Crystal Palace vs Arsenal Review
Gabriel Jesus scored two goals as Arsenal became the first team since Chelsea in 2005 to remain unbeaten in Premier League London derbies for an entire calendar year, winning against Crystal Palace 5-1 and narrowing the gap to league leaders Liverpool to three points for now. After netting a hat-trick against Palace in a 3-2 EFL Cup win on Wednesday, Jesus earned a starting spot in this match and quickly made an impact, scoring just six minutes in. He netted his first Premier League goal since January when Bukayo Saka’s cross deflected off Gabriel Magalhães, allowing Jesus to approach the ball and finish with a side-footed shot.
Although David Raya had a shaky moment shortly after, Arsenal’s lead was short-lived as Ismaïla Sarr equalized just five minutes later with a well-placed shot around William Saliba and into the far corner. The match began with an exhilarating pace, featuring a third goal within the first 15 minutes, which came from an Arsenal corner as expected. Gabriel Martinelli’s corner was only partially cleared, allowing Jesus to score with a precise finish into the corner. The visitors nearly equalized due to another defensive mistake, but Raya made a crucial one-on-one save against Jean-Philippe Mateta to help Saliba.
At the other end, Gabriel nearly scored from another Arsenal corner before Kai Havertz extended the lead, reacting quickly after Jesus headed the ball to the far post. The home team sought to respond and came close to narrowing the gap right after the break, but Raya saved Sarr’s diving header. He was called into action again, stopping Mateta’s powerful long-range shot and catching Sarr’s follow-up header. These saves kept the Eagles from scoring, and after an hour, the victory seemed secure. A well-executed play could have led to Jesus’ second hat-trick of the week, but Henderson made a great foot save, only for Martinelli to score from Declan Rice’s low shot that followed.
Determined to score, Rice netted Arsenal’s fifth goal late in the match, securing three crucial points on a night that was marred only by Saka’s injury in the first half. Although Arsenal conceded in their seventh consecutive away league match, marking their longest stretch without a Premier League clean sheet on the road in over five years, they are now close to the top of the league, even though they have played more matches than the teams ahead of them.
On the other hand, Palace had only lost one of their last eight Premier League games (with three wins and four draws), but this defeat means they have yet to improve upon their only home league win (with four draws and four losses), leaving them in 15th place in the standings.
