Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal: Gunners thrash Eagles with Jesus continuing return to scoring form with brace
Gabriel Jesus (27) scored two goals as Arsenal became the first team since Chelsea in 2005 to complete a full calendar year unbeaten in Premier League (PL) London derbies (W8, D2), triumphing over Crystal Palace with a score of 5-1.
This victory temporarily narrowed the gap to league leaders Liverpool to three points.
Following a hat-trick against Palace in a 3-2 EFL Cup win on Wednesday, Jesus earned a starting position in this match, and he made an immediate impact, scoring just six minutes in.
His first PL goal since January came when Bukayo Saka’s cross deflected off Gabriel, allowing Jesus to approach the ball and finish with a side-footed shot.
A tense moment for David Raya went unpunished shortly thereafter, but just five minutes after taking the lead, Arsenal found themselves equalized as the in-form Ismaila Sarr curled a shot around William Saliba and into the far corner.
The fast-paced match continued with a third goal within the first 15 minutes, which, as expected, originated from an Arsenal corner. Gabriel Martinelli’s delivery was only partially cleared, falling to Jesus, who expertly placed his shot into the corner of the net.
Another defensive error from the visitors nearly allowed the hosts to level the score again, but Raya made a crucial one-on-one save against Jean-Philippe Mateta. At the opposite end, Gabriel came close to scoring from yet another corner before Kai Havertz extended Arsenal's lead, reacting quickly to Jesus's header that had gone to the far post.
In need of a response, the hosts nearly cut the deficit immediately after the break, but Raya successfully denied Sarr’s diving header. The Arsenal goalkeeper was called into action once more, managing to stop Mateta’s powerful long-range effort and catching Sarr’s follow-up header.
These crucial saves kept Crystal Palace at bay, and with an hour gone, the victory for Arsenal was virtually secured.
A meticulously executed play should have culminated in Jesus securing his second hat-trick of the week; however, Henderson made a commendable save with his foot, only for Martinelli to convert the subsequent low shot from substitute Declan Rice.
With a strong desire to contribute to the scoreline, Rice netted Arsenal’s fifth goal in the closing moments, ensuring three crucial points on a night where the only significant drawback was Saka’s injury in the first half.
Although Arsenal has now 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 find themselves close to the top of the league, despite having played more matches than the teams above them.
On the other hand, Palace had experienced only one defeat in their last eight Premier League matches (W3, D4), but this loss means they have yet to improve upon their solitary home league victory (D4, L4), leaving the Eagles in 15th place in the standings.
SportsLigue