Arsenal vs Crystal Palace score, result, highlights as Gunners move closer to Premier League title

Simon Borg

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Arsenal vs Crystal Palace score, result, highlights as Gunners move closer to Premier League title image

Arsenal now have an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League with just 10 matches to play after their latest convincing victory over struggling Crystal Palace 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners put on an attacking clinic with left winger Gabriel Martinelli creating the breakthrough goal, and right winger Bukayo Saka netting twice. Forward Leandro Trossard dished out another assist to Granit Xhaka, who also got in on the scoring action.

But visiting Palace, who fired their manager just two days before, could have taken the lead with a little bit of luck after Wilfried Zaha hit the post on 11 minutes and watched the rebound bounce off Arsenal's 'keeper and out for a corner instead of goal-bound.

Palace, managed in this game by Under-21 boss Paddy McCarthy, clawed their way back to 3-1 at one point, but that was just their sixth goal scored in their last 13 matches. They are now winless in those 13 contests in all competitions, a barren streak that ultimately cost Patrick Vieira his job, and could cost Palace relegation sitting just three points above the bottom three.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are rolling toward their first Premier League title since 2004 and they next get ready to host another relegation battling side, Leeds United, after the FIFA international break on April 1. Manchester City, who have a game in hand, will have tougher opposition against Liverpool on the same day.

MORE: Arsenal's latest odds to win the Premier League

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace final score

  1H 2H Final
Arsenal 2 2 4
Crystal Palace 0 1 1

Goals:
ARS — Gabriel Martinelli (Bukayo Saka) — 28th min.
ARS — Bukayo Saka (Ben White) — 43rd min.
ARS — Granit Xhaka (Leandro Trossard) — 55th min.
CRY — Jeffrey Schlupp — 63rd min.
ARS — Bukayo Saka (Kieran Tierney) — 75th min.

Lineups:

Arsenal lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 1-Ramsdale (GK) — 4-White (Jorginho, 83'), 16-Holding, 6-Gabriel (Kiwior, 86'), 35-Zinchenko (Tierney, 65') — 8-Odegaard, 5-Partey, 34-Xhaka — 7-Saka, 19-Trossard (Jesus, 65'), 11-Martinelli (Smith Rowe, 83')

Crystal Palace lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 41-Whitworth (GK) — 2-Ward, 6-Guehi, 5-Tomkins, 3-Mitchell — 4-Milivojevic (Hughes, 65'), 28-Doucoure, 15-Schlupp (Ahamada, 83') — 7-Olise (Eze, 83'), 22-Edouard (Ayew, 65'), 11-Zaha

No William Saliba, no problem

Much was made in the lead-up about the absence of the French centre-back for the first time this Premier League season, but Rob Holding held his own as his replacement. Then again, Crystal Palace rarely tested Arsenal with only an occasion run by Wilfried Zaha and Odsonne Edouard in the first half -- usually triggered by the busy Jeffrey Schlupp.

The Gunners are fortunate that Saliba's back injury, which should also keep him out of international duty for France, came against Palace and with two weeks to rest up until the next match.

Martinelli, Saka, lead way for Arsenal

With Crystal Palace playing defense-first, and focused on staying organised and breaking up Arsenal's play, the Gunners needed a magic moment from one of their front players to break open the scoring. Lately, that breakthrough moment has been coming through the fleet feet of Gabriel Martinelli, who danced past Palace right-back Joel Ward and lashed home the first tally of the day that set the Gunners on their way.

It wasn't lost on Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta that Martinelli was still getting over a failed penalty conversion in a shootout loss against Sporting Lisbon on Thursday. "That was the reaction he had after missing the penalty," Arteta said. "I asked him [Saturday] how he was and he said 'I want to go again.'"

Arsenal or Manchester City: Who survives April gauntlet? 

Arsenal have an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League, but Man City still have a game in hand with the postponed West Ham match still to be made up. 

The head-to-head showdown between Man City and Arsenal on April 26 is going to go a long way toward deciding the title, and Arsenal have a slightly easier path leading up to that match, while Man City are juggling three competitions. 

Arsenal in April: The Gunners have home games against Leeds (April 1) and Southampton (April 21), sandwiching back-to-back road trips to Liverpool (April 9) and West Ham (April 16). That's just four matches until the April 26 head-to-head.

Man City in April: The Citizens also face Liverpool (except at the Etihad on April 1), but they travel to high-flying Brighton (April 23). Matches against Southampton (April 8) and Leicester City (April 15) are also in the mix, along with their UEFA Champions League quarterfinals against Bayern (April 11 & April 19), and an FA Cup semifinal against Sheffield United on April 22.

That's three more matches on Man City's calendar. And that's without accounting for the West Ham game in hand. It's hard not to like Arsenal's chances all things considered.

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace updates, highlights

Final: Arsenal 4-1 Crystal Palace

86th min.: SUB Arsenal. Jakub Kiwior gets his first taste of Premier League action for Gabriel at centre-back.

83rd min.: SUBS for both sides. Jorginho and Emile Smith Rowe on for Arsenal (for Ben White and Gabriel Martinelli). Crystal Palace introduce Naouirou Ahamada and Eberechi Eze (for Jeffrey Schlupp and Michael Olise).

75th min.: Goal Arsenal! And just like that, Arsenal thump home another. And it's too easy. Kieran Tierney lifts up his head and feeds Saka on the ground, who takes it first time. The Palace goalkeeper is beaten again.

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72nd min.: Chance Palace! It's Schlupp again at the centre of it from midfield. He feeds Wilfried Zaha and his diagonal ball from the left goes through the six-yard box and wide of the far post. Cross? Shot? Neither worked out for Palace. That could've been 3-2.

65th min.: SUBS. Both sides bring on two players. Gabriel Jesus and Kieran Tierney on for Arsenal (for Trossard and Zinchenko). Jordan Ayew and Will Hughes in the match for Palace (for Odsonne Edouard and Milivojevic).

63rd min.: Goal Crystal Palace! A Palace corner is not dealt with by Arsenal and Jeffrey Schlupp who gets it puts home the loose ball.

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60th min.: That goal by Granit Xhaka is a complete 180 turn from what things looked like in 2019.

55th min.: Goal Arsenal! That's the game. Granit Xhaka gets in on the action with a give-and-go with Leandro Trossard and Xhaka just dinks it past Palace goalkeeper Joe Whitworth.

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51st min.: Palace penalty? Wilfried Zaha goes down in the box on the challenge from Thomas Partey from behind, but referee Stuart Atwell doesn't see anything egregious about the play.

46th min.: The second half is underway. No changes from either side. Arsenal get back to their passing and moving and Crystal Palace will once again do their best to try to stop them.

Halftime: Arsenal 2-0 Crystal Palace

Halftime: It looked like Crystal Palace were set to give Arsenal a tough time in this game, but they hit the post on their best chance and then Arsenal's wingers resolved the match. Gabriel Martinelli came up with a solo play to open the scoring, and Bukayo Saka was clever on his movement and finish moments later.

Arsenal are now cruising. A Crystal Palace team that has scored five goals in their last 12 matches will likely not cause many issues for the rest of this game. The Emirates Stadium is rocking and the second half should be a party.

43rd min.: Goal Arsenal! This time it's Bukayo Saka who sneaks in behind Wilfried Zaha in the Palace box and puts it home. He made it look too easy.

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41st min.: Arsenal now patiently knocking it around the Palace box. The attacks are often starting on the right side with Saka/Odegaard, but the ball is moving nicely for the Gunners.

35th min.: Bukayo Saka got the assist on the goal and he reaches a notable statistical milestone.

28th min.: Goal Arsenal! Bukayo Saka's cross from the right finds Gabriel Martinelli at the opposite post. He dances around Joel Ward and whips a shot past the Palace 'keeper and into the far side netting. Martinelli did that all on his own.

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25th min.: It's been a good start to this game by Crystal Palace and their interim manager Paddy McCarthy. They've pressed Arsenal, and they've had their share of attacks. This despite missing several players.

And shortly after, right winger Michael Olise tracks back to stop a Leandro Trossard attack. Strong show of commitment from Olise to make that run.

20th min.: Injury stoppage. Palace left-back Tyrick Mitchell is injured. He looks resigned as he comes off the field, but he's back in the game.

18th min.: Chance Arsenal. Martin Odegaard picks up a loose ball at the top of the Palace box and fires at goal, but goalkeeper Joe Whitworth stops it. However, Bukayo Saka was offside on the play.

16th min.: Chance Palace! Odsonne Edouard slipped in behind the Arsenal backline, but can't beat Aaron Ramsdale with his shot. Turns out Edouard was offside on the Jeffrey Schlupp pass, but dangerous nonetheless.

11th min.: Chance Palace! Wilfried Zaha takes on Arsenal right-back Ben White 1-on-1 and then rips a shot which hits the left post and bounces off Ramsdale and out for a corner. Nothing comes of the set-piece.

Arsenal get lucky. That could have bounced off Ramsdale and into the net.

10th min.: Leandro Trossard goes down in the Palace area, but it was a half-hearted attempt at drawing a penalty. That attack was kickstarted by a quick Zinchenko throw-in to Gabriel Martinelli.

5th min.: Arsenal on the front foot, as you'd expect. But separate defensive plays by Palace defender Marc Guehi and midfielder Cheick Doucoure neutralise two Arsenal attacks that reached the area.

1st min.: We're off. There's a thin veil of smoke from flares in the stadium.

5 mins from kickoff: The teams are out on the pitch. Kickoff is moments away.

15 mins from kickoff: Injury change at centre-back for Crystal Palace. Joachim Andersen is a key part of their backline, and he's out.

19 mins from kickoff: A look at the jerseys both teams will be wearing today:

23 mins from kickoff: There seems to be an issue with Crystal Palace centre-back Joachim Andersen during warmups. We'll be monitoring this one for any lineup updates.

30 mins from kickoff: This has got to be among the nicest-looking goals scored in a match between these two teams.

35 mins from kickoff: These are the pre-match scenes when you're battling for a Premier League title.

45 mins from kickoff: All eyes will be on whether Rob Holding can do enough to fill in for William Saliba. This compilation is what any Gunners supporter will be afraid of.

60 mins from kickoff: Lineups are out. No surprises. Will Hughes makes the bench for Palace, but no James McArthur.

120 mins from kickoff: Arsenal are set to miss William Saliba for the first time this Premier League season. Reuell Walters, an 18-year-old right-back from the Arsenal academy, is reportedly taking his spot in the matchday squad. Walters can play at centre-back in a pinch.

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace lineups

Manager Mikel Arteta has two key absences along the backline with starting centre-back William Saliba forced to sit out with a back injury, while right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu is also sidelined with a knock picked up against Sporting CP in midweek Europa League action. Mohamed Elneny is out long-term and Eddie Nketiah is still missing with an ankle issue.

Arsenal lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 1-Aaron Ramsdale (GK) — 4-Ben White, 16-Rob Holding, 6-Gabriel, 35-Oleksandr Zinchenko — 8-Martin Odegaard, 5-Thomas Partey, 34-Granit Xhaka — 7-Bukayo Saka, 19-Leandro Trossard, 11-Gabriel Martinelli

Arsenal subs (9): 30-Matt Turner (GK), 3-Kieran Tierney, 97-Reuell Walters, 15-Jakub Kiwior, 20-Jorginho, 21-Fabio Vieira, 10-Emile Smith Rowe, 24-Reiss Nelson, 9-Gabriel Jesus.

First-choice goalkeeper Vicente Guaita is out with a hamstring injury, while Arsenal loanee Albert Sambi Lokonga is ineligible to play against the Gunners as part of the loan deal. James McArthur is unavailable after a bout with illness, but fellow midfielder Will Hughes is available off the bench.

Joachim Andersen was a late scratch during warmups with James Tomkins taking his place instead of American Chris Richards.

Crystal Palace lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 41-Joe Whitworth (GK) — 2-Joel Ward, 6-Marc Guehi, 5-James Tomkins, 3-Tyrick Mitchell — 4-Luka Milivojevic, 28-Cheick Doucoure, 15-Jeffrey Schlupp — 7-Michael Olise, 22-Odsonne Edouard, 11-Wilfried Zaha

Crystal Palace subs (9): 63-Owen Goodman, 44-Jairo Riedewald, 26-Chris Richards, 17-Nathaniel Clyne, 19-Will Hughes, 29-Naouirou Ahamada, 10-Eberechi Eze, 9-Jordan Ayew, 14-Jean-Philippe Mateta

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace live stream, TV channel

Here's how to watch the action from Emirates Stadium in some of the major territories around the world:

  Date &
Time		 TV channel Streaming
Australia Mon, Mar. 20
01:00 AEDT		 — Optus Sport
Canada Sun, Mar. 19
10:00 EDT		 — fuboTV Canada
Hong Kong Sun, Mar. 19
22:00 HKT		 — Now E
India Sun, Mar. 19
19:30 AEDT		 Star Sports Select 1 Jio TV,
Hotstar VIP
Malaysia Sun, Mar. 19
22:00 MYT		 Astro SuperSport

Astro GO, sooka

New Zealand Mon, Mar. 20
03:00 AEDT		 — Sky Sport NOW
Singapore Sun, Mar. 19
22:00 SGT		 Hub Premier (Ch. 221) StarHub TV+
UK Sun, Mar. 19
14:00 EDT		 — —
USA Sun, Mar. 19
10:00 EDT		 USA Network,
Telemundo		 fuboTV,
Telemundo Deportes En Vivo

UK: This match will not be available to watch live in the UK.

USA: This match will be televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo (Spanish) with both broadcasts streaming on fuboTV, which is available to new users on a free trial.

Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streaming exclusively via fuboTV in Canada.

Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport. 

Simon Borg

Simon Borg Photo

Simon Borg is a senior editor at The Sporting News who has covered football/soccer for over a decade. A supporter of Italian club Parma Calcio from his years growing up in Europe, he was previously a long-time member of Major League Soccer's digital media team, as a multimedia content producer, on-air personality, and Editor-in-Chief. Based in New York City, Borg is multilingual and has covered the domestic and global scene for TSN since 2021.