Match Review – Arsenal put five past Palace for second time running in the league | OneFootball

Arsenal closed the gap on Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table to three points, with Liverpool yet to play this weekend.

Having knocked Crystal Palace out of the League Cup quarter-finals 3-2 less than 72 hours earlier, the Gunners delivered another ruthless performance, dismantling the Eagles 5-1 for the second consecutive time in the league.

At Selhurst Park, Oliver Glasner’s South London side had no answer to Arsenal’s dominance after their spirited midweek showing at the Emirates.

Gabriel Jesus stole the spotlight yet again, following up his midweek hat-trick against Palace with another two goals, bringing his tally to five in two successive games against the same opponent.

The Brazilian forward opened the scoring after just six minutes, smashing the ball past Dean Henderson at the near post from a precise Bukayo Saka cross. The delivery from the right flank bypassed several Arsenal players in the box before finding Jesus, who wasted no time putting his side ahead.

However, Arsenal’s defensive frailty reared its head just five minutes later when Ismaila Sarr fired an impressive strike from the edge of the left-hand side of the box, sending the ball into the bottom right corner to level the score.

It didn’t take long for Arsenal to reclaim their lead. Jesus scored a stunning second goal from inside the area, finding the top-right corner after Saka battled for Declan Rice’s corner in the box and laid it off for the Brazilian to finish brilliantly.

(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Just before halftime, Kai Havertz pounced on a rebound from Jesus’s shot, which struck the woodwork, denying him a second consecutive hat-trick. Havertz’s quick reaction made it 3-1 to Arsenal heading into the break.

After the restart, Gabriel Martinelli added his name to the scoresheet, redirecting Rice’s shot into the net on the left side to make it 4-1.

Declan Rice then capped off the scoring six minutes from full-time with a sensational strike. Positioned at the edge of the left side of the box, the Englishman unleashed a rocket into the far corner, sealing Arsenal’s emphatic 5-1 victory.

Post-match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised his team’s attacking display and lauded their record-breaking feat of a sixth 5-0 or more victory away from home in 2024—an English top-flight record yet to be matched by Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, or Tottenham.

Speaking to Arsenal’s media team, Arteta said: “I think nobody else has done it, no? Ever. So it is a big achievement.

“It’s a great day at a really tough place to come. We’ve played them twice in three days. That makes it really tricky, but overall, I’m really happy to win 5-1 away from home. Scoring the goals that we scored, the way we performed again consistently—a lot of positives to take.”

The Spaniard also expressed delight at Jesus’s sublime goalscoring form:

“I’m so happy, he fully deserves it. He’s been so consistent, his work ethic, he’s been patient, you know? And at the end, a lot of the things that we have seen here actually started in July, with some changes that he made and a lot of discussions we had together.”

Jesus, Arsenal’s man of the moment, will now be expected to continue his red-hot form when the Gunners face Ipswich in their next match on December 27th.

Liam Harding

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