October 26, (THEWILL) — Arsenal claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with Eberechi Eze netting against his former side to deliver the decisive blow.
The result, coupled with weekend defeats for Liverpool at Brentford and Manchester City at Aston Villa, moved the Gunners six points clear of the previous eight English Premier League champions.
The hosts made a sluggish opening to the contest, with misplaced passes repeatedly gifting possession to the visitors.
Arsenal failed to register a single attempt during the first 30 minutes, yet their defensive organisation remained impenetrable. David Raya had a sixth consecutive EPL half without facing a save.
Oliver Glasner’s well-drilled Palace side frustrated Arsenal until Declan Rice delivered a lofted free kick in the 39th minute.
Eze met the loose ball 15 yards from goal, striking a composed volley to score his first EPL goal for the Gunners against the club he previously represented.
The second half brought greater attacking fluency from Arsenal. Gabriel struck the crossbar five minutes after the interval from another free kick, whilst Leandro Trossard came close to extending the lead. Viktor Gyökeres failed to replicate his midweek form in front of goal.
Dean Henderson produced several important saves for Palace to keep the margin at one goal, creating late tension at the Emirates.
Arsenal’s defensive unit held firm under pressure to record their 10th clean sheet of the campaign, cementing their position at the top of the table.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
