Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal: Player ratings as five-star Gunners earn crucial victory

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90min

·21 December 2024

Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal: Player ratings as five-star Gunners earn crucial victory

Crystal Palace were consigned to a 5-1 defeat by a ruthless, if not entirely dominant, Arsenal side on Saturday evening.

Fresh from a rousing Carabao Cup comeback against Palace at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night, Arsenal picked up from where they left off. Midweek hat-trick hero Gabriel Jesus fired the Gunners into a sixth-minute lead at Selhurst Park, collecting Bukayo Saka's deep cross at the back post before firing beyond Dean Henderson.

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Ismaila Sarr struck back for the visitors just five minutes later, finishing off a crisp passing sequence with a stroke into the far corner. In a wild first half which saw a torrent of chances for both sides, Arsenal had the cutting edge which Palace lacked.

Jesus rattled in his second of the evening from a 14th-minute corner while Jean-Philippe Mateta was foiled at the other end by David Raya. Arsenal's in-form Brazilian came the width of the post away from his second hat-trick of the week, glancing a header against the woodwork, but Kai Havertz was on hand to mop up the rebound.

Leandro Trossard - a first-half replacement for the injured Saka - broke Palace's advancing offside trap shortly after the hour mark. The Belgian squared for Jesus who had his close-range effort rebuffed by Henderson. Declan Rice, another substitute, was on hand to funnel the loose ball into the stride of Gabriel Martinelli, extending Arsenal's lead to 4-1.

Palace were unfortunate to trail by three goals, but had lost all their zip and fizz by the time Rice added a fifth for the Gunners in the 85th minute. That deflected effort sealed three points which lifted Arsenal back into third place. The Gunners trail Chelsea by a point and are three adrift of Liverpool before both clubs are in action on Sunday.