Odegaard’s penalty secures three points for Arsenal

LONDON: Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard’s penalty secured a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace after the visitor finished with 10 men following Takehiro Tomiyasu’s sending off for two yellow cards in their Premier League clash at Selhurst Park on Monday.

Both sides had a number of decent chances in the first half-hour with the best of them falling to Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah, who hit the post in the 29th minute, some good pressing by the midfield saw the Gunners win the ball high up the pitch.

Nketiah wasted another great chance in the 36th after he was played in behind the defence by Declan Rice as he fluffed his attempted chip which flew harmlessly over the crossbar.

The striker was in the thick of things again early in the second half as he was fouled in the box by keeper Sam Johnstone when running onto a quick free kick by Gabriel Martinelli.

Referee David Coote pointed to the spot and Odegaard sent Johnstone the wrong way, rolling the ball in at the foot of the keeper’s right-hand post.

Arsenal looked set to cruise to victory but Tomiyasu was shown his first yellow card on the hour mark for time-wasting at a throw-in and was sent off in the 67th minute when he collected his second booking for a foul on Jordan Ayew.

Arteta quickly made a number of defensive substitutions that caused problems for Palace and the closest the home side came to an equaliser was a stoppage-time snap-shot by fullback Tyrick Mitchell that flew wide.

“It shows how much we want it,” Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said about Arsenal’s brief celebrations

“When you see the players on the bench, they have to come and help the team. They were magnificent and they changed the dynamic of the game. I say thank you so much to them because they really contributed to winning the game,” he added.

Arteta said it would take some time for teams to get used to the crackdown on time-wasting that has seen more yellow cards and additional time being added on at the end of each half.

“It’s going to be very difficult for us. I guarantee you, we will have to play with 10 or maybe with nine or with eight depending where we put the standards and the level. We can play eight against eight, it can be very entertaining,” the 41-year-old said.

The win lifted Arsenal to third on six points behind Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City on goal difference. Palace hs three points from their opening two games.

BRIEF SCORES: Crystal Palace 0 lost to Arsenal 1 (Martin Odegaard 54)