Topics: English Premier League, Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Arsene Wegner, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil
Palace had reacted to the initial lead given to Arsenal with a bicycle kick from Giroud. Wegner hailed Sanchez a a fighter who created the chance for the game-winning goal.

The man that lead Chile to its first Copa America title in 99 years brought his fighting spirit to the pitch in which Arsenal defeated Crystal Palace by 2-1. The Chilean striker had been looking for the back of the net consistently and found it thanks to a header of his that bounced off Damien Delaney in the 55th minute.

That goal meant the 2-1 lead for the Gunners that they would not relinquish. It was a big game for the Gunners that had suffered in their opening Premier League game against West Ham (0-2).At the end of the game, Arsene Wenger was proud of his team and hailed Sanchez' performance.

"He brings a drive forward, the pressure on the opponent, goal chances," Wegner said about Alexis. "It's a typical Sanchez goal: more desire than fitness.

The striker had returned to the starting lineup after what has an action-packed summer for him with Chile in the Copa America. Also, after the team had lost against West Ham, Alexis stayed to do some sprints in the Emirates field, showing his commitment to be ready by now. 

Sanchez is the man of the hour in Arsenal

Arsenal opened the scoreboard with a bicycle kick from Olivier Giroud that followed a perfect pass from Mesut Ozil. The German winger showed what he is capable of doing throughout the whole game, but it was only 16 minutes into the game that he tallied his first assist of the season. 

"It's a pleasure to watch the quality of his passing and the intelligence of his passing. What I want from him more is a few more goals this season," Wegner said about Ozil that is in his third season with Arsenal.

At the same time, Arsenal's boss considered that what Giroud did to score the first goal of the team this season was nothing short of impressive. The striker showed something extra to what the coach and fans had seen in recent games.

"Look, Giroud scored a goal, was important because we had to deal with a lot of long balls," Wegner said. "He had a lot stronger performance than recently."

It was a thrilling game to watch for fans at Selhurst Park with over 24,000 fans in attendance. In the end, Wegner felt that his team passed a tough test against a team that did not make things easy for them, especially when they tied the game with a goal from Joel Ward in the 28th minute. 

"I believe we have shown our strongest points, and have shown different aspects of our game that are vital in the Premiership," Wegner added as his team will now head home to face Liverpool on August 24.

The boss was happy with the outcome of the game