Arsenal won 5-1 at Crystal Palace in round 17 of the 2024 Premier League. With 3 points from Selhurst Park, the Gunners are only 3 points behind the top team Liverpool.

Arsenal became the first team since Chelsea in 2005 to go a calendar year unbeaten in Premier League London derbies (W8 D2), after beating Crystal Palace 5-1 in the early hours of 22 December. The victory helped Arsenal close the gap on leaders Liverpool to three points.

Arsenal are unbeaten in London derbies in 2024 (Photo: EPL).

Gabriel Jesus scored a hat-trick against Crystal Palace in a 3-2 League Cup win in midweek, and followed that up with two more goals. It took Jesus just six minutes to score his first Premier League goal since January, after collecting a pass from Bukayo Saka and firing into the net. However, just five minutes later, Ismaila Sarr levelled things up for the hosts with a fine strike.

The game started with a flurry of goals, one of which, unsurprisingly, came from an Arsenal corner. Gabriel Martinelli’s pass was mistimed, but the ball was cleared to Jesus. The Brazilian picked up the ball and fired it into the top corner to make it 2-1 in the 14th minute.

The visitors almost conceded an equaliser after another defensive error, but Raya made a superb one-on-one save from Saliba to deny Jean-Philippe Mateta. At the other end of the pitch, Gabriel threatened from another Arsenal corner. The visitors extended their advantage to 3-1 through Kai Havertz, the German reacting quickly after Jesus had headed against the far post in the 38th minute.

Jesus celebrates with his teammates (Photo: EPL).

The match continued to be dramatic in the second half, with home team Crystal Palace almost closing the gap shortly after the restart. Goalkeeper Raya made an excellent save to deny Sarr’s dangerous header. Raya continued to show impressive form when he blocked Mateta’s long-range shot and Sarr’s next header, leaving Crystal Palace still on the defensive.

After an hour, the outcome of the game was all but decided. A fine Arsenal move almost gave Jesus his second hat-trick of the week, but Crystal Palace goalkeeper Henderson made a brilliant save with his feet. However, Martinelli was quick to take advantage, firing a low shot into the net to make it 4-1 after an assist from substitute Declan Rice.

Still hungry for goals, Arsenal cruised to an impressive 5-1 win over Crystal Palace, thanks to Rice’s brilliance in the final minutes. Rice’s decisive goal not only earned the Gunners three valuable points but also helped them move closer to the top of the Premier League table.

Arsenal players celebrate after Rice scores (Photo: EPL).

However, the victory was not all smooth sailing as Arsenal were dealt with a first-half injury to Saka, a loss that saw Arsenal concede a seventh consecutive away goal, their longest run without a clean sheet in the Premier League for over five years.

As for Crystal Palace, they have lost just one of their last eight Premier League games (W3 D4). However, the defeat to Arsenal means they are yet to win at home this season (D4 L4), leaving the Eagles in 15th place in the table.