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Arsenal defeated Crystal Palace 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday in the Premier League.
The Gunners entered this contest on the back of three wins, one draw and one defeat in their last five games across competitions. Knowing Manchester City would not play a league game before April 1, they knew a win would increase their lead at the summit to five points. Mikel Arteta fielded a strong lineup but was without William Saliba, who was replaced by Rob Holding.
The Eagles, on the other hand, parted ways with manager Patrick Vieira earlier this week. The Frenchman was denied a chance to travel to the club where he made his name in England. Having won just two points from their last five league games, Palace were looking to put in a strong performance.
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Both Arsenal and Crystal Palace made decent starts to the game but the hosts dominated possession of the ball as they looked to attack from the get-go. Bukayo Saka was highly involved in the build-up play for the Gunners as they looked to move the ball wide before crossing it to the middle. He provided an assist for the hosts' opener in the 28th minute.
Gabriel Martinelli controlled the ball with a deft touch before turning goal-side and firing a shot into the far corner to beat Joe Whitworth in goal. Saka then scored a goal following a quick one-two with Ben White inside Crystal Palace's box to make it 2-0 after 43 minutes. Arsenal looked in control as they headed into the interval with a two-goal advantage.
Arsenal made a solid start to the second half as they looked to extend their lead and put the result beyond doubt. Granit Xhaka scored their third goal of the night after his well-timed run into the box was picked out by Leandro Trossard. Palace then handed themselves a lifeline as Jeffrey Schlupp scored in the 63rd minute to make it 3-1.
Both managers made multiple changes as they looked to alter things for their respective teams and give role players some much-needed minutes. Arsenal were rampant and scored a fourth goal in the 74th minute as substitute Kieran Tierney provided an assist for Saka to score from. The Gunners did well to see out the rest of the game as they secured a resounding win.
On that note, let's take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Arsenal upped the ante midway through the first half
The Gunners made a positive start to the game as they knocked the ball around looking to build their confidence and momentum going forward. Aside from Zaha's chance against the run of play, the hosts controlled most of the first period and dictated play. They grabbed the lead in the 28th minute as Saka and Martinelli combined for the goal.
The former played a cross-field ball to the latter, who took a couple of touches to make space for a shot, before firing it past Joe Whitworth to make it 1-0. Arsenal looked extremely confident after grabbing the lead and continued to push forward with several bodies in and around the box. Saka scored in the 43rd minute to make it 2-0 as they carried a two-goal lead into the break.
#4 Bukayo Saka is the first to 10 goals and 10 assists in the PL this season
Saka enjoyed a lovely first half, showing no signs of a European hangover as he put in an eye-catching display to give Arsenal a two-goal lead. He provided an assist for Martinelli in the 28th minute as the Gunners led 1-0, before combining with Ben White inside the box and firing a low shot into the goal from close-range.
Bukayo Saka now has 11 goals and 10 assists in 28 appearances for the Gunners in the Premier League so far. He has already matched his goal tally from last season and also bettered his seven assists from last year.
#3 Rob Holding had a great game in place of Saliba
Holding replaced William Saliba in the Gunners' lineup after the Frenchman is set to miss a few weeks of action owing to a back injury. He looked solid on defense and held his own really well, setting the tempo for Arsenal in the first-half.
Holding finished the match having won 11 of his 15 duels, making five clearances and two tackles. He also played five accurate long balls and completed one dribble.
#2 Crystal Palace could face relegation come May
Following tonight's result, Crystal Palace are now 12th with 27 points from 28 games so far this season. They are just three points ahead of 18th placed West Ham United and are still very much in the relegation scrap despite being five spots off the drop zone.
Over the course of their last 10 games, Palace have lost five and drawn five, failing to register a single win along the way. In fact, the last time the Eagles scored more than one goal in a game was on December 31 in their 2-0 win over Bournemouth.
When a team struggles so much in front of goal, it points to only one thing and it is usually not sustainable by any means.
#1 Arsenal have nine wins and one draw from 10 London derbies
The Gunners have been rampant in the Premier League this season, especially away from home. Today's win makes it nine wins in 10 games against London-based opposition.
So far, Arsenal have racked up nine wins and one draw against teams from the capital city. They did so with an aggregate scoreline of 24-5, which shows just how dominant they have been this season.
What is even more interesting is that they have kept clean sheets in each of their five away wins and failed to do so in each of their four home wins as well as the draw.
