Arsenal secured a vital win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, with Eberechi Eze on the scoresheet for the Gunners against his former club
Eberechi Eze of Arsenal scored against his former club Crystal Palace
Eberechi Eze of Arsenal scored against his former club Crystal Palace(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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Arsenal edged further ahead of their Premier League rivals with a hard-fought win over Crystal Palace. It took the Gunners just over 33 minutes to create their first opportunity, which was promptly converted by Eberechi Eze against his old club when he volleyed a cleared Declan Rice free-kick into the back of the net.
Gabriel Magalhaes rattled the crossbar early in the second half from another set-piece, while Rice narrowly missed with a volley, but ultimately one goal was enough. Here's how we rated the Arsenal players:.
David Raya - 6
Had little to do in the first half, but made a solid catch from a cross aimed at Eddie Nketiah in the second.
Jurrien Timber - 8
Showed great footwork under pressure to earn a free-kick in the first half. Delivered a superb ball to find Martinelli shortly after the winger came on and worked tirelessly in defence.
William Saliba - 6
Lost a foot race with Jean-Philippe Mateta in the first half and was substituted at half-time for Cristhian Mosquera.
Gabriel Magalhaes - 8
Made some excellent sliding interceptions, notably blocking an Ismaila Sarr shot following a turnover of possession. It appeared he got a touch on the cut-back, but it was ruled to have come off a Palace player.
He also hit the bar from yet another Rice cross at the start of the second half. His brilliant pass found Leandro Trossard, but the tapped effort failed to find a teammate.
Gabriel winning a header against Crystal Palace
Gabriel was one of Arsenal's stand-out players against Palace
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Riccardo Calafiori - 7
Showed some stunning skill on the left flank to outwit his opponent, contributing to the build-up with excellent passing. Another solid performance from the consistent Italian.
Martin Zubimendi - 6
A bit sloppy with the ball in midfield around the 23rd minute, nearly resulting in a golden opportunity for Palace. However, he bounced back well and laid the foundation for Arsenal's build-up play, as he has done time and time again this season. Despite this being perhaps his least impressive display, he was still solid.
Declan Rice - 7
Delivered a superb cross for the first goal, finding Gabriel at the far post. A clever short free-kick routine allowed him to send another cross towards the Brazilian, whose header hit the crossbar, before seeing his own volley saved by Henderson. Unfortunately, he had to be substituted after suffering an injury during the second half.
Eberechi Eze - 7
Eberechi Eze scoring Arsenal's opener vs Crystal Palace
Eze scoring Arsenal's winner
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Produced a spectacular volley from the free-kick conceded by his Palace replacement Yeremy Pino. A stunning strike that was simply unstoppable.
Bukayo Saka - 6
Nearly scored with a curling shot from outside the box early in the second half. Wasn't seen in training all week and was likely substituted early in the second half as a precaution.
Viktor Gyokeres - 6
Didn't receive much service, but his hold-up play is clearly improving.
Leandro Trossard - 7
Took Arsenal's first shot of the match, a low effort to Henderson's right which was well saved. His cross for Gyokeres was blocked, but he showed some excellent technical skills throughout the game.
Substitutes:.
William Saliba during Arsenal vs Crystal Palace
William Saliba made way for Cristhian Mosquera at the break
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Cristhian Mosquera - 5
Came on for William Saliba at the break. Struggled to keep up with Eddie Nketiah, who managed to get a shot off.
Gabriel Martinelli - 6
Took over from Bukayo Saka and was positioned on the right. Almost immediately found an opportunity to cross but it was blocked.
Piero Hincapie - n/a
Subbed in for Riccardo Calafiori to make his Premier League debut late in the game.
Mikel Merino - n/a
Brought on to replace the injured Declan Rice towards the end.
Myles Lewis-Skelly - n/a
Introduced late into the match to form a back five.
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