Gabriel Jesus was Crystal Palace’s nemesis for the second time in a week helping himself to a first-half brace as Arsenal won 5-1 at Selhurst Park to keep up the pressure on title rivals Liverpool and Chelsea.
The Brazilian opened the scoring and then restored the Gunners’ advantage after they were pegged back by Ismaila Sarr before Kai Havertz extended the advantage before the break.While the home side looked threatening in the opening stages of the second half, they were killed off in clinical fashion by Gabriel Martinelli before substitute Declan Rice added a late gloss.
The only downside for Arteta, who yesterday celebrated his fifth anniversary in charge of the Gunners, was the sight of Bukayo Saka limping off on the occasion of his 250th appearance for the club.
All eyes were on Mikel Arteta’s team selection after Gabriel Jesus’ midweek hat-trick, and the Brazilian retained his spot in the starting XI, leading the line while Kai Havertz dropped into midfield. Arteta’s decision paid off almost immediately. After just six minutes, Bukayo Saka’s teasing cross found Gabriel Magalhaes, who had pushed forward for a short free-kick. The loose ball fell to Jesus at the back post, and he calmly slotted home. (GOAL 1-0)
Any hopes of a straightforward afternoon were quickly dashed. Palace’s physicality troubled Arsenal’s defence, and the warning signs appeared early when a poor David Raya pass deep in his own box nearly gifted the visitors a goal. Moments later, Palace capitalised. A swift counter-attack ended with Ismaila Sarr curling a fine effort past a retreating Saliba and a helpless Raya. Arsenal’s defenders will feel they afforded him far too much time and space. (GOAL 1-1)
The Gunners responded quickly. Martinelli won a corner with a dart to the byline and then floated the set-piece to the back post. Thomas Partey controlled it and laid the ball off to Jesus, who rifled a first-time shot into the top corner. With the box packed full of players, it was a stunning finish from a player brimming with confidence. (GOAL 2-1)
Palace continued to press, and Saliba’s shaky afternoon nearly cost Arsenal again when he was dispossessed on the edge of the box. Raya came to the rescue with a sharp save to deny Mateta. The end-to-end action provided drama, but Arsenal suffered a blow when Bukayo Saka pulled up with a hamstring injury during a counter-attack. He was immediately replaced by Leandro Trossard, adding to concerns given Raheem Sterling’s pre-match absence.
Arsenal struck again before the break with another flowing move. Martinelli, now operating on the right, beat his marker and delivered a pinpoint cross to Jesus. The Brazilian’s header hit the post, but Havertz was perfectly positioned to tap in the rebound. (GOAL 3-1)
Palace came out of the traps quickly and Arsenal again had to rely on Raya to dig them out of a hole. The keeper made a sharp save to his right to deny Sarr’s header and followed it up with an impressive double stop – first blocking Mateta’s effort from the edge of the box and then reacting quickly to keep out another header from the alert Sarr.
Sensing danger, Arteta addressed the gaps in midfield by introducing Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori for Havertz and Myles Lewis-Skelly. The changes had an immediate impact.
A superb long pass from Gabriel Magalhaes released Leandro Trossard down the left. The Belgian squared for Jesus, whose close-range effort was blocked by Dean Henderson’s quick reactions. The loose ball fell to Rice, who fired a low shot across goal, allowing Martinelli to tap home unmarked. (GOAL 4-1)
With a commanding lead, Arsenal shifted to a more controlled approach, sitting deeper to frustrate Palace and only countering when the home side overcommitted. The tactic worked, silencing the Selhurst Park crowd as time ticked away. In contrast, the visiting fans were in full voice, serenading former Gunners Patrick Vieira and Ian Wright, both with ties to Palace, as well as Arsenal’s Brazilian contingent.
The mood was dampened somewhat by a horrible tackle by Nathaniel Clyne on Calafiori that left the Italian writhing around in agony after rolling his ankle. Thankfully, after treatment, he managed to continue and even contributed to Arsenal’s fifth goal. Receiving the ball in midfield, he laid it off to Rice, who expertly used his marker to curl a beautiful strike past Henderson. (GOAL 5-1)
Arsenal closed out the game with composure, ensuring a well-earned three points that keep the pressure up on Liverpool and Chelsea. Our rivals are in action tomorrow, it’ll be interesting to see how they fare against Everton and Sp*rs respectively. History tells us not to expect any favours from those sides, but let’s see what happens.