Stoke City’s savior could well be Xherdan Shaqiri.
The Swiss magician curled home a magnificent free kick, with a little help from a deflection off the wall, to give the Potters the lead against Crystal Palace in a game Stoke simply had to win to have any chance of staying in the Premier League.
Watch the video above to see Shaqiri curl home a beauty for his first goal in nine games.
Five Premier League games are coming up at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday, as the second Matchweek of the new campaign comes roaring at us.
[ STREAM: Every PL game live here ]
Southampton and Liverpool clash at St Mary’s in the main game at 10 a.m. ET, while two new boys have their first home games back in the PL.
Aston Villa host Bournemouth at Villa Park, while Norwich host Newcastle at Carrow Road. Elsewhere, Everton host Watford and West Ham travel to Brighton.
[ MORE: Sign up for NBC Sports Gold ]
You can access additional games by purchasing the new “Premier League Pass” via NBC Sports Gold which also includes an extensive selection of shoulder programming such as Premier League News, Premier League Today and NBC Sports originals such as Premier League Download and much more.
[ STREAM: “Goal Rush” here ]
For those of you familiar with the Premier League Breakaway Show during busy days (Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, Championship Sunday etc.) in the PL, this will follow that model of being similar to the NFL RedZone with action shown from all of the games in the 10 a.m. ET window. More info is available here.
The schedule for all five games at 10 a.m. ET is below and you can stream each game live by clicking on the links.
10 a.m. ET: Southampton v. Liverpool – NBCSN [STREAM]
10 a.m. ET: Aston Villa v. Bournemouth – CNBC [STREAM]
10 a.m. ET: Brighton v. West Ham – NBC Sports Gold [STREAM]
10 a.m. ET: Everton v. Watford – NBC Sports Gold [STREAM]
10 a.m. ET: Norwich v. Newcastle – NBC Sports Gold [STREAM]
Arsenal beat Burnley 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday to make it two wins from two to start the new season. It is the first time in 10 years Arsenal have won their opening two games of a Premier League season.
[ MORE: Watch full PL match replays ]
The Gunners took the lead early on through Alexandre Lacazette but a stubborn Burnley wouldn’t go away and Ashley Barnes equalized in a somewhat fortuitous manner before the break.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored the winner as Dani Ceballos dazzled on his full debut in the Premier League.
Up next for the Gunners is a trip to Liverpool followed by a north London derby against Tottenham. It is then we will see just how good this Gunners side really is.
3 things we learned
1. Ceballos is the real deal: The Spanish midfielder worked so hard defensively and oozed class on the ball. He is the replacement for Aaron Ramsey and was absolutely sensational. If he keeps playing like this, Arsenal may not be able to afford to buy him permanently next summer…
2. Defensive issues remain: There were a few shaky moments at the back for the Gunners. David Luiz‘s first start saw him take a few risks on the ball, while Bernd Leno flapped at a few crosses. Arsenal looked better defensively with Guendouzi in front of the defense, but they are far from being a solid outfit.
3. Burnley were Burnley: Sean Dyche‘s side didn’t have much of the ball but they created dangerous chances from set pieces and as long as they were only one-goal down, they were always a threat.
Man of the Match: Dani Ceballos – He will become a firm fans favorite at the Emirates Stadium. Silky on the ball, the Spaniard dug deep defensively and dictated the tempo of the game. A fine home PL debut for the Real Madrid loanee, who whipped in the corner for Lacazette’s goal and then won the ball back to create Aubameyang’s goal.
Arsenal were rampant early on and after Lacazette’s header was denied by Nick Pope, the French striker wriggled free from the resulting corner and made it 1-0.
Ashley Barnes flashed an effort just wide soon after as Burnley responded well to going behind with several high balls into the Arsenal box causing the Gunners defense problems.
Before the break Ceballos, who was running the show, orchestrated a fine counter attack which ended in Pope denying Matteo Guendouzi. Moments later Burnley were level as Dwight McNeil‘s deflected shot found Barnes and he bundled the ball home under pressure from Guendouzi to equalize against the run of play.
[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ]
Arsenal thought they’d retaken the lead right on half time but Nacho Monreal was flagged for offside as he pulled the ball back for Reiss Nelson to smash home. VAR checked the decision and no goal was given.
Nicolas Pepe came on at half time as Arsenal cranked through in the second half, with the home side dominating the play and Pope making several saves.
Ceballos, once again, was the heart of their game-winning goal as he won the ball back in a dangerous area and Aubameyang raced towards goal before curling home at the near post.
Alexandre Lacazette is off and running for the new Premier League season.
[ STREAM: Every PL match live ]
The Frenchman, fresh from his return from injury, wriggled free at the near post and somehow snuck his shot home to put Arsenal 1-0 up at the Emirates Stadium against Burnley.
Watch his superb strike in the video above, as the Gunners looked solid and dangerous with Dani Ceballos pulling the strings.
Arsenal host Burnley on Saturday (Watch live, 7:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN and online via NBCSports.com) as both teams aim to stay perfect after wins to open up the new season.
The Gunners won 1-0 at Newcastle last week, while Burnley hammered Southampton at home, and Unai Emery’s men are red-hot favorites to make it two wins from two as their attacking stars start to find their groove.
In team news Arsenal start David Luiz and Dani Ceballos, while Alexandre Lacazette returns from injury. Henrikh Mkhitaryan drops to the bench and club-record signing Nicolas Pepe is also named as a sub. Mesut Ozil misses our through illness.
Burnley start with the same team that beat Southampton 3-0 last weekend, as Jay Rodriguez and Aaron Lennon are handy attacking options to have on the bench.
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