Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to eight points with a convincing win over Crystal Palace at the Emirates. The Gunners were without William Saliba, but Rob Holding stepped up as cover and put in a solid performance. However, Gabriel Magalhaes struggled to adapt to his new defensive partner and was uncharacteristically sloppy at the back.
Gabriel Martinelli bounced back from his penalty miss against Sporting Lisbon to score Arsenal’s opener, while Bukayo Saka added a second before the break. Granit Xhaka made it three in the 55th minute, but Jeffrey Schlupp grabbed one for the visitors before Saka netted his brace to wrap up all three points.
Aaron Ramsdale had a good game, making a smart stop to deny Odsonne Edouard despite the Eagles striker being offside. Ben White allowed Zaha to cut in with a shot onto the post, but made up for it with a brilliant assist for Saka just before half time. Oleksandr Zinchenko was composed and assured throughout, while Thomas Partey had a quiet game by his recent standards.
Xhaka recovered from concerns that he had seriously injured his knee in the first half to score Arsenal’s third goal with a toe-poke of a strike just after the break. Martin Odegaard appeared determined to score with several attempts from range and continued to be at the heart of everything that was good about Arsenal. Gabriel Martinelli was a constant menace down the left, while Leandro Trossard could not be faulted for his effort and showed why he is so valuable to this injury-stricken Arsenal squad right now.
Substitutes Gabriel Jesus and Kieran Tierney both had an impact on the game, with Jesus still looking rusty but benefiting from the minutes and home ovation. Tierney did his chances of displacing Zinchenko from the starting XI no harm with an assist for Arsenal’s fourth goal. Emile Smith-Rowe and Jorginho both came on as substitutes but did not have enough time to make an impact, while Jakub Kiwior made a late appearance.
Overall, it was a near-perfect display from Arsenal, with Saka stealing the show with two goals and an assist. The Gunners will be hoping to maintain their lead at the top of the Premier League as they head into the international break.