Arsenal, who are presently leading the Premier League, defeated Crystal Palace 4-1 on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium, creating football league history.
Two days prior to the game, Crystal Palace fired Patrick Vieira as manager, but despite this, they were unable to compete with Arsenal, who had the chance to close the gap on FA Cup-contending Manchester City.
Gabriel Martinelli, Granit Xhaka, and Bukayo Saka each added a goal, and Jeffrey Schlupp netted a consolation goal for the visitors. As they enter the international break, Arsenal has a game in hand and presently leads the defending champions by eight points. Moreover, Arsenal has broken a record by winning nine London derbies this season, which is the most victories by any team in a single season in capital contests.
With 28 out of a possible 30 points, Arsenal has had an exceptional season while playing other London clubs, with their lone draw coming against Brentford last month.
Arteta’s team impressed the boss with their performance even though they were eliminated from the Europa League last Thursday and lost two players to injuries. Rob Holding, who made his first Premier League start of the year owing to injuries, particularly impressed Arteta with how well he blended into the Arsenal defense. After playing 120 minutes in the Europa League and losing two important players, Arteta stated his happiness with his team’s performance and their ability to compete and win the game.
During the game, Holding won 11 out of 15 ground and aerial duels, made five clearances, and had an impressive passing accuracy by completing all five long ball attempts.
Holding might be required in some pivotal games in the remaining fixtures of the season because Takehiro Tomiyasu is also out injured and will likely miss several weeks owing to a back issue. After the game, Bukayo Saka had nothing but praise for his fellow Brit.
In an interview with Arsenal’s media outlets, the 21-year-old added, “I gave him a big hug when he came into the changing room because he deserves it.
He was outstanding. To maintain the level at which we have been playing, we need that when he enters the game. He deserves praise for today because he was great.
After the international break, Arsenal’s first game back is against Leeds United at home on April 1. Eight days later, they travel to Anfield to play Liverpool.
