Eze scores winner for Arsenal against former side Palace

LONDON - Eberechi Eze delivered a telling blow to his former team by scoring his first Premier League goal for Arsenal in a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday to extend the North London club's lead at the top of the standings.

Eze, who spent five seasons at Selhurst Park before Arsenal signed him in August, struck in the 39th minute when Gabriel Magalhaes headed Declan Rice's free kick into his path. The midfielder leapt to steer a first-time finish out of the air past Dean Henderson.

The 27-year-old, who was a key part of Palace's victorious FA Cup run last season, did not celebrate the goal.

The victory extended Arsenal's unbeaten run to six league matches and 10 games in all competitions, and opened up a four-point cushion over second-placed Bournemouth with 22 points after nine games. 

Mikel Arteta's team also opened up a six-point lead over rivals Manchester City, who are fourth after their 1-0 loss on Sunday at Aston Villa.

"It's hard to put a finger on (why we are doing particularly well this season) but every season we learn more and more," Leandro Trossard told Sky Sports. "We just want to win, we want to win every game."

The first half had few attempts for either team, with Trossard's shot saved by Henderson.

The second half at the Emirates Stadium had a far different feel as Arsenal pressed for a second goal, with a flurry of chances including a chance at an easy tap-in for Bukayo Saka that Palace defender Marc Guehi scrambled to boot clear.

A frenzied series of Arsenal shots had Gabriel's header cannon off the bar and Rice and Saka both go close.

"We're really pleased with the win and another clean sheet. We need to keep going," Trossard said.

"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."

David Raya earned an impressive ninth clean sheet in 12 Premier League and Champions League games this season, while Arsenal have scored a league-high 11 goals from dead-ball situations.

"I think everybody knows how Arsenal are defensively and we needed to take our chances," Palace defender Chris Richards told Sky. "Set-pieces are probably their forte right now. But we went toe-to-toe with the best team in the league."

Palace, whose last league win was a 2-1 victory over Liverpool on September 27, dropped to 10th in the table.

Arsenal had some luck on their side as well, with reigning champions Liverpool and City, who won six out of seven league titles before finishing third last season, both losing this weekend.

"You see the other results in the Premier League," Arteta said. "You have to be so good to win." REUTERS