Crystal Palace's first home game of the new season ended in defeat this afternoon as Arsenal ran out 2-1 victors at Selhurst Park.

The visitors opened the scoring through Olivier Giroud in the first half, but Joel Ward levelled things up shortly before the half-hour mark with a low strike from just outside the box.

However, it was Arsenal who got the decisive third goal of the game when Alexis Sanchez's header was turned into his own net by Damien Delaney.

Here, Sports Mole rates the performance of all the players involved in this afternoon's London derby.

CRYSTAL PALACE

Goal

Alex McCarthy: Could do nothing about the Arsenal goals and it could have been worse for his side had it not been for a number of smart saves. Impressive performance, despite ending up on the losing side. (7/10)

Defence

Joel Ward: The unlikely scorer of Palace's equaliser with a fine drilled effort into the bottom corner. However, was beaten in the air by Sanchez far too easily for the second Arsenal goal and looked shaky at times. (6/10)

Scott Dann: Threw his body in the way of the ball more than once, being forced into a number of last-ditch blocks and tackles. (6/10)

Damien Delaney: Can't be blamed too much for the own goal as he tried to clear the danger and reacted as fast as he could. Even so, it put a dampener on an otherwise impressive performance. (6/10)

Pape Souare: Often a weak link in the Palace defence and Arsenal got plenty of joy down his flank. Was better going forward, but at times neglected his main priority at the back. (5/10)

Midfield

Wilfried Zaha: Never quite worried the Arsenal defence as we know he can. Showed the occasional glimpse of his talent, but more often than not lacked an end product. (5/10)

Jason Puncheon: Like Zaha, often looked like carrying a threat without ever really doing anything of much substance. Was one of Palace's most likely players, but ultimately got little joy. (6/10)

Yohan Cabaye: Once courted by Arsenal during his Newcastle days, but found himself chasing shadows for much of this game. Failed to control the game as Palace needed him to. (6/10)

James McArthur: Picked up the assist for Ward's goal and also cleared one off the line at the other end of the pitch early on. An energetic performance from the midfielder. (7/10)

Yannick Bolasie: Bright enough in the first half with his direct running causing Arsenal a few problems. However, was sacrificed at half time as Pardew made a subtle change to his formation. (6/10)

Attack

Connor Wickham: Failed to get into the match on his first Palace start. Did send one decent effort against the post, but that was the sum of his contribution this afternoon. (5/10)

Substitutes

Jordon Mutch: Introduced at half time to help Palace gain more of a presence in the middle of the park and enjoyed a solid 45-minute cameo. (6/10)

Lee Chung-Yong: Replaced Zaha and had a good chance to level things up late on, but dithered on the ball for too long and was eventually tackled. (6/10)

Patrick Bamford: Came on for his Palace debut but struggled to keep up with the pace of the game during his 10-minute spell on the field. (6/10)

Goal

Petr Cech: A much more positive display than his debut a week ago. Could do nothing about Ward's goal but made a few good, solid saves to keep Palace out. (6/10)

Defence

Hector Bellerin: Struggled at times to shackle Bolasie in the first half, but the winger's withdrawal at the break freed him up a little more and he contributed to the winning goal. (7/10)

Per Mertesacker: A comfortable day for the German, who kept Wickham quiet throughout and didn't have too much to do. (6/10)

Laurent Koscielny: Perhaps at fault for Palace's equaliser, being held off and then failing to get out to Ward quick enough, but in general enjoyed a relatively easy ride. (6/10)

Nacho Monreal: Better going forward than he was defensively for the most part. Didn't get much help from those in front of him up against Palace's dangerous wingers, but managed to contain them more often than not. (6/10)

Midfield

Francis Coquelin: Fortunate to have been subbed off before he was sent off. Picked up a booking before committing two fouls that, on another day, could have resulted in a second yellow. (5/10)

Santi Cazorla: Moved back into the deep-lying playmaker role and was able to have a much greater influence than he managed against West Ham last week. Won't make any headlines, but it was a good performance in the middle of the park. (7/10)

Aaron Ramsey: Had a couple of sights of goal that he snatched at a little. Yet to really get going this season, and this was another below-par display from the Welshman. (6/10)

Mesut Ozil: The man of the match. Produced a classy display in the hole, pulling the strings in attack and also picking up the assist for the opener. (8/10)

Alexis Sanchez: Made his first start of the new season and, as ever, weighed in with an important contribution. His header led to the own goal, and the Palace defenders could never relax with the Chilean buzzing about. (7/10)

Attack

Olivier Giroud: Opened the scoring with a brilliant acrobatic volley, adjusting his body to fire the ball home despite the cross arriving behind him. Was fairly average for long spells in general play, but that goal was something special. (7/10)

Substitutes

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: Unfortunate not to start having been the standout Arsenal player against West Ham, but was unable to make a massive impact having replaced Coquelin. (6/10)

Mikel Arteta: Made his Premier League return after missing the majority of last season through injury, and showed a physical side with a number of good tackles all over the field. (7/10)

Kieran Gibbs: Came on for Ozil late on as Wenger looked to tighten up defensively. (6/10)