Arsenal 5-0 Crystal Palace - Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli shine as Arsenal hammer five past hapless Eagles
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Updated 20/01/2024 at 17:33 GMT
Arsenal ended their long wait for a win with a strong 5-0 victory over Crystal Palace at the Emirates on Saturday lunchtime live on TNT Sports. The Gunners had gone over a month without tasting victory, the last time coming on December 17, but they were rarely troubled by a Crystal Palace short on attacking firepower. Arsenal meanwhile found plenty of joy from corners.
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 20: Leandro Trossard of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team's third goal with teammates during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on January 20, 2024 in London, England
Image credit: Getty Images
Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli were the driving forces at both the start and end of the match as Arsenal banished the memories of a forgetful festive period when comfortably beating Crystal Palace 5-0 in the Premier League on Saturday.
A four-game winless run saw Arsenal slip to fourth in the table and also exit the FA Cup at the hands of Liverpool, but this victory will have restored confidence as they bid to reignite their title charge.
In truth, Palace offered little by way of opposition, and that was certainly the case from set pieces as twice Gabriel caused havoc in the first half.
The first goal was unquestionably Gabriel’s, but his second header then went down as a Dean Henderson own goal having come off the goalkeeper’s head while he was down on the turf – his protests for a foul also going unheard.
Leandro Trossard then scored his first goal since November after the break to seal the three points and ramp the pressure up on Palace manager Roy Hodgson. Substitute Gabriel Martinelli rounded things off in added time with two nearly carbon-copy goals.
The result moves Arsenal into third, level on points with Manchester City and Aston Villa respectively – and two behind leaders Liverpool – while Palace stay 14th, five points above the relegation zone.
Talking Point – Set-piece kings pile pressure on Hodgson
It was a tale of three corners that could well come back to haunt Hodgson - and that was before it got even worse in second-half injury time.
Firstly, the good for Arsenal. Their ninth and 10th goals from corners in the Premier League this season – a league-high – pointed towards their danger in this department and led to praise for set-piece coach Nicolas Jover, who often stood in front of Mikel Arteta in the technical area.
“He was recruited from Man City and he’s doing his job. What they were doing in Dubai – it’s working,” said Rio Ferdinand at half-time.
And any fear this strength exposes Arsenal’s weakness from open play was dispelled when they broke with a devastating counter-attack from a Palace corner.
Intriguingly, former Chelsea and Brighton manager Graham Potter was captured by the TNT Sports cameras watching on at the Emirates. Could a change be in the offing at Palace? They’ve won just one of their last 12 matches in all competitions.
And very notably, Palace fans made their feelings clear about the current setup when raising banners in the 90th minute.
“Wasted potential on and off the pitch. Weak decisions taking us backwards,” it read, with Hodgson then staring at the banner after full-time while rooted to the spot in his own technical area.
Player of the Match - Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal)
A clean sheet and one goal that could have been two. His defensive work was almost as impressive, but this performance will be remembered for his threatening presence in the Palace area that put the game beyond the visitors.
Player Ratings
Arsenal: Raya 6, White 6, Saliba 7, Gabriel 9, Zinchenko 7, Rice 7, Odegaard 8, Havertz 7, Saka 8, Jesus 7, Trossard 7. Subs: Smith Rowe 6, Jorginho 6, Kiwior 6, Martinelli 9, Nketiah 7.
Crystal Palace: Henderson 4, Clyne 5, Andersen 5, Guehi 4, Mitchell 5, Richards 4, Lerma 5, Hughes 5, Schlupp 5, Eze 6, Mateta 5. Subs: Ozoh 6, Ahamada 6, Franca 6 Tomkins n/a.
Match Highlights
11’ GOAL! ARSENAL 1-0 CRYSTAL PALACE (GABRIEL) - Arsenal earn the first corner of the match and the fans in that corner are out of their sets for this one… Boom. Arsenal lead, and that is a towering header from Gabriel as the Gunners’ No 6 nods the ball in from just inside the six-yard area.
37’ GOAL! ARSENAL 2-0 CRYSTAL PALACE (GABRIEL) - ANOTHER goal from a corner… Saka’s cross is wicked and swings right into the danger zone. Henderson thinks he’s blocked by White and wants a foul... but it’s Gabriel again with the header and it actually hits Henderson on the head while he’s on the floor. Palace protest, the goal is checked by VAR, but the goal stands!!
59’ GOAL! ARSENAL 3-0 CRYSTAL PALACE (TROSSARD) - Lethal counter-attack… Raya collects the Palace cross and then sets Jesus on his way and it's two on two. It’s a lovely pass from the Brazilian too as he finds Trossard, who in turn takes a couple of tidy touches and fires his effort past Henderson. Huge reaction from Arteta. VAR checks for offside but it’s well onside.
90+4’ GOAL! ARSENAL 4-0 CRYSTAL PALACE (MARTINELLI) - The icing on the cake. The final nail in the coffin for Hodgson? Martinelli is in acres of space after being picked out by Nketiah. It’s Henry-esque as he opens up his body to curl a low effort into the far corner. Lovely finish.
90+5’ GOAL! ARSENAL 5-0 CRYSTAL PALACE (MARTINELLI) - Copy and paste!!! Literally. That happened so quick, and was so similar, I’m actually going to copy and paste. It’s Henry-esque as he opens up his body to curl a low effort into the far corner. Lovely finish. Martinelli with a late double!!
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