Ten men Arsenal beat Crystal Palace to stay top

Arsenal against relegation threatened Crystal Palace. A game that should've been as one sided as a game of football could get. Palace had only won one game all season whilst Arsenal had only lost once in the League. However it was far from a thrashing as Crystal Palace caused Arsenal problems and weren't clinical whilst the Gunners fired home twice, despite having a man sent off. The win ensured they remained on top of the Premier League. With a tough run of games coming up the win added extra significance and it was a surprise to see a fully strength team out, some of the players looked absolutely shattered at full time. Chelsea on Tuesday in the League Cup will be a good chance to rest a few players with Liverpool coming up next weekend.

Mikel Arteta scored from the spot but was later sent off

Having lost in the week for only the second time in 25 games it was a real test of character for the side but they did well to bounce back and showed the brilliant spirit these bunch of players have. Arsenal had really missed Mathieu Flamini in the week but he was back in the starting line-up for this game, albeit for only 8 minutes. He went off with a groin problem leaving a hole in the middle of the park. Serge Gnabry came on and did well but he was out wide which left Ramsey and Arteta in the holding roles. Arsenal had dominated the first ten minutes but when Flamini went off Palace stepped their game up.

Marouane Chamakh was back against his old club for Palace and he was finding space and was holding the ball up well. He had a chance from the edge of the area which was saved by Szczesny and then he had a brilliant chance to head home from 6 yards out but he failed to make contact with the ball. The hole that had been left by the departing Flamini was evident as that was where the home side's pressure was predominantly coming from.

As the first half drew to a close Palace were looking the most likely to score, Arsenal were sloppy in and around the penalty area and the short passes they'd been allowed to do against Norwich were not coming off against a tightly knitted Palace defence.

Serge Gnabry was very lively when he came on. He could've won a penalty at the end of the first half but the referee deemed it to be just outside when replays showed that it was just inside. A tough call but the referee made up for it right at the start of the second half. Serge Gnabry cut back and was then brought down by a silly challenge from Guedioura. All of Palace's hard work in the first half had been undone as Arteta cooly dispatched his penalty. 

The game was to then turn again just after the hour mark. Crystal Palace cleared the ball down field from a corner and Chamakh found himself in acres of space. Arteta raced back and as Chamakh pushed the ball in front of him he leant into the Arsenal skipper resulting in a tangle of legs. The referee deemed the challenge to be worthy of a red card and the man that had opened the scoring was sent off. A debatable call as Chamakh still had 40 odd yards to run to goal and Ramsey was tracking back too. Wenger would make 2 changes to combat the red card. Gnabry was brought off having come on in the first half and Wilshere came on. Meanwhile Monreal replaced Santi Cazorla.

Cue a moment of brilliance and a match winning display from Wojciech Szczesny which earned him man of the match. Joel Ward hit a powerful effort which had Szczesny at full stretch to get fingertips to the ball to send it against the bar. From the resulting corner the ball came out to Jedinak who hit a brilliant volley which the Polish keeper made an outstanding save to keep his side in front. Szczesny has been criticised a lot this year for a lack of confidence as Arsenal searched for a new keeper this summer. He had a spell out of the team for Fabianski last season, however this performance, with a clean sheet will have done his confidence a world of good. A display that asserted himself as the number one at the club.

Crystal Palace were desperate for an equalising goal but in the process were hit on the counter attack as Arsenal scored their second to wrap up all three points. Two of Arsenal's star men this season combined as Ramsey dinked the ball into Giroud who headed home from close range. Having had a run of games without scoring it was a welcome sight to see the Frenchman score in midweek against Dortmund and in the league against Palace.

Overall it wasn't a highly convincing performance but the Gunners were solid at the back and grabbed only their second clean sheet of the season, the other one coming against Spurs. A win is a win and it showed that Arsenal were capable of winning even when they're not at their best.

The teams lineups:

Crystal Palace: Speroni, Ward, Delaney, Gabbidon, Moxey, Dikgacoi, Jedinak, Bannan(77), Guedioura(72), Thomas(57), Chamakh.
Subs: Price, Mariappa, O'Keefe, Kebe(72), Puncheon, Bolasie(57), Gayle(77).

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Arteta, Flamini(8), Ramsey, Ozil, Cazorla(72), Giroud.
Subs: Fabianski, Vermaelen, Monreal(72), Wilshere(69), Rosicky, Gnabry(8)(69), Bendtner. 

My man of the match: Wojciech Szczesny.

Referee: Chris Foy.
Attendance: 20,050.