Arsenal beat Crystal Palace thanks to Eberechi Eze's winner against former club

Gunners go four-points clear at top of Premier League with fourth win on the spin

Eberechi Eze celebrate scoring the only goal of the game in Arsenal's 1-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace. EPA

Eberechi Eze's goal against his former club Crystal Palace earned Arsenal a narrow victory which takes them four-points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Eze, who joined the Gunners in a deal worth £67 million deal during the summer, fired home an acrobatic finish in the 39th minute, making it four league wins on the spin for the North London club.

It also means Arsenal are now unbeaten in 10 matches across all competitions and have established themselves as firm favourites to seal their first top-flight crown since 2004.

With title rivals Manchester City losing 1-0 to Aston Villa on Sunday and reigning champions Liverpool beaten for a fourth game in a row at Brentford 24 hours earlier, the weekend could not have gone better for Mikel Arteta's side.

City's defeat at Villa Park leaves them six points behind Arsenal with Liverpool a further point back.

Bournemouth took over second spot following their 2-0 win against struggling Nottingham Forest as the Cherries maintained their own impressive start to the campaign.

“We're really pleased with the win and another clean sheet. We need to keep going,” Arsenal's Leandro Trossard told Sky Sports following his team's seventh win in nine league games this season.

“Lately it has been like that, we have to keep patience throughout the game because we know we can score anytime. It would have been nice if we had put the game to bed. We are excited as well.

“When we get a set-piece we know we can score. It's hard to put a finger on it [why we are doing particularly well this season] but every season we learn more and more. We just want to win, we want to win every game.”

Arsenal scored four times in 14 electric second-half minutes as they rain riot against Atletico Madrid in the Uefa Champions League earlier this week. But on Sunday, they required 33 minutes to register their first shot.

Fresh from his quick-fire double against Atletico, Viktor Gyokeres did well to bounce off Maxence Lacroix and hold the ball up before bringing Declan Rice into play.

Rice found Trossard but the Belgian's first touch allowed the ball to get stuck under his feet and his subsequent shot was straight at the Palace stopper.

Speaking before Sunday's match, Arteta revealed he hatched his master plan to transform Arsenal into set-piece kings a decade ago.

On Tuesday night, Arsenal became the first team across Europe's top five leagues to register 10 goals from free-kicks this season, and on the 39th minute that became 11.

Rice's inswinger from the right-hand side was met by Gabriel at the far post, and who else was on hand other than Eze, to rifle the bouncing ball home with a delicious half-volley to hand his new employers the lead.

There was no celebration from Eze against the club he served for five years, but this marked a much-needed first league strike in seven attempts for the England international – with manager Thomas Tuchel watching on from the Emirates directors' box – and for Arsenal, a 38th set-piece goal in the league since the start of 2023-24 season.

Five minutes into the second period and the crossbar prevented Arsenal from increasing that tally to 39. From a dead ball, Rice played a give-and-go with Eze before his left-footed cross was met by Gabriel but the Brazilian's header cannoned off the goal frame.

Rice was there for the follow-up but Henderson stopped his shot with an outstretched arm. A trademark Saka long-range shot with his left instep then fell wide.

Arsenal continued to dominate possession but, with their advantage standing at just one, Oliver Glasner's players always remained in the contest.

However, Arsenal's defence has been breached by just one team – Manchester City – from open play this season, and, in truth, the south Londoners rarely looked like becoming the second despite a nervier-than-expected finale

The only sour notes on another day of triumph for Arsenal in their pursuit of a first league title in 22 years arrived with injuries to William Saliba and Rice. The former was replaced at the interval, while the latter hobbled off in the closing stages.

Palace are now without a win in four games in all competitions but it has still been a solid start for them, with 13 points from nine league games.

Eagles manager Oliver Glasner said: “It’s a mixture of ­frustration about the result and being proud of the performance, especially in first half. You cannot give Arsenal anything."