Arsenal 5-0 Crystal Palace: Gunners rout Palace to get title bid back on track
Arsenal returned to winning ways emphatically on Saturday, defeating toothless London rivals Crystal Palace 5-0 to move up to third place in the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta's side took control in the first half thanks to Gabriel's headed goal from a corner and a Dean Henderson own goal, both of which were largely Gabriel's work. With Palace looking lacklustre, Leandro Trossard extended the lead just short of the hour by finishing off a sweeping move.
Substitute Gabriel Martinelli confirmed Arsenal's dominance and added gloss to the scoreline with two nearly identical finishes in stoppage time.
Palace, who are 14th, had a few chances of their own and nearly equalised when Jefferson Lerma's swerving shot was well saved by David Raya shortly before Arsenal went ahead 2-0.
However, the manner in which they subsided raises further concerns about the future of veteran manager Roy Hodgson.
Arsenal's comfort allowed Arteta to make four substitutions late on, giving Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Trossard, and Gabriel a rest.
Arsenal's victory ended a run of three consecutive defeats in all competitions, bringing them level on 43 points with Aston Villa and champions Manchester City. Arsenal have a better goal difference than Villa, but not as good as City.
Arsenal, who led the Premier League before Christmas, has struggled in recent weeks, with only one win in five league games.
However, Palace's problems appear to be exacerbated by the appearance of a banner near the end reading "Wasted Potential. On and off the pitch weak decisions are taking us backwards."
They have only won once in ten league games and were knocked out of the FA Cup by Everton in midweek, after Hodgson was mocked by his own fans for some of his substitutions.
Arsenal spent their mini-winter break in Dubai, enjoying some warm weather training and escaping the freezing conditions back home, which appears to have revived them.
They took the lead after only 11 minutes, when defender Gabriel met Rice's corner and headed in from close range. Another corner led to Arsenal's second in the 37th minute, as Gabriel easily got clear of his marker and headed in off Palace keeper Dean Henderson, who was later credited with an own goal.
Trossard effectively ended Palace's chances in the 59th minute, when Arsenal broke forward quickly and he finished clinically from Gabriel Jesus' square pass.
With Palace in disarray, Martinelli, who had gone six games without a goal, scored twice with silky finishes to boost Arsenal's goal difference and equal their best margin of victory in a Premier League derby.
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