The now customary 2-0 win was in effect again (for the 11th time this season). Crystal Palace were awkward opponents, but Arsenal ended up having just enough quality to overwhelm the Eagles to send the Gunners top of the table (for now).
Wojciech Szczesny - 7 – His kicking remains a concern, but the Pole's overall level of performance remains strong. And his save from Cameron Jerome at 1-0 up probably stopped 3 points becoming 1. It's these moments that can make the difference at the end of the season.
Bacary Sagna – 7 – Another solid display from Sagna. He stopped Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon make much headway down his side of the pitch, and was a willing option for his teammates in the first-half.
Per Mertesacker – 8 – Mertesacker's form dipped slightly in the past couple of weeks, but he was back to his best today. He made a series of important tackles in 1 vs 1 situations when Arsenal were in danger of being exposed on the counter.
Laurent Koscielny – 7 – Koscielny had a couple of difficult moments early on, when up against Marouane Chamakh. However, he regained his composure, and was a smooth and calming presence in defence.
Nacho Monreal – 6 – The Spaniard had a good first-half, and almost gave Arsenal the lead, latching on to a sumptuous pass form Mesut Ozil. However, he was targeted in the second-half, and struggled at times when Palace pressed for an equaliser.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 8 – We saw just why Oxlade-Chamberlain still has a bit to learn in the centre, as he didn't always find the mark with his passing, and was sometimes caught out of position. However, we also saw just why his future will probably be in the centre. Similar to Aaron Ramsey, his directness and shuttling runs made the difference in the contest, and he took his goals with real aplomb.
Mikel Arteta – 7 – This was one of Arteta's better displays this season, as he not only passed the ball excellently – shown by his pass success rate of 96%, but he also provided an important defensive bulwark, winning 6 tackles – more than any of his teammates.
Santi Cazorla – 7 – After some strong recent form, Cazorla was slightly off his best today. He failed to find a red shirt with any of his crosses and was dispossessed 4 times. However, one shouldn't overlook his role in Oxlade-Chamberlain's first goal, which was an exquisite piece of play.
Mesut Ozil – 6 – This was another of those games that could stand Ozil in good stead over the coming seasons. But in and of itself, it was a mediocre display, where he was on the fringes of the action. Arsenal will need a bit more from him in the upcoming weeks.
Lukas Podolski – 6 – One sensed that this was more a game to help Podolski regain his match-fitness. As Gary Neville pointed out on the Sky Sports commentary, his starting position was too deep, meaning he didn't have much impact on the play.
Olivier Giroud – 6 – Normally Giroud is the most reliable of men to hold the ball up. But he struggled to get much change out of Damien Delaney and Danny Gabbidon, being dispossessed 5 times. However, he managed to get the better of them on one important moment, combining with Oxlade-Chamberlain to create the second goal.
SUBS
Tomas Rosicky – N/A – Re-energised a sluggish midfield.
Kieran Gibbs – N/A – Came on to stiffen the left-hand side.
Nicklas Bendtner – N/A – Was brought on to give Giroud a rest.
Arsenal have been doing just enough in recent weeks to sustain their title challenge. However, a storm is coming, and it remains to be seen whether they can ride it out without the ship coming apart. Personally if Arsenal can be within 3 points of the top in a month's time, the title is a serious possibility. If not... well, let's just hope we're still in the FA Cup.
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