Eze Haunts Former Club as Arsenal Extend Lead at the Top

Premier League leaders Arsenal stretched their winning run to four matches with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium, moving four points clear at the summit.

The visitors began brightly and looked the more dangerous side in the opening exchanges, with Arsenal taking time to find their rhythm. Oliver Glasner’s men, who suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat to AEK Larnaca in the UEFA Conference League midweek, showed no signs of a hangover early on as they frustrated the Gunners for much of the first half.

However, Palace’s promising start was undone six minutes before the break — and by a familiar face. Former Eagle Eberechi Eze delivered the decisive moment, latching onto a loose ball after Gabriel Magalhães had headed a free-kick back into the box. Eze’s acrobatic first-time finish flew into the net, giving Arsenal the lead with just their second effort on target.

Buoyed by that breakthrough, Mikel Arteta’s side came out with renewed intent after the interval. Gabriel almost doubled the advantage shortly after the restart when his header from Declan Rice’s cross rattled the crossbar, before Rice and Bukayo Saka both went close to extending the lead.

While Arsenal sharpened up in attack, their defensive solidity once again stood out. Having conceded just three league goals all season — their joint-best defensive record at this stage since 1998/99 — the Gunners kept Palace comfortably at bay to secure a fifth straight clean sheet in all competitions.

The result continues Arsenal’s impressive form, marking their seventh win in their last eight meetings with Palace and preserving their unbeaten home record this campaign.

For Palace, the defeat extends their winless run to four games, though with only two league losses so far, Glasner’s side remain in the top half and can take positives from their spirited performance against the league leaders.