Arsenal 2 v 1 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2 v 1 Crystal Palace

We started with three new players, resting German World Cup winners, and the formation we've become used to seeing:

Szczesny

Debuchy Chambers Koscielny Gibbs

Arteta

Alexis Ramsey Wilshire Cazorla

Sanogo

News broke on Thursday that Tony Pulis had walked away from Palace, after a row about their summer transfer business (lack thereof). Whether he's walked as a matter of principle, or whether he's had a hissy-fit (and the former is probably more likely), the timing's awful for Palace.

I'm writing this from notes made during the game. I was expecting to watch this one on a hooky Internet P2P feed. Then, at quarter to three (just after completing our online VAT registration – there's a couple of hours to reverse any blood pressure normalisation previously achieved; just before Joe Root and Jos Buttler grabbed the Oval test match by the scruff of the throat), while looking for the Internet feed, there it was: 17:30, SKY Sports 1. With both BLISS and DLL out for the day, that meant watching it properly, on the proper telly, sitting on the proper sofa. It may not sound like much, but that's just amazing luxury I'm not used to. Saturday Night Football. There were some funny things. United lost at home, 2-1 to Swansea. Some not at all funny things. S***s pinched a late winner at West Ham. There's Jamies Carragher (one of the funnier things) and Redknapp (one of the not at all funny things. Harry would be much better), and there's proper, live football, then highlights of one game, and then highlights of any game you like. A programme that knocks the tired old Match of the Day rubbish into a cocked hat. The Beeb are in a panic relentlessly trying to promote MotD, but it isn't fooling anyone. Jug ears and his mates preside over a dinosaur sports show.

In the kitchen, Test Match Special says that plunging into baths of ice is overrated. There's insight. Normal warm-downs are just as effective and less dangerous. So I'm going back to flopping about on anything comfortable after playing cricket from now on.

As the teams walked out of the tunnel, I couldn't help craning my neck to see if Jack Wilshire was cupping a crafty last fag in his hand. I wondered whether Sanogo would lose his San-no-goal nickname, as his pre-season form promised.

In the opening minute Alexis chased back mile to assist Debuchy. Way to endear yourself to the fans, bro.

The camera cuts to Palace chairman Parish, who is engrossed in something on his mobile phone. Evidence that Pulis is probably in the right. When, later in the second half they broadcast the same camera shot, he was still playing with his phone. Wasted ticket, there.

Our lot seem interested, almost all of them, in competing in the air. That's a good sign. Palace took the lead from a set piece, won by good work from Campbell, and credit to him for not going down like a sack of spuds under Kos' (fair) challenge. Hangerland. Apparently it was all Kos' fault, nothing to do with Hangerland being 6'7” tall.

Arteta is till our best fowler, and most persistent, but Chambers beat him to the season's first yellow card.

1-1. Kos redeems himself with the equaliser.

My notes at 70 minutes gone say this: “@ 70 min: confident of a 3 or 4 – 1 win, and a booking for timewasting for their keeper.”

Then Ramsey got the winner in the 91^st minute, triggering a not insubstantial amount of glee, locally.