Arsenal surged to the third position in the Premier League after a convincing 5-0 victory against Crystal Palace, breaking a disappointing streak of four winless matches across all competitions.
An emphatic statement from the Gunners ✨#ARSCRY pic.twitter.com/sdJuevOEip
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 20, 2024
The Gunners strategically addressed their recent challenges during the Christmas period with an impressive performance, lifting the prevailing gloom in North London. A precise corner from Declan Rice found Gabriel, who, in a display of strength, outmatched Chris Richards to score his second goal of the season with a powerful header past Dean Henderson. This goal marked Arsenal’s 12th set-piece goal in the PL, making them the current leaders in this category for the season.
Shortly after, Arsenal nearly doubled their lead when Jeffrey Schlupp’s clearance attempt ricocheted off Jefferson Lerma, hitting the crossbar. Despite Palace’s efforts to make inroads, David Raya’s clearance error almost allowed Lerma to capitalize, but the Spain international made a full-stretch save. However, Arsenal dealt a significant blow to Palace in the 37th minute as Gabriel played a key role in their second goal, the team’s 13th set-piece goal of the season. Bukayo Saka’s corner was met by Gabriel, and his header crossed the line after rebounding off Henderson. VAR dismissed Henderson’s protests of interference by Ben White, and Arsenal went into halftime with a two-goal advantage.
In the 100th PL appearance for Eze, he aimed to mark the milestone with a goal, but Raya denied his curling strike. Arsenal appealed for a penalty when Saka collided with Will Hughes in the box, but despite Saka’s protests, the contact seemed minimal, and play continued. Arsenal added a third goal through a swift counter-attack, initiated by Raya’s long throw to Jesus, who assisted Leandro Trossard in scoring an unstoppable finish just before the hour mark. The Gunners further embellished the scoreline with two identical stoppage-time goals from Gabriel Martinelli, securing their fourth consecutive win against Palace and narrowing the gap to PL leaders Liverpool to two points.
Arsenal’s victory highlighted their title aspirations under Mikel Arteta, while Crystal Palace continued their dismal away record in London derbies, having won only one of their last 18 games against capital rivals. Roy Hodgson’s side remains in 14th place, five points clear of the relegation zone.
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