Arsenal 5 Crystal Palace 0: Gunners run riot to close gap on Liverpool to two points as Eagles slip nearer to drop zone
SET-PIECE KINGS ARSENAL ended their drought of goals and wins with a comfortable victory over Crystal Palace.
Two angel Gabriels, Margalhaes and Martinelli, claimed a brace apiece as the Gunners at last found their groove in front of goal.
Mikel Arteta’s team put their struggles to find the net behind them and will hope to have turned a corner, thanks initially to a couple of corners.
Centre back Gabriel headed home Declan Rice’s delivery and then connected with a Bukayo Saka cross well enough to force Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson into an unfortunate own goal.
Arsenal have now scored 13 times from set plays, more than anyone else in the Premier League.
Leandro Trossard justified Mikel Arteta’s decision to drop Gabriel Martinelli by grabbing a third on the break to kill the game against the lacklustre visitors.
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Martinelli himself answered the challenge by coming on to grab two of his own in stoppage time.
Arsenal had managed 48 shots on goal without scoring in back to back defeats in their previous two home games.
The returning Gabriel Jesus took the tally to 49 with an early effort that was high, wide, and far from handsome.
But number 50 was a bullseye.
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From Rice’s corner, Gabriel lost his marker Chris Richards and then climbed above him to head the ball home.
VAR Stuart Attwell saw no reason to intervene and, after a 25-minute lull, was also happy enough to see the lead extended by similar means.
Once again Gabriel escaped Richards and sent Saka’s corner delivery towards the net from close range.
It was on target but was given as an own goal to Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson, whose head diverted the ball into the net.
The visitors offered little threat, even from their own set-pieces.
They forced David Raya into one decent save, wen the Arsenal ‘keeper passed the ball straight to Jefferson Lerma and then made amends by diving to his right to push the shot away.
Trossard fluffed one good opportunity after the break but made no mistake when Gabriel Jesus broke and squared the ball perfectly.
The Belgian kept his composure, took his time, and smashed the ball past Henderson.
Raya pushed Eberechi Eze’s free kick over the bar but Palace never looked like getting back into the game.
Martinelli scored two identikit goals in added time to put gloss on the performance and scoreline.
The Palace fans booed at half time and the final whistle, as well as displaying a banner that read: "Wasted potential on and off the pitch. Weak decisions taking us backwards."
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Although that was aimed mainly at the club's board and owners, you wonder how much longer boss Roy Hodgson will be in charge.
But Arteta and Arsenal are back on track.
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