Walcott rescues draw for Gunners

Theo Walcott almost became a national joke at the World Cup, but he came off the bench on the first day of the Premiership season to inspire Arsenal to a 1-1 home draw against Aston Villa and prove he is a serious talent.

Walcott made his Premiership debut 17 minutes from the end of the first game in the new Emirates Stadium, with the Gunners trailing to an Olof Mellberg goal.

He lifted the crowd, gave Arsene Wenger's team more pace and directness on the left wing and set up an 84th-minute equaliser for Gilberto.

It was a wonderful reminder that Walcott is a gem who could go on to play many times for England, despite his false start in Germany.

But until his introduction, Villa had looked determined to wreck Arsenal's house-warming party. Martin O'Neill's new team went ahead through Mellberg's header from an inswinging corner eight minutes after the break.

The Gunners hit back. They dominated possession and pinned the visitors back inside their own half.

Emmanuel Eboue rattled the bar, but Wenger's team could not find a way through.

Then, with six minutes left on the clock, Villa's defensive shield was finally pierced.

Walcott found space on the left, composed himself and swung a cross to the back post. Gilberto took the ball down and lashed a volley into the top corner to earn Arsenal a point.

It was not the winning start Wenger wanted to the new era and Chelsea will be thrilled to see both Arsenal and Liverpool drop points on the first day.

But the Gunners will be relieved to have avoided defeat after swapping Highbury for their new #390million home at Ashburton Grove.

The 60,000-capacity Emirates Stadium offers more seats, greater earning power and a bigger pitch, which Wenger hopes will suit his team's pass-and-move football. That is the theory, at least but, in practice, it proved less straightforward.

Arsenal passed and passed but struggled to find the net as Villa defended and defended, and struck from a set-piece.

It was a familiar feeling for many home supporters who have grown accustomed to their team's over-elaboration.

Eboue went close to the ground's first goal when he surged forward from right-back in the fifth minute.

He nipped past Jlloyd Samuel and unleashed a fierce right-footer from a tight angle.

Thomas Sorensen seemed to have misjudged it at first but stuck up his left arm at the last second and turned the shot wide.

From the corner, taken by Cesc Fabregas, Emmanuel Adebayor towered above everyone else and arrowed a powerful header towards goal. However, Samuel, guarding the post, was alert and blocked it on the line.

For Villa, like Arsenal, the new season marked the start of a new era. Randy Lerner's #62million takeover looks set to end the long and often controversial rule of Doug Ellis.

New boss O'Neill famously demands honest graft from his players and Villa certainly offered that in defence.

Liam Ridgewell blocked a Gilberto effort with a last-minute lunge and Sorensen saved from Freddie Ljungberg.

The Danish keeper was beaten in first-half stoppage time when Kolo Toure latched onto a deep free-kick from Fabregas and headed into the net.

Toure wheeled away in delight, but the flag was up. He had crept offside and was spotted by the linesman. The goal was ruled out.

Mellberg struck eight minutes into the second half when he took advantage of confusion in the home defence to put Villa in front with a simple header from a corner. Arsenal defenders pointed accusing fingers at each other as Villa celebrated.

Graham Poll, in charge of his first Premiership game since his three-yellow-card blunder at the World Cup, kept his cards in his pocket until the 70th minute when he booked Toure for a tackle from behind on Juan Pablo Angel.

Wenger turned to Walcott and Robin van Persie in his bid to get back into the game, and they helped rescue a point. Walcott was one of only two Englishmen in Wenger's 16. Wantaway full-back Ashley Cole was not in the team and Justin Hoyte started at left-back.