4 Things We Learned As Arsenal Demolished Crystal Palace 4-1

4 Things We Learned As Arsenal Demolished Crystal Palace 4-1
16:57, 20 Jan 2018

Arsenal dismantled Crystal Palace 4-1 to bring an end to a five-match winless run in all competitions.

Below are four talking points from the Emirates Stadium.

1. Arsenal in scintillating form in first half

A fast start was always going to be important if Arsenal were to dispel the cloud of negativity which has surrounded the club in recent weeks, so Arsene Wenger will have been delighted to see his players come flying out of the blocks. Goals from Nacho Monreal, Alex Iwobi, Laurent Koscielny and Alexandre Lacazette gave the home side a 4-0 lead after 22 minutes, with the three points effectively secured with three-quarters of the game remaining.

Two of their efforts may have come from set-pieces, but Arsenal’s one-touch interplay was a joy to watch in the opening period. Mesut Ozil and Jack Wilshere were particularly impressive, as Palace proved powerless to halt the hosts’ advances.  

2. Palace overrun in midfield

Roy Hodgson first employed a narrow 4-4-2 formation in the 2-1 victory over Chelsea in October that belatedly kick-started Palace’s season. The system has largely served his side well since then, but on this occasion it contributed to the visitors being overwhelmed in the centre of the pitch.

With Bakary Sako and Christian Benteke left up the pitch, Yohan Cabaye and Luka Milivojevic were overrun in midfield by the Arsenal trio of Mohamed Elneny, Wilshere and Granit Xhaka. Ozil regularly took up positions between the lines to cause further problems for Palace’s pair in the engine room, who were not helped by Wilfried Zaha’s lack of defensive contribution. Hodgson did switch to a 4-5-1 before half-time, but by that stage the damage had already been done.

3. Ozil lights up victory – can Arsenal keep him?

Ozil was absent from recent meetings with West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest, Chelsea and Bournemouth, games which made up four of the Gunners’ aforementioned five without victory. His return to the starting XI was not the only reason for Arsenal’s improved performance, but it is certainly true that Wenger’s side are a completely different proposition when the Germany international is pulling the strings.

Ozil was in top form here, evading opposition attention with typically intelligent movement and linking up brilliantly with the players around him. His passes are rarely overhit or undercooked, and his selection is invariably as good as his execution; the fact he touched the ball six times in the build-up to Lacazette’s goal is a neat indication of how integral he was to his team’s attacking efforts.

Alexis Sanchez may be on his way to Manchester United, but Arsenal remain hopeful that they can convince Ozil to extend his contract at the Emirates. On the evidence of Saturday’s showing, he will not be short of suitors.

4. Hodgson will welcome 10 days off

Palace were knocked out of the FA Cup third round by Brighton and Hove Albion earlier this month, which means they do not have a game next weekend. Hodgson would obviously have preferred to avoid losing to the Eagles’ arch-rivals, but he will welcome the 10 days’ rest between now and the trip to West Ham United at the end of January.

Palace have been unfortunate with injuries in recent weeks, with eight first-team players sidelined or lacking match fitness even before Cabaye was stretchered off late on. Games against the likes of Arsenal will not determine the south Londoners’ fate this season, but they must get this loss out of their system as soon as possible ahead of that crunch clash with West Ham.

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