Arsenal 4 Palace 1

Summary:

• Three changes for Palace, with Ward, Tomkins and Milivojevic all starting
• Palace begin brightly as Zaha hits inside of the post
• Edouard runs clear but is denied by Ramsdale, before being flagged offside
• Whitworth saves from fizzing Ødegaard strike in open start to the game
• Martinelli opens the scoring after half-an-hour with powerful shot across goal
• Hosts finish the half strongly
• Saka slots home Arsenal’s second on the stroke of half-time
• HT: Arsenal 2-0 Palace
• Ward gets in the way of Saka cross-shot
• Rising drive from Zaha troubles Ramsdale at near post
• Xhaka prods in a third to set Arsenal clear
• Schlupp slams home to pull one back after an hour
• Zaha fires narrowly wide having been fed by Schlupp
• Saka ends comeback hopes with sweeping low finish
• FT: Arsenal 4-1 Palace

Crystal Palace fell to a 4-1 defeat away to Premier League leaders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Coach Paddy McCarthy made three changes to his starting XI for the trip to the Emirates Stadium, two of which were enforced.

Ward came into the side at right-back, with Tomkins a late replacement for Joachim Andersen – the Denmark defender pulling out in the warm-up – and captain Milivojevic starting in place of the ineligible Sambi Lokonga.

Arsenal have been widely recognised for the quality of their build-up play this season, but it was the Eagles who impressed early on at the Emirates, some snappy one-touch play freeing their attackers to drive at a nervy home defence.

Indeed, Palace could consider themselves highly unfortunate not to have taken the lead with 11 minutes on the clock.

A quick ball forwards from Schlupp allowed Zaha to drive towards Ben White outside the box and, cutting inside, the winger hit a fierce low shot which struck the inside of Ramsdale’s near post.

True to Palace’s luck of late, the rebound pinged back off Ramsdale’s head – only to roll narrowly wide.

Moments later and that rapid play almost paid dividends once more, Palace’s one-touch passing from back-to-front culminating in Olise sliding through Edouard. The Frenchman took a touch before placing his finish, but was denied by Ramsdale, before a late offside flag was raised.

Hackneyed cliché it may be, but the league table does not lie, and as the half wore on, Arsenal began to exert the quality which has taken them five points clear at this stage of the campaign.

Ødegaard was first to come close with a fizzing, dipping strike from 25 yards which forced Whitworth into a sharp two-handed save, punching away from Bukayo Saka on the rebound.

But it was only with their first real chance of the match that Arsenal opened the scoring.

A clipped cross from Saka bounced all the way across the edge of the penalty area and was collected by Gabriel Martinelli, who took one touch on the outside of Ward before hammering a rasping left-footed finish across goal and into the bottom corner.

The goal gave Arsenal confidence and they went on to dominate the remainder of the half, adding a second when Saka exchanged passes with White inside the box and – jinking inside a challenge – slid a low shot past Whitworth into the net.

It was a harsh end to a largely promising first-half from Palace, but it was the hosts who started the second period the brighter when Saka’s cross-shot required a goal-line block from Ward moments after the restart.

Zaha was continuing to threaten at the other end, a fierce rising drive causing Ramsdale some consternation, but Palace’s hopes of a comeback were dispelled when Xhaka - under heavy pressure from Ward - managed to divert Trossard's pass beyond Whitworth and into the bottom corner.

To their credit, Palace continued fighting, enjoying a strong spell subsequent to the goal.

Hopes of an unlikely comeback were kick-started after 63 minutes when Olise’s corner kick bounced off Odegaard’s midriff invitingly for Schlupp to hammer home from six yards.

They might have had another moments later when the No. 15 slid in Zaha making a diagonal run, but squeezing between defender and goalkeeper, his low shot somehow evaded the far post.

Sadly, however, those hopes were quashed with 15 minutes remaining when Saka – in frightening form – swept home from near the penalty spot after a pull-back from Kieran Tierney.

The hosts continued to press for further goals, and the Eagles continued to fight until the last, but Saka’s was the last of the goals in north London.

Arsenal: Ramsdale (GK), White (Jorginho 82), Gabriel (Kiwior 86), Holding, Zinchenko (Tierney 64), Xhaka, Ødegaard, Partey, Saka, Trossard (Jesus 64), Martinelli (Smith Rowe 82)

Subs: Turner (GK), Fabio Vieira, Nelson, Walters

Palace: Whitworth (GK), Ward, Guéhi, Tomkins, Mitchell, Milivojevic (Ayew 64), Doucouré, Schlupp (Ahamada 82), Olise (Eze 82), Zaha, Edouard (Hughes 64)

Subs: Goodman (GK), Riedewald, Richards, Clyne, Mateta