Arsenal is back to winning ways after their festive slump with a commandeering 5-0 win over Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium.
Two goals from well-worked corners and a rampage of 3 goals after the interval means Arsenal moved above Aston Villa up to third in the Premier League on goal difference.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Gunners took the lead with just eleven minutes on the clock, with centre-back Gabriel finishing off a superb corner set-piece with a towering header. They doubled their lead in the 37th minute in near-identical fashion, with Gabriel once again heading toward goal which bounced off Palace goalkeeper, Dean Henderson, and into his own net.
Crystal Palace rarely troubled the Arsenal defence in the first half. Their closest effort came from a first-time Jefferson Lerma strike, attempting to capitalise on a loose pass from Arsenal’s keeper, David Raya who ultimately recovered to save the attempt.
Arsenal consolidated their first-half comfort just shy of the hour mark as Leandro Trossard ended his 10-game goalless streak, finishing off a decisive counterattack. Gabriel Martinelli came off the bench to score two late on to put the exclamation mark on the result.
Embed from Getty ImagesWhat scoring slump?
With all the talk in recent weeks of Arsenal’s toothless attacking performances, this result could catalyze renewed belief. Arsenal’s early goal eased worries of another dominant performance with nothing to show for it. Despite this, both of Arsenal’s first-half goals came from corners.
They lead the league in set-piece goals with 13. While this is of course a positive, their lack of open-play goals all season had become troublesome. Therefore, it seemed the problems with their attack were being papered over.
This was answered emphatically in the second half. Jesus perfectly slid in Trossard to give Arsenal their third, and Martinelli took his two late chances excellently. Martinelli’s performance in particular will feel like a weight off of Arsenal’s shoulders.
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The young winger has struggled in front of goal so far this season, after a stellar campaign last season. After being left out of the starting XI in this game, Martinelli certainly demonstrated his class today. It seems the Gunners winter break in Dubai served them wonders.
Embed from Getty ImagesGrowing unrest
In the final moments of the game, the Crystal Palace fans revealed a banner stating: ‘Wasted potential on and off the pitch, weak decisions taking us backwards’. This was an obvious message to Crystal Palace owner, Steve Parish, who was in attendance at the Emirates Stadium.
Crystal Palace have only won once in their last 12 games in all competitions. They sit in the 14th place in the Premier League, just 5 points ahead of 18th placed Luton who also have a game-in-hand. They are certainly in danger of dropping into an relegation battle if their current form continues.
Moreover, they were knocked out of the FA Cup mid-week, losing their third-round replay to Everton at Goodison Park 1-0. In that game, the travelling Palace fans chanted “You don’t know what you’re doing” to manager Roy Hodgson after he substituted star player Eberechi Eze in the 64th minute.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe lack of inspiration surrounding the club’s recent transfer policy and managerial appointments has drawn the ire of Palace fans.
While Roy Hodgson guided the Eagles to safety fairly comfortably last season, making him the permanent manager this season at the age of 76 reeks of a lack of creativity and long-term planning. Additionally, Palace have failed to adequately replace their long-time talisman, Wilfred Zaha, who left for Galatasary last summer.
With the lack of direction becoming obvious at Selhurst Park, the fans have sought to make their voices heard.
What’s next?
Arsenal and Crystal Palace now enjoy over a week’s break after being eliminated from the FA Cup. Arsenal’s next fixture sees them travel to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, 30th January.
Crystal Palace will seek to snap out of their porous form that day as they host bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United at Selhurst Park.
Image by Nelson Ndongala on Unsplash.
