Premier League leaders Arsenal extended their winning run in the top-flight to four matches with a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium.
The visitors started the game well and looked the likelier side to take the lead, with the Gunners taking a while to settle into the contest.
Oliver Glasner’s men suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat to Cypriot side AEK Larnaca in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday, but they appeared to have shaken off the disappointment to keep the PL leaders at bay inside the opening half hour.
However, having been unable to make the most of their positive start, the visitors were punished by a familiar face. The Eagles would have been well aware of the danger posed by Eberechi Eze, fearing that their former star man would come back to haunt them, and these fears were realised six minutes before the interval.
A free-kick into the area was headed back towards the penalty spot by Gabriel Magalhaes, and the loose ball fell into the path of Eze, who produced an acrobatic first-time finish which flew into the net to give Arsenal a half-time lead with only their second shot of the game.
Although Mikel Arteta’s men had got themselves into the lead, they would have known there was plenty of room for improvement.
The Gunners came out for the second half with real purpose, and five minutes after the restart, they very nearly doubled their advantage when Declan Rice’s cross was headed onto the crossbar by Gabriel.
The rebound fell to Rice, who fired straight at Dean Henderson, with Bukayo Saka shooting just wide of the left post moments later.
Arsenal’s attacking play improved noticeably in the second half, while their defence, which had conceded just three times in the league – their joint-fewest after eight games since 1998/99 – didn’t give Palace a sniff as the Gunners claimed a seventh victory in their last eight head-to-heads with the Eagles.
The result marks Arsenal’s fifth consecutive clean sheet victory in all competitions, and sees Arteta’s men hold a four-point advantage over second-placed Bournemouth, with the Gunners maintaining their unbeaten home record this season.
As for Palace, they have now gone four matches without a win, yet with this being only their second league defeat of the campaign, their supporters will remain positive as they continue to occupy a top-half position in the Premier League.
