BBC pundit says one Arsenal player was ‘exceptional’ in 5-1 win v Crystal Palace | OneFootball

Arsenal moved within three points of the top of the Premier League after beating London rivals Crystal Palace 5-1 at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

Gabriel Jesus scored twice, while Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Declan Rice added further goals to secure an emphatic victory for the Gunners.

The Brazilian striker, who scored a hat-trick against Palace in the Carabao Cup in midweek, proved to be their nemesis yet again.

Arsenal suffered a setback as Bukayo Saka picked up a muscular injury in the first half.

Rice came from the bench and made a huge difference. He got the assist for Martinelli’s goal and later put the game beyond doubt with a terrific finish.

It was his first goal of the season, as he curled in a shot from the edge of the box into the far corner in the 84th minute.

Mark Schwarzer, who was co-commentating on the game for BBC Radio Live 5, hailed the strike as “exceptional”.

He said: “Exceptional finish from Declan Rice. Dean Henderson makes a valid attempt, he gets fingertips on it but there is too much pace on it.”

Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports: “I was calling for Rice to come on at half-time for Arsenal to solidify them and he has come off the bench and got an assist and a goal.”

Rice added an extra bit of quality

It was a much-needed win for the Gunners after their drab 0-0 draw against Everton.

Crystal Palace had their moments to come back into the game, but the Gunners stayed resolute at the back, with goalkeeper David Raya making some brilliant saves.

To win by such a huge margin away from home against a derby rival isn’t an easy job, and it was indeed a great away performance from the Gunners.

Rice made a big difference after he came on. At 3-1, Palace still believed that they could make it a close contest if they scored a goal. But they simply gave up when Martinelli scored, with Rice providing the assist.

Arsenal are very much in the title race. They are just three points behind Liverpool, although the Reds have played two games less.