Arsenal were able to put doubters to shame after they trashed Crystal Plalace 5-0, thanks to goals from Martinelli, Gabriel, Trossard, and an own goal.
By Olisa Obi
The Gunners’ fight at the top had faltered towards the end of last year and all hope seemed to be gone as they lost three of their past five Premier League games with two draws.
However, after heading off to Dubai for a week-long winter break, Mikel Arteta’s side returned reinvigorated as goals from Gabriel Magalhaes, a Dean Henderson own goal, Leandro Trossard’s finish, and two late Gabriel Martinelli strikes sealed the three points.
The first two goals came from corners, with the opener coming in the 11th minute when Gabriel nodded in for the goal. He almost doubled his effort from another set-piece which struck Crystal Palace goalkeeper, Henderson, to deflect into the back of the net.
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Crystal palace offered little in response and seemed to be a shadow of their former selves.
Arsenal further added to their lead in the second half when Trossard was sent one-on-one with the goalkeeper and kept his cool to finish confidently.
With Palace already well beaten, Martinelli added further “salt to the injury” with two goals in injury time to seal the victory, both swept into the far corner.
The win moves Arsenal up to third, two points behind leaders Liverpool, but having played a game more than Jurgen Klopp’s side. Crystal Palace, meanwhile, remains 14th in the table.
Palace have now won just one of their past 11 Premier League games and their position in the table is looking increasingly precarious. They are 14th, five points above the relegation zone, but having played a game more than Luton in 18th.
The visiting fans made their frustrations known towards the end of the game as they displayed a banner saying: “Wasted potential on and off the pitch, weak decisions taking us backwards.”
