By Olukayode Olumuyiwa.
*Premier League leaders Arsenal extended their winning run in the top flight to four matches with a crucial 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium. The result, which marks the Gunners’ 700th Premier League win, saw them move four points clear of second-placed Bournemouth and seven points ahead of last season’s champions, Liverpool.
The decisive moment came just before the interval when Eberechi Eze scored against his former club. After a free-kick into the area was headed back towards the penalty spot by Gabriel Magalhães, the loose ball fell to Eze, who produced an acrobatic first-time finish that flew into the net to give Arsenal a half-time lead with only their second shot of the game.
Defensive Dominance Continues
Despite a slow start where Palace looked the likelier side to take the lead, Mikel Arteta’s men showed their defensive strength. The Gunners’ defence, which had conceded just three times in the league—their joint-fewest after eight games since 1998/99—didn’t give Palace a sniff in the second half. This clean sheet marks Arsenal’s fifth consecutive clean sheet victory in all competitions, a testament to their fortress-like home record, which remains unbeaten this season.
The hosts, who secured a seventh victory in their last eight head-to-heads with the Eagles, almost doubled their lead five minutes after the restart when Declan Rice’s cross was headed onto the crossbar by Gabriel. The rebound fell to Rice, whose shot was saved by Dean Henderson, before Bukayo Saka shot just wide moments later.
Palace’s Struggles and Liverpool’s Fall
For Crystal Palace, the defeat means they have now gone four matches without a win in all competitions. However, with this being only their second league defeat of the campaign, they continue to occupy a top-half position in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, Arsenal’s comfortable win further complicates the title defense for Liverpool, who suffered a bruising 3-2 defeat to Brentford in West London. The loss is Liverpool’s fourth successive Premier League defeat for the first time since March 2021, and their fifth successive loss in London for the first time since 1970.
The Reds were thumped in the opening five minutes by Dango Ouattara and conceded again to Kevin Schade, before Milos Kerkez pulled one back in controversial circumstances in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time (despite only three being indicated). Igor Thiago restored Brentford’s two-goal cushion from the penalty spot after VAR ruled Virgil van Dijk fouled Ouattara. Mohamed Salah gave Liverpool a late lifeline, ending a six-game scoring drought, but the goal arrived too late. The defeat saw Brentford climb into the top half.
Arsenal now hold a commanding lead as the season progresses, with their consistency contrasting sharply with the struggles of last season’s champions.
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