Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal
by Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
at Selhurst Park

ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger praised the character of his team as they secured their first points of the new Premier League season with a hard-fought victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park yesterday afternoon.

The Gunners bounced back from the disappointment of their opening day defeat at home to West Ham last weekend and squeezed past the Eagles in another London derby thanks to Olivier Giroud’s brilliant acrobatic effort in the 16th minute and Damien Delaney’s own goal after the interval.

Wenger, whose side came in for stinging criticism following the shock defeat by the Hammers, said he was pleased with the response from his players and singled out club-record signing Mesut Ozil for special praise as the German was at the forefront of everything good in attacking areas for the visitors.

“He had a very good performance. It’s a pleasure to watch his passing. He was absolutely magnificent,” the Frenchman enthused.

“We have shown our strong response and we have shown different aspects in our game that are vital in the Premier League.

“This is a difficult place for teams to come and win. To get the three points could be a turning point for us.”

One of the main talking points from the game was the debate surrounding Gunners midfielder Francis Coquelin and how he managed to avoid a second booking before being substituted midway through the second half.

Palace boss Alan Pardew was under no illusions that the Frenchman was lucky to stay on the pitch especially after the player committed numerous fouls while walking a tight rope and was disappointed with the officials for not producing a red card.

“I was having a chat with Lee (Mason) in the tunnel. Unfortunately he didn’t make the call. He (Coquelin) should’ve been sent off,” the Eagles manager said in his post-match press conference.

“I think it was debatable (Coquelin’s second foul). The third foul was one too many,” Pardew stressed.

Home debutant Connor Wickham crashed a shot against the crossbar in the early stages of the second half and Pardew admitted that was the turning point in the match.

“I thought when we got the equaliser it was a bit more balanced. If Connor’s effort had gone in, it would’ve been a different game,” he said.