Arsenal ease past Crystal Palace to stay in title hunt
Arsenal cruised past Crystal Palace 5-0 at Emirates Stadium on Saturday as Mikel Arteta’s title-chasing Gunners are back on track.
WATCH ARSENAL v CRYSTAL PALACE REPLAY
Their time away in the sun in Dubai obviously did Arsenal good as Gabriel caused chaos from corners in the first half as he scored early and then forced Dean Henderson into an own goal before the break to put the Gunners 2-0 up.
After the interval, Leandro Trossard finished superbly on the counter and substitute Gabriel Martinelli made it 5-0 late on with two tidy finishes as Arsenal made light work of a lightweight Crystal Palace side who are lacking on confidence under Roy Hodgson.
With the win Arsenal move on to 43 points for the season as they secured just their second win in their last six Premier League games. Palace remain on 21 points and continue to look over their shoulders at the relegation zone.
Don’t rule out the Gunners as focus sharpened
Going into this game Arsenal had one win from their last five and had made mistakes and failed to take chances. Their winter minibreak did them good as they looked fresh, sharp and refocused to ease past Palace. Yes, the opposition didn’t test them but Arsenal took care of their business with minimum fuss. They were dangerous from set pieces (the first two goals came from that route) and ruthless on the counter. Arsenal barely needed to get into second gear in this game but never gave Palace a sniff and played with confidence and they have very similar games coming up at Burnley and Forest sandwiched in-between big games against West Ham and Liverpool. This is a pivotal stretch of the season for Arsenal to keep themselves in the title race and it looks like they will be hanging around until the spring. The only thing they now needs is one of their forwards (it’s time, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus) to hit top gear and finally deliver goals and cutting edge. That is the final hurdle Arsenal must get over to achieve their dream of Premier League glory. But if they stay focused like they did against Palace they have individuals to help them win any game.
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace player ratings
Via our friends at FotMob.com, you can see Arsenal dominated with Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard causing so many problems in attack and Declan Rice holding things down in midfield. Gabriel caused so many problems from set pieces too.
What’s next?
Arsenal are next in action on Tuesday, January 30 away at Nottingham Forest. Palace host Sheffield United on the same day in a big game towards the bottom of the table.
How to watch Arsenal vs Crystal Palace live stream online, start time
Kickoff: 7:30am ET Saturday
TV Channel: USA Network
Stream online: Stream via NBCSports.com
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace live updates! - By Joe Prince-Wright
Full time: Arsenal 5-0 Crystal Palace
One of the easiest wins Arsenal will have. Palace never looked like they were in this. Arteta's side will gain a lot of confidence from this victory and the goals.
Gabriel Martinelli scores two near identical goals to put extra gloss on the sclreine Arsenal 5-0 Crystal Palace (94th minute, 95th minute)
Palace have been undone on the break twice in quick succession with Martinelli played in and he finished across goal calmly on both occasions.
Game. Set. Match. Trossard buries Palace on the counter - Arsenal 3-0 Crystal Palace (59th minute)
After a poor Palace corner comes to nothing, Raya does really well to set Arsenal free on the counter and Jesus perfectly picks out Trossard. He cuts inside Clyne and powers home to put Arsenal in a commanding position.
Gabriel’s header hits Henderson and goes in - Arsenal 2-0 Crystal Palace (37th minute)
Another corner and another Gabriel header puts Arsenal in a commanding position. Saka's corner to the back post sees Gabriel beat Chris Richards again and the ball hits the back of Dean Henderson's head and goes in. Palace's goalkeeper wanted a foul on him but nothing is given and there was no foul. Instead, he gets an own goal given against him.
David Raya denies Lerma after poor clearance
Arsenal haven't kicked on after that early goal and Raya's poor clearance falls to Lerma who spanks a shot towards goal. Raya pushes it wide for a corner and there is a hint of anxiety building among the home fans.
Gabriel heads home the opener - Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace (11th minute)
A corner from the left is whipped in and Gabriel rises above USMNT's Chris Richards and powerfully nods home. That is the early goal Mikel Arteta wanted and Arsenal are rewarded for their dominance. Palace now have to come out and have a go as their gameplan was to sit in and try to keep things tight for as long as possible. That didn't last long.
Arsenal lineup
Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Jesus, Trossard
Crystal Palace lineup
Henderson; Richards, Andersen, Guehi; Clyne, Lerma, Hughes, Mitchell; Schlupp, Mateta, Eze
Focus on Arsenal, team news
Arsenal need better, and fast. Injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko won't help, and Arteta was hoping for good news in their cases before Saturday. He got it as both are fit to start the game.
Focus on Crystal Palace, team news
The Eagles' 21 points are five clear of the bottom three and Roy Hodgson can point to a draw with Man City plus a rivalry split with Brighton and a win over Brentford in a four-match run that includes just one loss — a 2-1 setback at Chelsea.
Michael Olise's absence looms here, while Jordan Ayew also damages the front line depth as he plays a starring role for Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations.
