Chelsea survived an early scare when Crystal Palace had an Eberechi Eze goal controversially disallowed in a scrappy 0-0 draw in the Premier League on Sunday.

Chelsea, whose last competitive outing was winning the Club World Cup in the United States last month, failed to stamp their authority on the game against the FA Cup holders despite more than 70% possession, in warm southwest London sunshine.

Coach Enzo Maresca gave new signings Joao Pedro from Brighton & Hove Albion and Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund starts, but neither could make a breakthrough and Chelsea managed only three shots on target out of 19 attempts.

Talisman Cole Palmer looked out-of-sorts and was one of those guilty of wayward shots. The visitors looked to have taken the lead in the 13th minute but referee Darren England consulted the pitchside monitor and ruled Palace captain Marc Guehi, who shoved Moises Caicedo out of the way, was too close to Chelsea’s defensive wall when Eze took a free kick on the edge of the area.

It was a technical ruling, with the laws of the game stating that where three or more defending team players form a wall, the attackers must be at least one metre from that wall and England spent some time explaining his decision to Guehi.

Chelsea, who finished fourth last season and also won the Conference League, have been tipped to do better this season after strengthening their attacking lineup.

Liam Delap who signed from Ipswich Town and 18-year-old Estevao came on as substitutes midway through the second half and it was the young Brazilian who made the most impact, with a lively performance down the right wing.

Eze, who has been linked with a move from south to north London after interest from Tottenham Hotspur, applauded the away fans as they sang his name at the end of the game.

-Reuters

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The new Premier League season has kicked off and this Sunday will see Arsenal traveling to familiar rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.

This fixture remains one of English football’s classic rivalries, with a rich history and titanic clashes over decades.

This fixture isn’t just any season opener. United, under  Ruben Amorim, aim to leap out of the shadow of a dismal 15th-place finish last season.

Managerial change and hefty summer reinforcements have set the tone for a campaign of redemption

Meanwhile, Arsenal, still stinging from three straight runner-up finishes, are back yet again as title contenders.

Mikel Arteta has underlined the urgency of converting consistency into silverware this time around.

Recent form favours Arsenal away at Old Trafford. Notably, Arsenal have scored in each of their last 11 league visits, and Manchester United have only beaten Arsenal twice at home in the past 18 league meetings.

Arteta is candid about Arsenal’s title hunger: “We are the team that has scored the most points over the last three seasons … but we still need to win a major title”, ESPN quoted him as saying.

Amorim, stepping in midway last season, carries high expectations to reverse United’s fortunes after a troubled campaign.

The Sunday blockbuster sets the tone for both teams. Arsenal head to Old Trafford with momentum, defensive solidity, and fresh attacking options. United, with a imagined frontline and home advantage, hope to catch the visitors cold early.

Expect a tightly contested affair—potentially decided by fine margins and tactical adaptations. Should Gyokeres live up to the hype and Arsenal wield their cohesion, they could edge a statement-opening win.

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Arsenal’s new Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres is primed to make his Premier League debut against Manchester United, with manager Mikel Arteta predicting on Friday that the striker will have a “tremendous impact” this season as the club chases silverware.

Arsenal splashed nearly 200 million pounds ($271.12 million) in a summer spending spree to land six new players including Gyokeres, who was hot property on the transfer market after netting 54 times in all competitions for Sporting last term.

Benjamin Sesko had been on Arsenal’s radar before moving to United and in a twist of transfer fate, the two clubs’ new strikers are set to face off at Old Trafford when the age-old Premier League rivals play each other in a rare season opener.

“I can just talk about Viktor and how happy we are to have him. He is going to have a tremendous impact in the team and his adaptation has been really, really good and we are happy to have him,” Arteta told reporters.

“Many strikers have come from different leagues and been successful. It’s on us, creating the right context for Viktor to do what he does best, which is to score goals.

“He is getting better and better every day. He is normally a really fit player and he has had the small moments in two (pre-season) games with us, so let’s see what he brings on Sunday.”

Arteta said new midfield recruit Martin Zubimendi has also integrated into the team well and is fit for Sunday’s game.

Arsenal have finished the last three seasons as runners-up in the Premier League and the pressure is on Arteta to deliver a league title after reinforcing the squad in key positions.

“If you keep digging, digging and digging, then one day the gold is going to be there. All the time, it is what I have been taught my whole life,” Arteta said.

“For the last three seasons we have more points (combined) than anybody else in the league and that says a lot about our consistency. Now we just have to do it in a season.”

Arsenal great and former skipper Tony Adams suggested Arteta should take the captain’s armband from Martin Odegaard, who had a relatively poor season due to injuries last term, and hand it to Declan Rice.

However, Arteta said the decision to stick with Odegaard as the captain was unanimous.

“My opinion is clear and it’s not just my opinion, it’s all the staff and especially the players. I asked them to vote the captain and I got the result yesterday,” Arteta said.

“By a mile, by a big, big 100 miles, everybody chose the same person – Martin Odegaard – which is the clearest sign that you can have.

“It’s how they feel about who has to be their captain to defend, improve and win the matches that we want to win.”

-Reuters

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