Key events
Ed Aarons was at Selhurst Park tonight. Here’s his verdict. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night, and have a lovely Xmas.
Oliver Glasner talks to Sky Sports: “I thought we did many things well … the quality of their players they punished us … if you want to beat a team like Arsenal everything has to be almost perfect … it was not good enough today … we created chances but the result is disappointing … in the box too many times we watched the players … we gifted them the goals and it’s not easy to come back … from the first 60 minutes we can take a lot of positives … we will learn from it … we have to learn that when you give the top teams a crumb, they take the whole cake.”
Mikel Arteta speaks to Sky. “It’s always really tough to come here … we started the game really well … we had a bit of doubt … I am really happy to score five away from home … I don’t know how many times we have done it in the calendar year but it is quite a lot … it is remarkable … it tells everything about the team … hunger, desire, dominance … hopefully we will get the big thing we want to achieve … we have to show it for ten months … the demands are incredible … it is absolutely crazy … we are on a really good run … it is about the next one … I will enjoy Christmas night with my family … for us, [the title race] is on!”
As for Bukayo Saka: “He felt something … it is not good news … we have to assess him and wait.”
The extremely charming Gabriel Jesus talks to Sky. “The first goal was very important … early … Palace were ready to play well and fight … so we did a job … I am very happy with the goals … the pressure is always on … the win and the three points was massive … I want to work hard … I know my qualities … in my mind I know I can score … when I play with a smile on my face everything is different … I try to help the team … that’s me … it is great to be back in the team and playing more … I always work hard … I am happy to get chances … it is down to me to put myself in a good position … I just want to keep scoring … I believe a lot in God … he’s doing great with me … he gives me the chance to be a father again … I cannot complain … I say thank you to God … I wish you all a very good Christmas!”
Mikel Arteta celebrated his fifth year in charge of Arsenal yesterday, so this five-goal performance was timely. Not least because they’ve closed in on Liverpool and Chelsea at the top of the Premier League. The plus points: Gabriel Jesus continued his resurrection with his fourth and fifth goals against Crystal Palace this week, while Gabriel Martinelli and Declan Rice both rediscovered some misplaced form. The downsides to an excellent evening’s work: a possible hamstring injury for Bukayo Saka, and a less-than-convincing defensive display for the first hour. Crystal Palace had their chances tonight, their hope only extinguished by Arsenal’s fourth; while the Gunners were magnificent in attack and certainly worthy of victory, Palace will feel a little aggrieved by the scoreline, playing better and contributing more than a 5-1 rout suggests.
FULL TIME: Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal
Job done for Arsenal, and in some style! Over to Chelsea then Liverpool tomorrow.
90 min +4: Selhurst Park emptying out now. Just the Arsenal fans making noise.
90 min +2: See 88 min.
90 min: Nketiah spins on the Arsenal D but can’t get a shot away. There will be five additional minutes.
88 min: Arsenal knock it around the back, killing time.
86 min: Jesus won’t be getting his second hat-trick in a row. He’s replaced by Nwaneri, while Merino comes on for Timber.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal (Rice 84)
Rice spins into a little bit of space down the inside-left channel, taking Calafiori’s pass on the turn and curling an unstoppable shot into the bottom right. Henderson, at full stretch, had no chance!
82 min: That’s Clyne’s last contribution, anyway. VAR isn’t going to take any further action, it’s just a yellow, so now he’s free to be replaced by Kporha. Meanwhile Schlupp comes on for Mateta.
80 min: That wasn’t a good challenge by Clyne, though it looked more clumsy than anything else, accidentally standing on his opponent’s ankle as it rolled over. Thankfully Calafiori is up again quickly.
79 min: Clyne is booked for catching Calafiori on the ankle. A huge scream of pain. The defender, only just back from injury, has taken a sore one there.
78 min: Arsenal stroke it around the back for a while.
76 min: Sarr has a speculative shot blocked. Everyone just marking time now. There are 14 more minutes of admin left.
75 min: Jesus makes ground down the left and sends a shot-cum-cross into the arms of Henderson. It’s pretty quiet at Selhurst now, with the result beyond doubt.
73 min: Martinelli crosses from the right. Jesus, still fighting for that hat-trick, can’t get a header away, but his presence is enough to win a corner. However for once, Arsenal’s set-piece magic deserts them, and Lacroix clears it easily.
72 min: Devenny’s free kick fails to beat the first man.
71 min: Richards bustles his way down the right and tries to shepherd the ball out for a corner. Calafiori barges him over and it’ll be a free kick on the byline instead.
69 min: Palace make a double change. Lerma and Hughes make way for Doucoure and Devenny.
67 min: Nketiah wins a corner down the left against his old team. Nothing comes of it.
66 min: Rice bombs down the left and sends a forensic cross onto the head of Martinelli, who attempts to steer the ball across Henderson and into the bottom left. He can’t quite manage it. Shame, because it would have been a picture-book goal.
64 min: Guehi is booked for an overly aggressive tackle from behind on Martinelli.
63 min: Sarr chases a simple long ball down the middle, Gabriel having failed to deal with the danger. Raya gets his man out of bother, again, by racing out of his area and blocking.
61 min: Palace replace Kamada with Nketiah.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-4 Arsenal (Martinelli 60)
Gabriel finds Trossard in space down the left with a lovely raking pass. Trossard crosses low for Jesus, who should score his hat-trick goal, but slams straight at Henderson. The rebound falls to Rice, who shoots low himself. Martinelli diverts the shot into the bottom left, and this game is over.
58 min: Arsenal make a double change, replacing Lewis-Skelly and Havertz with Calafiori and Rice.
57 min: Trossard comes in from the left and batters a shot goalwards. It’s blocked.
55 min: In the Palace dugout, Oliver Glasner looks pained. He must wonder how his side have only scored once. Arsenal have uncharacteristically given up several good chances.
53 min: Mateta strides down the middle and pearls a shot from 25 yards. It swerves all over the place. Raya parries, the ball looping up for Sarr, who flaps a weak header straight at the keeper from six yards. Since the restart, Palace could easily have levelled this match up in short order, but Sarr has fluffed his lines on both occasions.
51 min: Both players are told to stop messing around, then the corner’s taken. It’s not worth describing.
50 min: Sarr scampers down the right, chasing after a fine reverse pass from Mateta. He’s got options in the middle but can’t find a team-mate with his cross. Just a corner … which hasn’t been taken yet, because Lewis-Skelly goes down, losing an unfair wrestling bout with the much taller Mateta. The referee wants a word.
48 min: That move started when Kamada intercepted Gabriel’s weak clearing header. Both Arsenal centre-backs have been strangely under par this evening.
46 min: Palace are quickly on the attack. Clyne crosses from the right. Mateta heads weakly goalwards. Sarr helps it on with a header of his own, towards the bottom left. Raya parries and Lewis-Skelly hacks clear. That should have been a goal.
Palace get the second half started. No changes. “Say what you will but this man Jesus has a flair for delivering at the right time,” begins krishnamoorthy v, regarding the resurrection of Arsenal’s number nine. “This may be the first time that one can be pardoned for confusing Christmas with Easter.”
Half-time entertainment.
HALF TIME: Crystal Palace 1-3 Arsenal
Palace have played pretty well. But Arsenal have too, and they’ve got the goal machine Gabriel Jesus, who has scored twice and hit the post to set up another. The only downside for the title-chasing visitors: Bukayo Saka went off with what looks like a hamstring issue.
45 min +4: Clyne crosses long from the right. Lerma races in to meet it, heading powerfully goalwards … but straight at Raya. That would have changed a couple of half-time team-talks.
45 min +3: Martinelli crosses low from the right. Palace make a meal of clearing it. Martinelli attempts to retrieve the loose ball and goes over in the environs of Mitchell. Arsenal want a penalty but they’re not getting one. It would have been pretty soft.
45 min +2: Raya once again takes his time over the restart, shifting the ball from one side of his six-yard box to the other before taking the goal kick. But the referee wasn’t watching, his back turned. Clever old Raya. We can paradoxically call that a fast one.
45 min +1: Mitchell makes good down the left and crosses for Mateta, who sends a poor header wide left and high.
45 min: … but Palace will have to wait for it, because there will be five additional first-half minutes.
44 min: That goal’s taken the wind out of Palace’s sail. Having looked good for a second equaliser, causing Arsenal’s defence a few flutters, they’re now chasing shadows and could do with hearing the half-time whistle.
42 min: Palace had been playing pretty well, too. In fact, before the passage of play that saw Arsenal hit the bar then almost immediately score their third, Palace had looked the more likely to score the next goal. But that’s football, and here we are. The sort of thing champions do.
40 min: Palace can’t deal with Jesus at all. This is an astonishing turnaround by the Arsenal striker. Inches away from consecutive hat-tricks. He’s still got time.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-3 Arsenal (Havertz 38)
From the resulting corner, Gabriel crashes a header off the bar. So close. But no matter! Arsenal come again through Martinelli out on the right. He reaches the byline and clips a cross back for Jesus, who steers a header off the base of the left-hand post. The rebound falls to Havertz, who can’t miss from a yard out!
37 min: Lacroix miskicks in midfield and suddenly Jesus is away down the inside-right channel! Can he complete a second hat-trick against Palace in three days? Nope, because Lacroix makes up for his mistake by getting back and telescoping a leg to divert the ball out for a corner. That’s a brilliantly timed tackle. It had to be.
36 min: Timber is booked for taking ages over a throw. “Everyone jokes about how Jesus is making the difference for Arsenal at Christmas time, but we all know he’ll not perform at the business end of the season. Every year he goes missing completely after Easter.” David Wall, ladies and gentlemen. He’s here all week. Try the mince pies / chocolate eggs.
34 min: Hughes with the corner. He sends a flat, fast ball towards Lacroix, who flashes a header over from six yards. Another big chance for the defender, whose radar is a wee bit off it would seem.
33 min: Another Palace free kick, another queue on the edge of the Arsenal box. Kamada swings this one in. Jesus clears. Then Richards and Guehi battle to win a corner on the right. The hosts asking a few questions here.
32 min: Sarr spins Gabriel and is hauled back by the defender, who grabs a handful of his shirt. Into the book he goes. Everyone lines up on the edge of the box, awaiting Hughes’s free kick. In it comes. Havertz clears.
31 min: Now it’s Lewis-Skelly who cheaply ships possession. Arsenal aren’t coping too well with the Palace press. Sarr sashays down the right but his cross is easy pickings for Raya.
29 min: Palace push Arsenal back. Hughes and Guehi take turns to hook crosses in from the left. Gabriel heads the former away; Raya claims the latter. Palace have responded well since going behind again, and the Arsenal defenders don’t look particularly confident under the high ball.
27 min: Gabriel is fine to carry on.
