LONDON, Aug 6: Arsenal’s newcomers made an immediate impact as they opened the English Premier League by beating host Crystal Palace 2-0 while Liverpool and Fulham played out a 2-2 draw.
Left back Oleksandr Zinchenko set up the opening goal in the first half while striker Gabriel Jesus created a number of chances and defender William Saliba put in a near-flawless performance in his first start for Arsenal.
The Gunners still had to endure a nervy second half before Bukayo Saka’s attempted cross was deflected into his own net by Palace defender Marc Guehi in the 85th.
Arsenal took the lead from a well-worked corner in the 20th, when Zinchenko met a long delivery into the area and headed back across goal toward Gabriel Martinelli, who nodded the ball in from close range.
Martinelli should have scored in the opening minutes after a rampaging run from Jesus, who dribbled his way into the box before the ball was deflected into the path of his fellow Brazilian, who scuffed his shot wide of the far post.
“The way we started the game, the way we played the first half an hour, I think was superb,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said.
Zinchenko and Jesus both joined from Manchester City in the offseason while Saliba was signed in 2019 but spent the last three seasons on loan in his native France.
The centre back looked composed and confident in his league debut, making key interventions and blocks as Palace chased an equaliser.
Arsenal also needed two good saves from goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale to maintain the lead.
Ramsdale first reacted quickly to palm away a close-range header from Odsonne Edouard in the 42nd minute, then got down low to block a shot from Eberechi Eze in the 54th.
For Arsenal, it made for a much better start to the season than last year, when it also opened the campaign on a Friday night but fell to at promoted Brentford 2-0 and went on to lose the next two games as well.
Meanwhile, new Liverpool signing Darwin Nunez came off the bench to score one goal and set up another Saturday as the Reds salvaged a 2-2 draw at promoted Fulham in the opening round of the Premier League.
Aleksandar Mitrovic put Fulham ahead twice at Craven Cottage as Marco Silva’s team threatened a major upset, but Nunez showed just why Liverpool spent big to bring the Uruguay forward in from Benfica this offseason.
Nunez first met a low cross from Mohamed Salah with a deft backheel flick into the top of the net to make it 1-1 in the 64th minute, and then helped his Egyptian teammate net the second equalizer in the 81st.
Nunez tried to control a high cross into the box that time but the ball instead fell into the path of Salah, who had a simple tap-in.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson then came close to an injury-time winner when his curling long-distance shot hit the crossbar.
Mitrovic headed in the opening goal in the first half, rising above Trent Alexander-Arnold at the far post to meet a cross from the right, and then converted a penalty in the 72nd minute after he was brought down by Virgil van Dijk.
Fulham also had a chance to make it 2-0 in the 57th when Neeskens Kebano hit the post with a shot from the right side of the area after a quick attack.
The draw will still count as a setback for Liverpool, which is aiming to wrest back the Premier League title after finishing one point behind champion Manchester City last season.
Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp opted against starting Nunez even though the newcomer made quite an impression in preseason. Roberto Firmino was given the start up front instead, but Liverpool’s attack clicked into a higher gear once Nunez came on for the Brazilian. (AP)
