According to the Selhurst Park announcer, the goal that settled this gripping London dust-up belonged to Alexis Sánchez. When the replays were inspected more closely, the Arsenal forward’s header looked to have been drifting beyond the far post until Damien Delaney stuck out his leg to divert the ball home.
Sánchez, of course, will want the goal rather more than the Crystal Palace defender – he will probably be disappointed – but what mattered the most for the Chilean was that this was a performance to blow off the cobwebs, both for him and his club. Arsenal are up and running, after their false start against West Ham the previous Sunday, and if Sánchez looked a little rusty at times, his movement was positive and the sense of menace whenever he flicked on the afterburners and charged at the right-back, Joel Ward, or any of the Palace back-line, was tangible.
Sánchez made things happen last season, during his exciting debut in English football, often by the sheer force of his will and he made the difference here in characteristic fashion. He had been involved in Arsenal’s opening goal, panicking Ward into conceding possession and feeding Mesut Özil, whose cross was hooked, acrobatically, past Alex McCarthy by Olivier Giroud. It was a goal to quicken the pulses and set the tone for an afternoon of cut and thrust.
But Sánchez’s key contribution came in the 55th minute, when he leapt with Ward to meet Héctor Bellerín’s cross. Sánchez’s hunger makes up for his lack of height in aerial duels, together with his spring and sense of timing, and he always looked as though he would win this one. He wheeled away in triumph once the ball had darted in off Delaney.
“At 1-1, it was not a coincidence that it was Sánchez who found the header over Ward,” Arsène Wenger said. “It was a typical Sánchez goal: more desire than fitness. He is still a bit short, fitness-wise. But he’s a fighter.”
The Arsenal manager had demanded intensity from his players after the meek defeat to West Ham at the Emirates Stadium, when he had bemoaned them being too nice, and there was an upbeat tempo to their play. Sánchez was back in the starting XI after his late return from Chile’s Copa América triumph – he reported for pre-season on 4 August – and he helped to inject the vim. His relentlessness and enthusiasm is contagious.
You knew that it might be a knockabout sort of spectacle when Palace’s mascot, Kayla the bald eagle, almost took out a few of the club’s cheerleaders when she swooped a little erratically before the game.
Palace have not beaten Arsenal in the league at Selhurst Park since 1979 but they went for it, with Alan Pardew starting with an attack-minded line-up. There were gaps at the back and Arsenal looked dangerous on the counter, breaking on more than one occasion in the first half with more men than Palace had behind the ball.For the home crowd, it was high-risk, heart-in-the-mouth stuff. For the neutral, it was richly entertaining.
Sánchez unsettled the Palace defence and he was denied early on by James McArthur’s goal-line clearance. He also stung McCarthy’s palms from a tight angle, while the goalkeeper reacted smartly to keep out Aaron Ramsey’s flick.
Ramsey had been completely unmarked and, at times, it was tempting to ask whether Palace were merely paying lip-service to the notion of defending. Neither the impressive Yohan Cabaye nor McArthur are renowned for their defensive midfieldqualities while ahead of them were the flair trio of Wilfried Zaha, Jason Puncheon and Yannick Bolasie. Zaha and Bolasie, in particular, are a celebration of mad skills, instinct and unpredictability.
Pardew’s boldness helped to make the game and the Palace manager was left to lament the close-range chance that Connor Wickham missed in the 48th minute. The striker’s sights were marginally awry and his shot came back off the post. There was plenty of encouragement for Palace and Selhurst Park promises to be a hot ticket this season.
Palace, though, did not have the monopoly on PlayStation-style moves. Özil had a few of his own, including the control and trick on 51 minutes that destroyed Pape Souaré on the byline. Özil’s ability to transcend any match for little spells is the greatest of treats. Consistency must become his friend.
The game had it all, with great goals (Ward’s equaliser was also a belter) and refereeing controversy – Pardew was convinced that Francis Coquelin should have been given a second yellow card. It also contained the unusual sight of Wenger sacrificing art for pragmatism towards the end. Off came Sánchez for Mikel Arteta, and Özil for Kieran Gibbs. Sánchez stared at his number for what felt like an age before realising that his afternoon was over. His work had been done.
