Arsenal needed captain Thierry Henry to score a late penalty and substitute Robin van Persie to seal the points in a laboured 2-0 win over 10-man Newcastle United on Sunday.
Newcastle were spirited throughout but finally paid the price for a 32nd-minute red card shown to England midfielder Jermaine Jenas for a lunging tackle on Gilberto at Highbury.
Graeme Souness's re-vamped side held out until Fredrik Ljungberg went down under a challenge by substitute Charles N'Zogbia and Henry steered the spot-kick just beyond Shay Given in the 81st minute.
Van Persie put the result beyond doubt six minutes later, side-footing past Given from the narrowest of angles after being picked out by Ljungberg at the near post.
Yet the scoreline flattered Arsenal. They struggled to break down opponents who made light work of being a man down in their first game of the season.
"It was a difficult game against a good team," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told Sky Sports News.
"Newcastle deserve a lot of credit, they will have a much stronger role to play in this championship than everybody thinks.
"Things went for us today, but we needed to be patient and to pass the ball well. We were conscious at halftime that we could win the game in the last 20 minutes -- and it happened."
As for Jenas, Wenger said: "It looked to me a dangerous tackle, when he brings his right foot in...that took Gilberto's stand leg. It looked to me a dark yellow or a clear red.
"We've had players sent off for less than that."
Jenas's exit was also a tactical blow as Newcastle's 4-5-1 formation with Alan Shearer up front had done a good job of muzzling Arsenal's four-man midfield, playing its first competitive game since Patrick Vieira left for Juventus.
ARSENAL STRUGGLE
Arsenal still failed to make much headway, having only Kolo Toure's sizzling shot on the turn and a poor header from Thierry Henry to show for their efforts before the break.
It was one-way traffic throughout the second half but Newcastle, helped by a superb league debut from Scott Parker, stuck to their task, conceding few clearcut chances.
Ljungberg mis-kicked after Given flapped at a Dennis Bergkamp cross and the Swede was denied minutes later by a superb close-range save by the Newcastle keeper.
Ljungberg made amends in the last 10 minutes, though, winning the penalty and then setting up Van Persie after the striker had replaced fellow Dutchman Bergkamp.
