Arsenal's Riccardo Calafiori headed home an early corner, aided by a weak challenge from goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, to earn a 1-0 victory at Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, spoiling the hosts' season opener.
Meanwhile, Chelsea survived an early scare when Crystal Palace had an Eberechi Eze goal controversially disallowed in a drab 0-0 draw.
Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest kickstarted their campaign in style drubbing Brentford 3-1.
Despite a cast of new faces, Mikel Arteta's visitors proved they are still lethal from set pieces with Calafiori netting in the 13th minute. Arsenal's William Saliba backed into Turkish keeper Bayindir, who feebly batted the ball with one hand into the path of Italian Calafiori for an easy close-range header.
United were otherwise the better team, with close-season signings Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo missing good chances, along with Patrick Dorgu. The home side had Arsenal pinned back for most of the second period and kept keeper David Raya busy, forcing him into a diving save to stop Mbeumo's powerful header.
Set-piece specialists Arsenal have scored 31 league goals from corners since the start of the 2023-24 season, at least 11 more than any other team, and three of their last four league goals against United have been from corner kicks.
"Like always we were working a lot on set-pieces and that is what we showed today," defender Calafiori said.
It was a frustrating night for United, with several players dropping to their knees after the final whistle, while the away fans sang their traditional "One-nil to the Arsenal" song.
United had 22 shots to Arsenal's nine, including seven on target, and 62% of possession against a visiting side who looked nothing like a team that were runners-up the last two seasons.
Cunha and Mbeumo, part of United's makeover after a woeful 15th-place finish last term, quickly made themselves crowd favourites and gave manager Ruben Amorim reason for optimism.
Cunha had three shots on target, including a rocket from a tough angle that Raya dived to push away, while Dorgu rang a shot from just outside the 18-yard box off the post.
"They created a lot, they were in the right positions," United captain Bruno Fernandes said of Mbeumo and Cunha.
"We know they are dangerous and they are a threat. We are very aware of what they can give to the team.
"It was a good first impression for them but I'm pretty sure they will do much better."
United screamed for a penalty late in the game after William Saliba's tackle on Cunha in the box but there was no
Arsenal's main close-season signing, Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres, meanwhile, saw little of the ball on his Premier League debut and was substituted early in the second half.
Palace hold scrappy Chelsea
Chelsea survived an early scare when Crystal Palace had an Eberechi Eze goal controversially disallowed in a drab 0-0 draw.
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 percent 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 pitch-side 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.
Forest trounce Brentford
Nottingham Forest piled more misery on depleted Brentford as new winger Dan Ndoye scored his first goal for the club in their 3-1 win.
Forward Yoane Wissa, who scored 19 league goals for Brentford last season, did not make the trip to Nottingham due to uncertainty over his future. Brentford's highest scorer in the competition last season, Bryan Mbeumo, joined Manchester United last month.
Keith Andrews, who took on his first managerial role at Brentford after Thomas Frank left for Tottenham Hotspur, saw his team outplayed from the outset as Chris Wood scored a first-half brace which, along with Ndoye's goal, gave Forest a comfortable 3-0 lead at halftime.
Brentford were unable to mount a comeback in the second half, with Igor Thiago's goal from the penalty spot in the 78th minute being their only consolation.
Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo has at least two more signings to integrate as James McAtee and Omari Hutchinson were unveiled before the game.
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