In the first round of the Premier League, Arsenal cleanly defeated Crystal Palace with a score of 2-0, declaring the new season with an opening red. Although Arsenal's ball possession was only 44%, and the number of shots on goal was the same as their opponents', both at 10, the team won with a solid defense. It is worth mentioning that 21-year-old center back William Saliba showed his heroics in his debut game in the Premier League, and his performance won the Sky Sports' Best Player of the Year award, which was a sight to behold.
Three years ago, Arsenal signed William Saliba from St. Ignatius for £27 million and then loaned him out to St. Ignatius, Nice and Marseille. He finally returned to Arsenal this season and made his debut in this game.
The 1'92" French starlet had a perfect performance, with a pass success rate of 94%, of which six of his 49 passes were threateningly accurate. He also contributed seven clearances, four successful confrontations with opponents and managed to get past them on an individual break. It's worth noting that he didn't commit a single foul throughout the entire match and was once again named Sky Sports' Player of the Match after the game, which was well deserved. Although the official man of the match award went to Gabriel Martinelli, William Saliba's performance was certainly impressive.
Manchester United star Gary Neville, who was the match commentator, was full of praise for William Saliba, saying that his style is similar to that of Rio Ferdinand in his younger days and that he has a bright future ahead of him.
Additionally, left back Sinclair was equally praiseworthy, delivering 49 passes in the game, 40 of which were successful to teammates, and contributing an assist. On the defensive end, he also excelled, finishing with three interceptions, five steals, and succeeding on five of his 10 confrontations.
Arsenal's defense has been criticized over the past few years, but it showed an off-the-charts performance in the first round of the season and seems to have overcome its biggest weakness.
