This was a scrap and, having squeaked through it, Arsenal will not mind at all. They did so thanks to a penalty from Martin Ødegaard eight minutes into the second half and may reflect that, while a refashioned side looks short of last season’s brilliance at this early stage in the term, they merited the points on the balance of chances. Nonetheless Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace offered a typically challenging workout and were encouraged during the final quarter when Takehiro Tomiyasu was dismissed after picking up two needless bookings. That will have infuriated Mikel Arteta but a side that, by the end, was packed with defenders held out with relative confidence against hosts bereft of cutting edge.
In May 2021 Hodgson had bidden an emotional farewell to a Covid-restricted crowd here after a 3-1 defeat to Arsenal, his retirement seemingly a certainty. If the size and volume of the crowd had swelled, red and blue flares billowing from the Holmesdale Road end at kick-off, the sight of the 76-year-old patrolling his technical area offered a constant few could have expected back then.
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