Arsenal 2-0 Crystal Palace: Five talking points as Giroud hits stunner in Gunners win
Monday 2 January 2017 11:12, UK
Olivier Giroud struck a stunning goal as Arsenal claimed a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace to move up to third in the Premier League table.
The Frenchman opened the scoring with a superb scorpion-kick strike from Alexis Sanchez's cross in the 17th minute, with Alex Iwobi adding Arsenal's second goal after the break.
From Giroud's moment of brilliance to Hector Bellerin's impressive performance, here are five talking points from the game.
Goal of the season?
Six days after Henrikh Mkhitaryan's stunning flicked finish for Manchester United against Sunderland, Olivier Giroud produced a breath-taking version of his own. The Frenchman's ingenious strike capped a slick Arsenal counter-attack, with an awestruck Gary Neville describing it as one of the best goals he had ever seen in the Sky Sports commentary box.
The goal immediately sparked a debate over which was better, but for the Arsenal fans around the Emirates Stadium there was only one winner. The impeccable approach play only enhanced the spectacle, and there was the extra satisfaction of Giroud's looping finish crashing in off the underside of the crossbar.
Giroud put it down to good luck in his post-match interview, but it was enough to earn him the man-of-the-match award. The Frenchman has taken a backseat this season due to Sanchez's excellent form, but he has now scored seven goals in just 571 minutes of Premier League and Champions League action. This was another game to underline his value to Arsene Wenger's side.
Rare chance for Lucas Perez
It has been a frustrating start to life at Arsenal for Lucas Perez, with a combination of injuries and impressive performances from team-mates keeping him on the fringes of Wenger's first-team. But with Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil sidelined against Palace, the Spanish striker was handed only his second Premier League start of the campaign.
Lucas lined up on the right of Arsenal's attack, forming an effective partnership with Bellerin and making life difficult for Palace's defenders with plenty of clever runs into central areas. He lacked end product on a couple of occasions, but he did play an important role in Giroud's goal, intercepting a Palace pass deep in his own half and launching the counter-attack.
Palace off the pace?
There were signs of improvement from Crystal Palace as they claimed a point against Watford in Sam Allardyce's first game in charge on Boxing Day, but there weren't many positives against Arsenal. The Eagles offered little resistance at the Emirates Stadium, and they only came to life as an attacking force when the game was effectively out of reach.
Allardyce will be concerned by their meek defensive performance. It was typified by Arsenal's second goal. Iwobi was allowed to rise unchallenged in the six-yard box, and Joel Ward inexplicably failed to head his looping effort off the line. "They are so weary, so tired," said Neville. "They look like they are just ready to be beaten."
Allardyce bemoaned the hectic festive fixture schedule in his post-match interview, but he will need instant improvement when Palace face fellow strugglers Swansea on Tuesday night. They are still two points clear of the relegation zone, but there is plenty of work to do to ensure they do not slip further down the table.
Bellerin's stock still rising
If it weren't for Giroud's brilliantly-taken opener, the man-of-the-match award would probably have gone to Bellerin. The young full-back faced a tricky test up against one of the Premier League's top dribblers in Wilfried Zaha, but he never allowed the Palace winger to get on top of him, winning possession more times (14) than any other player on the pitch.
Bellerin coupled defensive solidity with a typically adventurous attacking performance. Only Granit Xhaka had more touches and played more passes than the 21-year-old, whose marauding runs up the right flank were a constant source of danger to the visitors.
The opening of the transfer window will be greeted by the usual calls for Wenger to strengthen his squad, but Arsenal completed their most valuable piece of business when they tied Bellerin to a new long-term contract in November. He is already an integral player for the Gunners - and he's improving all the time.
Vital win for Arsenal
The Gunners went into the game knowing nothing less than three points would suffice. A day earlier, Antonio Conte's Chelsea had clinched a season record-equalling 13th-consecutive Premier League victory over Stoke, and over the course of the weekend Manchester City were the only top-six side who failed to win.
The Premier League title race is already taking place at a frantic pace, and a second consecutive win was exactly what Arsenal needed after their back-to-back defeats to Everton and Manchester City. With their next four games coming against Bournemouth, Swansea, Burnley and Watford, Wenger's side have a chance to build up momentum before their meeting with Chelsea on February 4.
