Analysis: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain vs. Crystal Palace

Arsenal jumped back to the top of the table, albeit potentially temporarily, after they saw off a dogged Crystal Palace side 2-0 at the Emirates stadium.

Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain was the star of the show as he put in a marvellous match-winning display, scoring both goals in the second half to claim the three points for the Gunners.

Arsenal move back to the summit pending the outcome of Manchester City’s clash with Chelsea on Monday, while Crystal Palace slip down to 17th in the table.

Arsenal were dominant in terms of statistics, with their possession stats of 65% being the stand out stat from a game they were always going to control comfortably.

Crystal Palace were restricted to just two shots that bothered Wojciech Szczesny in the Arsenal goal, while Arsenal hit the target on six occasions, finally finding a way past Julian Speroni.

Arsenal also managed to complete an incredible 92% of their passes, making 704 successful passes over the course of the game as they never allowed Palace to gain a foothold in the match.

Wojciech Szczesny was the best player on the pitch as Arsenal bossed the game and returned to the top.

The Polish ‘keeper had a faultless game between the sticks for the Gunners, making two smart saves, one clearance and finding an Arsenal player with all seven of his passes.

Arsenal were always in control of this match, steadily asserting their dominance over a Palace side that tried desperately to cling on to a point.

Palace didn’t play badly and defended admirably, but with Arsenal not making mistakes anywhere on the field, they were eventually broken down by two great finishes from Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Key Observations

Is Oxlade-Chamberlain tailor-made for a central midfield role, after Arsene Wenger suggested that could be the position he makes his own in the future?

Wenger claimed pre-match that the former Southampton youngster’s career lies in the centre of the pitch, despite having been utilised as more of an attacking winger previously at Arsenal.

He justified his managers claims as he turned in a match-winning performance, with two runs from the centre of the pitch resulting in two well-taken goals, while he also attempted two other shots.

However, there are arguments to the contrary, as despite Arsenal having completed 92% of their passes, Oxlade-Chamberlain had an individual success rate of a somewhat average 83%.

Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere have managed averages of 84% and 85% respectively in this department in games that have been as one-sided in this clash, so it would appear he has some work to do if he is to nail down a position in the middle of the pitch.

He won just one of three attempted tackles well, so there are doubts as to whether he can be as effective in this role on a regular basis. Time will tell in matches not as comfortable as this and two goals provides a bit of a smokescreen to the notion that he isn’t really suited to a central position.

Meanwhile, alongside Oxlade-Chamberlain in central midfield Mikel Arteta managed a whopping 117 passes and in doing so accomplished a pass completion rate of 96%, allowing Arsenal to push forward and cover vital areas of their opponents third.