5 talking points as Arsenal ease anxiety after thrashing woeful Crystal Palace
Arsenal are back on track thanks to Gabriel’s set piece prowess, with this comfortable 5-0 win over Crystal Palace helping Mikel Arteta to banish the Christmas demons and close the gap on league leaders Liverpool.
Brazilian defender Gabriel settled the nerves with an early header from a corner before sending a second in off Palace keeper Dean Henderson. And Leandro Trossard found the net for the first time in 10 games to make it 3-0 nearing the hour mark before substitute Gabriel Martinelli netted a brace in added time.
It was another wretched afternoon for Palace, who are being sucked more into the relegation battle after winning just one of their past dozen. Pressure continues to ramp up on Roy Hodgson, whose team barely laid a glove on their hosts - and fans made their feelings known towards the end with a banner that read: "Wasted potential on and off the pitch, weak decisions taking us backwards."
Here are the talking points from a straightforward afternoon at the Emirates.
Decisive start eases nerves
On a day when it was easy to imagine the hosts’ state of anxiety creeping up with each minute it took to score a goal, Gabriel’s early opener was a perfect tonic.
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That it came from a Declan Rice corner was mildly surprising but no one should be shocked that they triumphed from another set piece.
It was their 12th goal from a dead ball already this season - the ninth from a corner - and their first goal in 50 attempts across three home games.
The second goal came from another delivery on the opposite flank - only for the Premier League to award it as an own goal to Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson rather than credit Gabriel with another.
Gabriel celebrates after putting Arsenal ahead in the 11th minute against Crystal Palace.Rusty Jesus
Gabriel Jesus made his first start since before Christmas - and despite ending up with an assist he looked rather rusty.
While talk continues over the need for Arsenal to add a proven goalscorer if they are to challenge for the title, the Brazilian with only three league goals to his name this season remains a source of frustration.
He sent a half chance well over early on and had another shot off target nearing the hour. But he was also caught offside cheaply on three occasions, displaying a lack of alertness, and unsuccessfully failed to earn a penalty under pressure from Nathaniel Clyne - his theatrical slump to the turf did himself no favours.
Jesus’ best contributions were his link up play, including a central role in an intricate passing move that played in Leandro Trossard nearing the interval, before providing the sideways pass for the Belgian to finish off a rapid counterattack and make it 3-0.
Leandro Trossard of Arsenal celebrates with teammate Gabriel Jesus after scoring his team's third goal against Crystal Palace.Awful Palace
Roy Hodgson sent his team out with an extra defender, hoping to frustrate Arsenal and then cause some damage on the counterattack. But slack marking and poor care when in possession meant there was an element of early self-sabotage from the underdogs.
Once they had fallen behind there was not much flexibility and it was not until the 33rd minute that David Raya had to really work between the Arsenal posts - diving to keep out a long-ranger from Jefferson Lerma that appeared to be creeping wide anyway. Eberechi Eze, their lone bright spark, worked hard to make something happen but they remained too reliant on his talent.
The two late concessions made it seem even worse - but two added time goals were mere salt in the wounds rather than a core issue for a club on increasingly shaky ground.
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Palace have now just recorded one win in 12 games - a dismal record that means they are very much part of the relegation scrap. Pressure on Hodgson continues to mount, even if Michael Olise’s continued absence is a solid excuse for their attacking bluntness, and those boos from fans are only going to get louder.
Raya unconvincing
That said, Arsenal’s goalkeeper still provided a shaky moment when botching a clearance (call it a pass out, if you like) in the first half.
This was only his second clean sheet from the past 10 league games - a record that must improve.
Because while debate rages over the need for a centre forward, without a consistently convincing goalkeeper it is still hard to imagine Arteta’s team really becoming contenders.
Zinchenko (and Martinelli) refreshed
It was only mildly publicised that Arsenal spent a portion of their mid-season break in Dubai, what with Arteta being fed steak by Salt Bae in front of a photographer.
They trained hard, and presumably set piece planning was a focus, but the players had plenty of time to relax too - and it showed.
Before the break a number of key stars looked jaded, in need of a reset. Not least Oleksandr Zinchenko.
But the Ukraine full back looked far more assertive here, even when factoring in the weak opposition. On several occasions he stepped inside and advanced play forward with minimal fuss and no one had more touches.
Another to have looked fresh in a brief cameo off the bench was Martinelli, who added the fourth and fifth with similar counterattacks deep in added time as Palace gave up.
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