William Saliba, on his competitive debut for Arsenal, has been awarded Man of the Match for his solid performance against Crystal Palace on Friday night.

After a standout season in the French Ligue 1 while playing on loan for Marseille, William Saliba won the man of the match award on his debut Premier League night.

The 21-year-old defender contributed to the Gunners’ overwhelming 2-0 victory over Palace as they opened their Premier League campaign.

The Mikel Arteta team took advantage of their strong start to the game when Martinelli nodded in from a corner to give them the lead in the first half.

This man tonight. What a debut. pic.twitter.com/aRHZ8e2xZe

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 5, 2022

As the game progressed, Palace gained momentum, with Edouard and Eze compelling Ramsdale, the Gunners’ shot-stopper, to make crucial stops.

However, despite the pressure, Arsenal held on and managed to secure an own goal in stoppage time when Saka’s pass deflected off Guehi.

Arsenal earned its first three points of the campaign and will look to build on it when it hosts Leicester City the following weekend.

Although Vieira can draw some positives from this game, Palace must wait 10 days before their next match against Liverpool.

William Saliba reacted to the victory by stating;

🗣️ “I’m so happy to start my first game with a win and a clean sheet. Its never easy, we have to give maximum.”

William Saliba is honestly like a new £60 million signing… absolute rolls royce

— Bhavs (@bhavss14) August 5, 2022

William Saliba’s Premier League debut for Arsenal:

100% take-ons completed
100% aerial duels won
94% pass accuracy
49 passes
7 ball recoveries
6 passes into final third
6 clearances
3 duels won
0x dribbled past
0 goals conceded
0 fouls committed

𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕? 𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒙!