Arsenal faced Crystal Palace in the Premier League and won 1-0, extending their lead at the top of the table to four points. The home side will be fighting for three points at the Emirates Stadium as the Eagles pose the Gunners’ toughest test of the season.
Arsenal were hampered for the majority of the match as Palace repulsed Arsenal on numerous occasions. But former Palace attacker Eberechi Eze proved the difference late in the first half when he volleyed the ball past Dean Henderson after the Eagles defense failed to deal with Declan Rice’s free-kick. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will be happy with the three points, but the Spaniard has new concerns after the promising pairing of William Saliba and Rice were sent off with suspected injuries. And Express Sport evaluates and rates Gunners players.
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace player ratings (4-3-3)
David Raya: 7
He gave the backline confidence, but drew stares from Rice after causing his midfielders trouble in the closing stages. He was rarely threatened and only made one save.
Julian Timber: 9
He is a warrior at the back and continues to provide the team with a physical presence all over the pitch. We attacked well and tried to change things in the final third. Arguably Arsenal’s best player.
Gabriel: 9
In the first half, he made an important tackle to stop Ismaila Sarr and, as usual, was a defensive wall. After teeing up Eze’s first goal, his own shot hit the crossbar early in the second half. He crashed into the post in the second half, but withstood well against Palace’s attackers.
William Saliba: 5
Palace created a number of chances in the first half but were tormented by Jean-Philippe Mateta. He also had time to play the ball forward and move his team in the right direction, but too often opted for safe passes. He was forced to leave due to an injury midway through.
Riccardo Calafioli: 6
They were weak in attack, so this game might have been better suited for academy graduate Miles Lewis-Skelly, who has much more to offer going forward. Even in possession, we were too slow.
Eberechi Eze: 9
The script was written for the former Palace man who scored Arsenal’s opener and the only goal of the game. He has always been a dangerous player, but he continued to excel in the early stages of his Gunners career.
Martin Zvimendi: 5
I wasn’t able to get on the ball as much as I wanted and I made a lot of mistakes. He will need to offer more in the middle of the pitch if he is to maintain his status over the coming months.
Declan Rice: 8
He played calmly with the ball, created well-placed set-pieces and became the focal point of Arsenal’s attacking play. Gabriel got his reward before the break, nodding in a free-kick and volleying the ball into the path of Eze.
Bukayo Saka: 6
He was marked from the match as his Arsenal team-mates struggled to find him and almost ran in Trossard’s cross in the second period, although he was thwarted by Tyrik Mitchell. It’s been a slow start to the season for the England winger, but at least he’s drawing defenders closer and leaving space for other players to flourish.
Victor Gokeres: 7
He was full of energy as he ran in behind the Palace backline. He also held the ball well and got his teammates involved in the game. He is an absolute must-have for defenders both in and out of possession and will score goals this season.
Leandro Trossard: 5
He wasn’t involved enough and lacked quality on the ball. Ten minutes before the break, Henderson was forced into a save, but he should have done better from a decent position.
replacement
Cristian Mosquera: 7
He came on as a substitute for William Saliba at half-time and settled in well alongside Gabriel.
Gabriel Martinelli: 6
Bukayo Saka came on as a substitute with just under 25 minutes remaining, but he didn’t have much of an advantage offensively.
Clown Hincapie: 6
He was handed his Premier League debut in the final 10 minutes, replacing Riccardo Calafioli.
Mikel Merino: 6
He was substituted in the second half after Declan Rice was withdrawn with an ankle problem.
Miles Lewis-Skelly: 6
He entered the game from the 88th minute. He will be desperate to get more game time in the coming weeks.
