Declan Rice Free-Kick Gives Arsenal 1-0 Win Over Crystal Palace to Keep Premier League Title Push Alive
The Arsenal supporters fell silent as they watched their team play slow, aimless passes from side to side, barely seeming to want to penetrate Crystal Palace defence, let alone actually doing so.
Declan Rice’s set piece from the free kick found Eze in the box to help cause enough chaos to result in a goal to make it 1-0 to the Arsenal. The former crystal palace lad made a exeptional contribution on the pitch which also led to a goal.
Since Viktor Gyokeres made good runs but he failed to convert any of the passes that came to him, the team had no open play.
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David Raya had not been hit by any shots, so Crystal Palace had hardly threatened, but by the time the halftime whistle blew, Palace will have thought they had given it their best.
In anticipation of the 29 Premier League games that Arsenal will play on their path to the championship, we thought it prudent to develop a start to an Arsenal match report.
We have already been frustrated by the need to write somewhat different versions of this on multiple occasions this season.
With a spectacular finish, Eberechi Eze gave the Gunners the lead at halftime. He grabbed the second ball following Rice’s free-kick, expertly dribbled his feet, and smashed the ball into the corner against his old team.
Furthermore, as we save time… After coasting through the first period, Arsenal picked up a few paces. Gyokeres continued to cut a lonely figure despite prolonging the game to the advantage of others, while Yrossard caused trouble while the other Gunners strikers struggled for fluency.
The fans’ cries of “Arsenal, Arsenal, Arsenal” did not inspire them to go for more goals when one is already fine, so when Eze entered the game and made no difference, Arsenal sat back and appeared ridiculously at ease taking whatever little pressure Crystal Palace applied.
When it came to palace opportunities, Martin Zubimendi mostly kept everything under control, and whenever there was even the slightest hint of an opportunity, Saliba put an end to it.
Due to Arteta’s squad’s already absurd depth, Saloba was outstanding and the alterations he made from the Atletico Madrid match had no discernible impact on the Gunners’ performance.
After an untroubled Raya kept his seventh clean sheet of the season, Chelsea’s record of giving up just 15 goals in a season is under slight threat, while Arsenal has still remarkably only scored five goals from open play.
According to a Liverpool fans on x: Let all team prepare for the next season, I don’t think there’s any reason competing with arsenal in the title race again because they won the premier league title already.
Arsenal did just enough to win without appearing quite as impressive as they did against Atletico Madrid in October, and the game just appeared to slip past Crystal Palace.
Uninteresting? Indeed. Are they concerned? No. Additionally, Arsenal is easily winning the Premier League after Liverpool lost to Brentford.
Arsenal’s Control Looks Assured, but Creativity Still Feels Half-Awake
One subtle takeaway from this sluggish victory is how much Arsenal still leans on moments of individual brilliance and set-piece poise rather than a sustained, collective breakthrough.
Over the next 29 league fixtures it’s the pattern that matters. Can Arteta coax possession into real danger, or will the Gunners rely on scraps and flashes? The squad’s depth masks a vulnerability: rotations keep legs fresh but also interrupt attacking chemistry, which helps explain why Gyokeres and others often looked isolated.
Defensively they remain composed, Saliba and Zubimendi snuffed out the rare Palace threats yet the dearth of goals from open play should prompt questions.
If Arsenal are to convert dominance into a championship, they must sharpen the last pass and add intent beyond set pieces.
For now, a win is a win, but the coming weeks will show whether this side can translate control into consistent, dangerous attacking.
