After William Saliba’s injury, Rob Holding stepped up big for Crystal Palace, while Gabriel struggled in a resounding victory.
As Arsenal defeated Crystal Palace, ROB HOLDING excelled in the role of covering for the injured William Salliba.
In a rout at the Emirates, the Gunners put eight points between themselves and second-place Palace, who were without a manager.
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While Gabriel Magalhaes is adjusting to his new defensive partner, he has looked like the team’s weak link.
After missing a penalty kick in Arsenal’s previous game against Sporting Lisbon, Gabriel Martinelli quickly got back on track and scored the game-winning goal.
Granit Xhaka scored in the 55th minute after Bukayo Saka had already given them a two-goal lead.
For the guests, Jeffrey Schlupp scored, but two goals from Saka sealed the deal.
SunSports’ Jordan Davies evaluated each player for Arsenal’s victory and gave them ratings.
AARON RAMSDALE 7/10
In spite of Odsonne Edouard’s offside positioning, the Eagles’ striker was denied by a smart save. His shot hit the post and rolled onto his legs for a corner.
BEN WHITE 7
Permitted Zaha to get in on goal but his shot hit the post; made up for it with a fantastic assist to Saka right before halftime. Consistently reliable on defense.
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ROB HOLDING 8
Due to Willian Saliba’s absence, this could be your first Premier League start of the season. Excellent cross-field passes and a number of crucial tackles and headers.
GABRIEL 6
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They were uncharacteristically sloppy in the back and had to be stripped multiple times before they were spared. Supporters of Arsenal will be hoping today was an anomaly.
OLEKSANDR ZINCHENKO 7
in his usual calm and self-assured manner. In the early going, he kept the ball moving while Palace tried to be resolute and solid, and he then assisted Granit Xhaka with a perfect through ball.
THOMAS PARTEY 7
Not that he did anything wrong, but it was a relatively quiet game compared to his recent ones. Was hardly challenged by the Eagles’ central midfield. This was probably his most relaxed appearance of the whole campaign.
GRANIT XHAKA 8
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He appeared to have suffered a serious knee injury in the first half, but he scored a hat trick with a toe poke shortly after the break.
MARTIN ODEGAARD 7
Displayed a strong desire to score with several long-range shots and remained a driving force behind Arsenal’s success. Could have done better to prevent Jeffrey Schlupp’s late comeback attempt.
GABRIEL MARTINELLI 8
Constant threat down the left side, pitted against Joel Ward, who seems helpless. The Brazilian beat the Palace fullback brilliantly and scored his team’s first goal with a shot into the upper corner.
BUKAYO SAKA 10
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He got off to a sluggish start but quickly found his flawless stride. In a near-perfect performance before the international break, he scored twice and set up another goal, making Gareth Southgate drool.
LEANDRO TROSSARD 7
He put forth a valiant effort and proved why he is so important to this Arsenal team as it deals with a number of injury setbacks. Even though Xhaka will be disappointed that he didn’t score, he can take solace in the fact that he contributed to another assist.
SUBS
GABRIEL JESUS 6 (TROSSARD 65)
His rustiness is understandable given the early stages of his return. He could have used those few minutes and the ovation from the crowd at home.
KIERAN TIERNEY 7 (ZINCHENKO 65)
Needs to displace Zinchenko from the starting lineup, which is a tall order, but he didn’t hurt his cause by setting up Arsenal’s fourth goal.
EMILE SMITH-ROWE N/A (MARTINELLI, 83)
JORGINHO N/A (WHITE, 83)
JAKUB KIWIOR N/A (GABRIEL, 86)
