Martin Odegaard scored a second-half penalty to hand ten-man Arsenal a hard-fought 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in their English Premier League (EPL) match at Selhurst Park on Monday night.
The Gunners’ captain grew into the London derby before grabbing his chance from an expertly-dispatched spot kick.
Arsenal were without injured Jurren Timber but welcomed back Oleksandr Zinchenko while Eddie Nketiah led the attack.
Nketiah came closest to scoring in the first half, failing to convert good openings including hitting the post.
He would eventually win the penalty converted by Odegaard on 54 minutes after being hauled down by the Palace goalkeeper.
The visitors had Takehiro Tomiyasu dismissed for a second bookable offence on 67 minutes but put in a defensive shift to see out the win.
Mikel Arteta’s men have won both their league games this season and continue their excellent run in London derbies with a 13-match unbeaten run including 11 victories.
They are joint top of the EPL with Brighton and Manchester City, all three sides on six points each.
