The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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Arsenal began their Premier League campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, thanks to Riccardo Calafiori’s early goal.
The Gunners, who have finished runners-up three seasons in a row, are under pressure to finally deliver the league title, last won in 2003/04. They were far from their fluent best, but capitalized on a mistake by United’s stand-in goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, who failed to deal with a Declan Rice corner in the 13th minute, leaving Calafiori to nod home into an empty net.
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United handed debuts to their £200 million attacking trio of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko, but none could break down Arsenal’s solid defence. Patrick Dorgu struck the post with United’s best chance, while Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya made key saves to deny Cunha and Mbeumo.
“Big result, especially at Old Trafford,” said Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, while United manager Ruben Amorim insisted his side deserved more: “We proved today we can compete with anyone.”
Chelsea Held by Crystal Palace
Fresh from their Club World Cup triumph, Chelsea were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Crystal Palace.
The Blues struggled to create clear chances, with new signing Estevao going closest. Palace thought they had taken the lead through Eberechi Eze’s free-kick, but VAR ruled out the goal for obstruction by Marc Guehi.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca pointed to limited preparation time after their win over PSG last month, while Palace boss Oliver Glasner praised Guehi and Eze, despite transfer speculation linking them to Liverpool and Tottenham.
Forest Cruise, Brentford Struggle
Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest brushed aside transfer worries with a 3-1 win over Brentford.
Chris Wood scored twice, with Dan Ndyoe also netting on his debut, as Forest dominated. Brentford, who lost manager Thomas Frank, captain Christian Norgaard, and striker Bryan Mbeumo in the off-season, looked disjointed under new boss Keith Andrews.
Igor Thiago’s late penalty was the only consolation for the Bees, whose squad rebuild remains a work in progress.
