Arsenal hosted Crystal Palace, with the chance to go eight points clear at the top of the league. But Palace are a team who haven’t lost at the Emirates for five years…
However, Arsenal had no time for ominous statistics and overpowered their opponents with a stellar showing. Bukayo Saka scored twice and assisted one in a MOTM performance.
Arsenal now pile the pressure on Man City, who don’t play in the league this weekend, before the international break. Onwards and upwards!
Here’s how the players rated this afternoon.
Read the Arsenal 4-1 Crystal Palace report and see the goals here
Arsenal 4-1 Crystal Palace – Player Ratings
The ratings are hidden by default until you vote, but if you just want to view the ratings and the comments, flick the switch at the top above Aaron Ramsdale. Also, please give the ratings a few seconds to load.
+8/+19 City/Utd
+20 on Spuds, +27 on Liverpool and +31 on Chelsea as well.
We have already eliminated nine clubs from the title race – everyone from Crystal Palace on down can no longer catch us. Beat Leeds on April Fools Day and we eliminate Aston Villa, Chel$ki, and Fulham. Win the next four matches after that and we eliminate everybody except City and United. Not counting my chickens yet … but it’s getting closer!
BLOGS gave Ben white a 9.5 even after he lost his cool and booted the ball unnecessarily out for a corner from almost close to the halfway line which lead to us conceding yet another goal from set piece. In other word defense didn’t even keep a clean sheet and Ben white who was in part responsible for us conceding the goal gets a 9.5 a 9.5???? my word what happens if he actually plays just a little bit better and keeps a clean sheet in lets say a 0-0 draw would that be a 10/10 fro Ben white?? The… Read more »
I didn’t do ratings for this game, nor am I English, so take your tinfoil hat off
Well then whoever rated this game should be shot in the face with a cannon lol like how is Ben White a 9.5 in this game. I’ve watched Ben white have better games in an Arsenal shirt than he did against palace and he never got a 9.5. I’m just making observations and pointing out what I see that’s all. What I see is English bias often in media in blogs etc but I learned today you’re not English that’s fair no hate on the English just sometimes they need to calm down on the bias and lack of objectivity… Read more »
BOOM!! 8 points!! Have that city!!!
8 points gap at least until 1st of April no less
I’m gonna look at that… a lot
You’d be a fool to think we can’t win this thing.
but you’d be wise to remember we haven’t won it yet
I was just referring to the 1st of April. But you are definitely right.
And it’s worth noting that they have to play Liverpool before we play Leeds on April 1st. No pressure on them then..
St Totteringham’s day is imminent, mind the chasm
Their chances of catching us ended a long time ago
Especially with a manager who is either begging to be sacked BEFORE his contract expires in the summer, or who is guaranteeing that it won’t be renewed anytime soon.
Always in our shadow.
Conte made my year with his post match rant. I don’t think any Arsenal fan could put them in their place like Conte. One of the highlights of the season!
A maximum of 11 points required, though to be honest i’d be very surprised if they didn’t drop another 11 points.
Yes. 11 more points won by Arsenal or lost by that trophy-less lot down the road and we’ll be celebrating.
Bask Away
Bonus rating: 20/10….. 20 points clear from a club whose Manager (in a rare flash of lucidity) has just stated publicly how poor they are and how they have won nothing in 20 years….
He speaks the truth
The manager in question was only partially right, as I believe that his club won the League Cup in 2008. But it’s not a good look when you don’t even know your own club’s history.
Conte meant nothing ‘of any note’ lol
8 points clear! YEAAA BABY!
Goal difference is steadily improving as well, which could be massive.
There’s not an Arsenal player I’d like to have a pint or two with more than Benny Blanco. Dude is hillarious. COYG
You know he’s dipping his cock in your pint when you’re in the toilet.
isn’t that kyle wanker
No chance, by all accounts he didn’t fit in to the England #BanterCamp at all
Makes that pint taste even better!!
This honestly made me laugh too hard
From the bronx?
Loved the way he bounced back up so quickly after it seemed Zaha had elbowed him in the face.
Improving in the final third, and just does what he has to, with minimal fuss.
Man of the match for me
He was tremendous, but as soon as he twatted that ball out for a corner I thought ‘we’ll concede here’. It shouldn’t be the case, and we should be better defending corners, but I do think he lost his composure there momentarily and he had the time/space and ability to either pick up the lose ball, or at least get it out for a throw.
But its only a minor gripe in an otherwise magnificent performance.
Benjamin would be great to have a pint with, as long as pub isn’t showing football. That would make him very angry! Love him, a legend already ❤
Really solid game! 9.5/10 feeling! Ramsdale keeps us in the game so much. He has been amazing in 1v1 situations.
Saka did so brilliantly to curve his run to stay onside for the first goal.. that’s is just so so intelligent play! Tierrney had amazing 15/20 mins! His overlapping runs and speed is so delightful to see, had been a while since we saw those. Gives us an option to let Zinch operate on the right fullback and help control midfield and let Martinelli and Tierrney terrorize the left flank.. wishful but an option!
I’m really happy with KT today. Played so good both in attack and defence.
I actually thought we looked better with KT on.
I am not wishing to change how we set up currently since Ben has been doing an outstanding job on the right… but if need be.. we can have an effective attacking combo on the left with Martinelli and Tiernney. It feels our depth is reliable and isnt a big downgrade from starting 11.
Ziiiinch is a diamond geeza but I do feel we look more dangerous down the left with KT on. Ziiinch has been a little sloppy of late and KT is undeniably more solid on defence.
Stay focused. One game at a time!
Well done today lads! Can’t even pick a MOTM, they all played so well.
Holding MOTM for me. Pre game, I thought he was our weakest link. And he went ahead and had a blinder. Exceeded my expectations. We all know Saka, Martinelli, Odegaard, Zinny, Partey, Gabriel, White are outstanding and it’s an expectation for them to perform @ 8/10 day in day out. Holding, I love him but i don’t expect him to perform at that level. Filled in for Big Saliba admirably. Weakest link in the chain was as strong as anyone today. Chapeu!
Holdini always steps up when needed, had 91% pass completion today as well. Still can’t get used to his hair though 🤣
And he still hasn’t taken Wilf out of his right shorts pocket!
10 more finals!
8 more finals. We only need to win 8 (beat city and we only need to win 7)
Beat City, and we still need to win 8, assuming that City. win all their other games. Otherwise, we need to win 9.
Scores out of 10 cannot so Saka justice. I remember a lot of talk about how Arteta improved Sterling at City but holy crap have Saka and Martinelli kicked on under this manager! Love to see it!
A nice little break then 10 more finals and the title is ours! COYG!!
It will only take 9
8
My joy is limitless, arsenal makes every match feel like your birthday.
Happy Birthday 😀
I have to say that White was completely unplayable today. The weight of his passes in particular was absolutely sublime.
Great performances from the whole team though. Well done lads!
Not really what you’d expect from a full back converted from a centre back is it… our two full backs are more creative than most clubs’ best midfielders. Love Arsenal
Remember chambers at rb? No terrible, white is on another planet.
Yes, White is outstanding. I wonder why he blasted that ball over the endline though. Palace scored on the corner. Live and learn.
Fucking international break comes at a terrible time for us! We were unreal today, didn’t stop once, GD is so close now! Another game ticked off ..
On the other hand, Saliba has time to recover and City can keep getting stressed about THAT GAP. 🙂
It comes at a good time to get Saliba back (pun intended) and Jesus/ESR up to higher fitness levels.
That’s it. Imagine if we had lost the game and would’ve had 2 weeks to stew in two successive defeats, I’d much rather go into it this way. Now ESR and Jesus will be training with Martinelli and co and settling back in, Saliba can recover. And Ben White will have plenty of time to laugh in disbelief at whoever Southgate plays ahead of him when he’s clearly the best RB in England, and hopefully take his rage out on the pitch against Leeds and Liverpool.
I feel like this is a nice pause for us. Got some injured players to heal. A chance to look at a very happy table for 2 whole weeks. And the opposite for City.
Nah, we’ve been playing consistently well in the league since Trossard came in, whereas City, Haaland and KdB have just recently started hitting their stride again, so any chance to stop them from getting into an unstoppable rhythm (plus our Saliba needing time to heal) is good for us.
Ten to go! And we have all in our hands.
COYG
This is what happens when you Saka manager
Niceeee!
And someone (@Sheldon) says some neg remarks about Holding. How wrong it turns out to be. Holding is really putting in a shift and step in well when called upon. A good game for his 1st start to the season. Reminds me of Mo but in Defence
Nobody doubts Holding can do a job against a Palace and a Leeds. The concern is against Liverpool and Man City in April. Hopefully Saliba isn’t too serious.
Or we can play with Tomiyasu at RB and Ben White at CB, with Holding as a backup.
Yeah it worked pretty well last year after all, until Tomiyasu and Tierney got injured anyway
Yeah that’s the thing with Holding. But the question is how would we be able to keep hold of a 4th choice centre back able to go to toe to toe in a high line against Man City, Liverpool etc, when if they can do that they would also be good enough to start for other big clubs?
Holding is about as good as we can hope for in that 4th choice CB role I reckon, and with his experience and home grown status brings us some extra benefits
Holding is not a 4th choice CB. He is 2nd choice right sided CB. He was outstanding
The managers dilemma…a player of the highest caliber who oozes teamwork, attitude, club dedication and character along with lots of talent and hard work. He, Holding, is a bit slower in some areas when compared to the very best in the world but we are really fortunate we have him. Be careful what we wish for, a balanced team filled with character and talent that fight for each other is something most managers dream of and work hard to achieve.
Totally agree, as a 4th choice he’s as good as you can get.
The question for me is, who is 3rd choice? That’s a more important squad position, and I guess it’s Kiwior but we haven’t seen much of him.
To be fair to Rob, he excelled against a team who counter attack with a lot of pace and this is something that most of us didn’t think he had in his locker.
And Zaha is still a delightful player. Just in the wrong team.
Thought he was awful to be fair, far too selfish at times. He looks at the referee more than he looks at his own team mates.
He doesn’t do much defensive work anymore either. He totally shut off for our first goal. Thanks Wilf!
I think he knows that as far as ending up a ‘big’ club, his ship sailed a long time ago
He’ll probably join Sp*rs in the summer then.
He’s an absolute eye bleeder of a player to watch. Like Sanchez with his one-man team mentality and tendency to get on his teammates’ backs, but with far fewer goals and assists, and a lot more diving
Constantly running down dead ends, never gets his head up, and these days doesn’t even bring the same energy levels that he used to
So greatful that we didn’t spend £80m on him under Emery, even if it just went on Pepe instead
Not as selfish as all Spurs players of the last 20yrs.
Brilliant way to bounce straight back from the disappointment of going out of Europa League midweek, all a distant memory now. The mentality is this group of players is elite! Mikel has done a masterclass. 10 more finals to go. COYG!!!
Arsenal, just get a draw at Shitty and we will be fine. A win will be much better too. And it’s so close to St totteringham. Happy days
No-one cares about St Totteringham Day any more, We’re playing with the big boys now not some Europa Conference League wannabees..Spuds are NOT our rivals
I was worried about Holding, especially playing out from the back and against pace. But he deserves a shout out. Including the shot. Tierney too.
His criticism after getting sent of at Sp*rs last season was way over the top. He’s a solid player and always has been.
Yep, the little bitch Son elbowed him in the throat first and got away with it (Though Rob shouldn’t have retaliated)
Not sure if he was better than White or Trossard (who for me was MotM) but Saka’s goals were just so good. The one touch finish from Tierney’s pass from 15 yards, he made it look so much easier than it has any right to be… man is absolutely lethal.
Great game, well done.
Just want to point out that the Live Blog was well written today too. It’s harder than it seems to write live like that but it was timely and informative and fun to read today.
Great work.
10/10 for Gareth Southgate ignoring Benjamin White’s rise as the best right back in the Premier League so he can have a rest during the international break
I wouldn’t be surprised if his England squad omission was part of the reason why White played so well today, hehehehehehehehehehe.
I think we are a pretty safe bet now for at least 2nd place and CL next season which in itself would be an incredible achievement!
But my word if we won the title I think I would spontaneously combust with happiness!
Was worried at the start of game with Saliba missing but thought Bob was awesome, Kiwior looked ok when he came on too. Lovely cameo from Kirien, beautiful assist. Happy flowers
Loved the Viera chants after scoring!!
Nice touch.
Was very happy to give Rob Holding a 9 in an effort to bring up the score. Was happy to see that I wasn’t alone. Immense game from the back line today despite their goal.
Great win. Like the assuredness the boys are playing with. One gripe – what’s the set piece coach doing? Inevitably when a team scores against us, it’s from a set piece.
How is Partey 7.5? Why are his ratings always low from you guys? 7.5?
Agree. He bossed the game, kept driving us forward.
SAY NO MORE! <3
Partey grew into the game? Blogs didn’t watch Partey today.
Blogs didn’t do the ratings today 😉
We Love you Blogs ❤ The go to place for all about The Arsenal, keep doing what you do 😀
Also hope we don’t let Tierney go. His introduction added a new dimension to the game and I loved it.
Agree on Partey rating, best player on a pitch of fantastic footballers on our side. I believe he’s the best #6 in the EPL and maybe the world. Brilliant player
bonus rating 10/10 theo walcott for yesterday’s goal and assist against the lot down the road. mind the chasm!
Don’t forget AMN drawing the penalty at the death!
He was also culpable for Kane’s goal so he gets a zero
Theo’s first pump after that assist!
I thought holding was absolutely smashing
Literally won every header – and every tackle – massively dominant display from him
Without getting a yellow too
Credit to him
It’s that new hair. Just keep him away from hairdressers called Delilah
Is it just me or is Blogs being a little harsh on Thomas?
So much that is good about this team’s pace, energy and penetration comes through him.
And then he only went and flawlessly covered RB, ffs!!!
I wondered why Ben white kicked the ball out for a corner. I thought he had enough space and time to recover the ball or play it out for a throw instead. Nonetheless, almost flawless victory 😀
Seems churlish to castigate anyone after that brilliant display but yes, a brain fart
Somebody said the champion will be crowned at 90 points, so we only need 21 points more.
Billy Dunmore I saw game as you!
Partey rating seems low to me. I honestly can’t rate him high enough. The number of times the pace of the game changes because of something he does is really unvelievable. He is utterly world class.
7.5 for Holding is not due credit now. At least 8. Well I give him 8.5. It’s that kind of days work.
Probably his finest performance to date
The understanding between saka ,Ben and Odegaard was absolutely beauty to watch.
Rob Holding is scaring the life out of me. He’s turning into Ducan Ferguson.