s defense was not up to par against Everton.
“All three of our players in the back three are in their 30s and we struggled a bit in general at the end of the game,” Tuchel said.
“We need to improve our physical level and we are on it.”
Everton defender Ben Godfrey was admitted to hospital following a challenge from Kai Havertz early in the game.
“It feels like it is a small fracture of his leg. We are assessing that. He will be out for a while, Yerry (Mina) has an ankle injury and could be out for a while,” Everton manager Frank Lampard said.
Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp has said he is “12 out of 10” frustrated and at a loss to explain his side’s poor display in Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Fulham.
Last season’s Premier League runners-up needed a debut goal from substitute Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah’s 80th-minute strike to twice come from behind and cancel out Aleksandar Mitrovic’s brace at Craven Cottage.
– Don’t have ESPN? Get instant access – Olley: Liverpool could be left playing catch up
Although Liverpool saved a draw and had chances to win the game, they were some way below the impressive form that proved enough to beat champions Manchester City 3-1 in the Community Shield.
When asked how frustrated he is by the disparity in performance, Klopp said: “You want to know on a scale of 1 to 10? 12. Very, very because the performance was a defeat. That’s why we have to figure it out.
“The results are very important for us, obviously. I’d love to get three points, but I would have loved much more to play really good to be honest. We didn’t do that.
“It is my responsibility to find out why we played last Saturday a surprisingly good game for the moment we were in in preseason and seven days later we look like we are completely upside down. That doesn’t make sense. I speak to you now but I’m actually only thinking about that.”
LONDON — Arsenal started their 2022-23 top flight campaign with a 2-0 win against Crystal Palace, showing early signs of promise for this season. The Gunners hit the ground running, with their three debutants delivering solid performances.
Here are the main points, top players, key stats and notable moments from the game.
– MATCH REPORT | LEAGUE TABLE | FIXTURES
Jump to: Rapid response | Player ratings | Best/worst performers | Highlights and notable moments | Post match quotes | Keystats | Upcoming fixtures
Rapid Reaction: 3 takeaways
1. New season, new start for Arsenal
Arsenal were on the back foot on the opening Friday night of last season as they lost 2-0 to Brentford, but it was a different story under the lights across London this time. There has been plenty to excite Gunners supporters during a preseason in which they made shrewd signings and won all five friendlies, but this was the first major test of their hopes of returning to the top four and they passed. They had to ride their luck at times with Aaron Ramsdale called into one excellent stop to deny Eberechi Eze early in the second half, but Marc Guehi’s late own goal gave them a deserved win that will only heighten the sense of optimism around the club.
– Premier League team-by-team guide and burning questions – O’Hanlon: Ranking the Premier League’s best players (E+) – Premier League kit ranking: Which jerseys are 2022-23’s best?
2. Palace Miss Gallagher Spark
Eze is a fine player and as he steps up his return from an ACL injury, the highly rated 24-year-old will surely improve as he steps into the void vacated by Conor Gallagher, who returned to Chelsea after a season-long loan last term. But Crystal Palace missed Gallagher on Friday. Only Wilfried Zaha (15 goals, two assists) had more involvement goals than Gallagher (eight goals, five assists) and Palace missed both his energy from him to break up Arsenal’s periods of possession and his potency in the final third.
3. Arsenal’s debutants make the difference
William Saliba, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko made their Arsenal debuts at Selhurst Park and all contributed in different ways to a hard-fought victory. Jesus was impressive as Arsenal dominated the opening 35 minutes, while Zinchenko’s header was the key component of a clever corner routine that allowed Gabriel Martinelli to open the scoring. Saliba, perhaps the most long-awaited debutant of all, given he originally signed for Arsenal three years ago, was a much more assured presence than his more experienced centre-back partner Gabriel. It is only the beginning, but all three demonstrated their potential.
Arsenal: Ramsdale 8, White 6, Gabriel 5, Saliba 8, Zinchenko 7, Partey 7, Xhaka 7, Odegaard 6, Saka 7, Martinelli 7, Jesus 7. Subs: Tierney 6, Nketiah 6, Lokonga 6.
Best and worst performers
Best: William Saliba
The pressure on this kid is intense given Arsenal fans have been calling for his inclusion ever since he signed from Saint-Etienne in 2019 — and he didn’t disappoint. A composed display featuring several vital interceptions and helped Arsenal weather difficult periods.
worst: Odsonne Edouard
Palace struggled for a cutting edge during long periods of the game and Edouard missed their only real chance of the first half when heading straight at Ramsdale. He understandably substituted for Jean-Philippe Mateta before the hour mark.
Highlights and notable moments
Martinelli scored the first goal of the 2022-23 Premier League season off an Arsenal corner and a Zinchenko assist.
“We are going to try. There are a few things that we planned and if we could do them it would be great.” – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta on the possibility of more transfers.
“It was very good because we start with a win and a clean sheet. It was a tough game, but we won at the end, so very good. I’ve waited a long time, but we [did it] in my first-ever game, and I am so happy.” – saliva
Key Stats (provided by ESPN Stats & Information)
– Gabriel Martinelli scored his 12th career Premier League goal, his second against Crystal Palace; he ties for the most goals against a single opponent in Premier League play (Sheffield United, West Ham, and Leeds United).
– Arsenal record their 33rd Premier League clean sheet under Mikel Arteta as manager; the fifth-most since his debut on Dec. 26, 2019.
up next
Crystal Palace: They face a tough next set of fixtures with a visit to last year’s runners-up Liverpool on Aug. 15, a home match against Aston Villa on Aug. 20 and a meeting with current Premier League champions Man City on Aug. 27.
Arsenal: They host Leicester City on Aug. 13 before playing newly promoted sides Bournemouth on Aug. 20 and then Fulham on Aug. 27.
