Three Things We Learned: Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal needed control more than sparkle and got exactly that. A tight game turned on one clean strike: Eberechi Eze’s 39th-minute volley against his former club. It came from a rehearsed dead-ball, the sort of pattern Arsenal have turned into a weekly habit. From there the leaders leaned on defensive structure, game management, and a bench that solved problems on the fly.

Crystal Palace arrived with the league’s most threatening shot profile and a clear plan to drag the contest into small margins. The opening half hour felt like a tactical chess match with limited risk on either side. By full time, the numbers told a familiar story of this Arsenal: 59.7% possession, a 10-7 shot edge, 3-1 on target, and an expected-goals margin of roughly 0.9 to 0.4. That platform, plus another set-piece payoff, moved Mikel Arteta’s team four points clear at the top.

This match analysis breaks down three things we learned, what mattered on the day, and what it means for the weeks ahead.

Arsenal’s set piece play keeps paying the bills

Arsenal did not find early rhythm in open play. The first attempt arrived in the 33rd minute when Leandro Trossard forced a near-post save. Palace’s mid-block closed central routes, their outside defenders engaged aggressively, and transitions threatened to stretch Arsenal’s rest defense. So the game asked for a different route to goal. Arsenal obliged with a free kick, a second-phase win, and Eze’s finish.

The pattern was textbook. Declan Rice clipped deep. Gabriel won the first contact. The dropping ball found Eze on the penalty spot, and the scissor volley beat Dean Henderson. One chance created by coaching, timing, and repetition.

That one moment fits a larger season trend. Arsenal have scored 11 league goals from set pieces, more than any team, and 69% of their league tally has arrived that way. Those figures are not decoration; they are points. This match offered more evidence: Gabriel hit the bar from a corner straight after half time, then slammed the post later at the back stick under pressure. Even without a second goal, the threat tilted territory and forced Palace to defend deeper restarts than they wanted.

On a day when open-play fluency came and went, the dead-ball edge provided the breakthrough and the margin. Teams know it is coming yet still struggle to manage the variety. Deep services, short routines, late blockers, near-post stacks, second-phase targeting of the D, the catalogue keeps growing. That variety matters when opponents like Palace deny central zones and limit shot quality. Arsenal’s win probability chart reflected the effect: the percentage spiked after 39 minutes and rarely dipped as the leaders strangled the game.

Looking ahead, this set piece play has two clear impacts. First, it reduces pressure on the attack to create high-value chances in broken play every week. Second, it travels. Corners and free kicks translate across venues and game states; Arsenal can bank on those edges away from home or during injury spells. It is not the only plan, but it is a reliable floor.

Individuals shaped the contest: Eze’s moment, Gabriel’s command, and Mosquera’s audition

The headline belongs to Eberechi Eze. He had a quiet first half by touch count yet delivered the decisive action with the volley. That is why he was signed: to unlock stubborn games with one clean technique in traffic. The goal followed a midweek assist and adds another layer to his integration. He finished with two shots, one on target, and operated as the right-sided No. 8 who can step wide to combine with Bukayo Saka or cut inside to threaten the far post. The moment mattered, but his off-ball timing mattered too; Arsenal’s second-phase structure put him exactly where the rebound fell.

Gabriel was the other pillar. He won 5 of 9 aerial duels, attacked two more set-pieces that kissed woodwork, and led the line of engagement on long balls while William Saliba exited at half time. Palace attempted to build around Jean-Philippe Mateta’s physicality, but Arsenal’s left-sided center-back kept duels honest and cleared six times. The defensive metrics back up the eye test: Palace produced only one shot on target, a tame header after the hour, and finished at 0.4 xG. Gabriel’s presence was a large reason those counters died before reaching the box.

The most important subplot may be Cristhian Mosquera’s entry. With Saliba off, the 21-year-old stepped in seamlessly and kept Arsenal’s high line intact. He logged nine defensive actions across the half, tackles, recoveries, and one critical block at the near post, and passed at high accuracy under pressure. The touch maps underline the point: Arsenal continued to squeeze up, with David Raya stationed well outside his six-yard area and the back four holding the halfway line on restarts. That is not possible without trust in the replacement center-back.

Elsewhere, two more performances shaped the flow:

• Leandro Trossard drove possession into the attacking third with five progressive carries and four shot-chain actions. He did not finish with a goal, but he unlocked the first shot of the match and continued to present as the extra creator when Saka’s minutes were managed.

• Declan Rice filled multiple roles. Three key passes, 15 progressive passing yards into the final third on several sequences, and a bundle of recoveries that killed Palace breakouts before they developed. His free-kick deliveries defined the attacking threat after the interval.

Viktor Gyokeres worked without the box reward. He ended with one shot at 0.16 xG, four progressive carries, and repeated runs into the channels to outlet long passes. The shot volume is not where a No. 9 would like it, yet his pressing and run discipline stretched Palace’s outside center-backs and created room for Trossard and Eze to arrive late.

The bigger picture: defensive standards, depth under stress, and a title race shaped by control

Arsenal’s season has a clear backbone: control without chaos. Five straight clean sheets across competitions, only three league goals conceded to date, and a remarkable benchmark of 100 consecutive matches in all competitions without shipping three. The defensive actions map from this match shows why. The highest density sits just inside the middle third, where the press traps sprung on Palace’s first pass out. When lines had to drop late, the box entries were met by clearances rather than scrambles.

That resilience held under stress. Saliba left at half time. Rice took a knock and came off late. Bukayo Saka managed minutes after illness. Calafiori asked for a change after fatigue. The response: Mosquera handled the center, Piero Hincapie took a late debut at left back, and Mikel Merino helped close midfield lanes. The structure did not bend. Arsenal finished with territory control and a late back five shape to deal with Henderson’s long deliveries. For a squad competing on multiple fronts, that is the definition of repeatable.

There is a strategic layer too. Arsenal have already visited three hostile grounds, Old Trafford, Anfield, St James’ Park, and returned with points. This home win arrived on a weekend when two rivals lost. The table is real: four points clear of second, six ahead of Manchester City, seven ahead of Liverpool. That cushion remains fragile in October, yet the path that builds it is sustainable: lowest concession risk in the league, set piece play, and depth ready to cover short gaps.

Two caution flags remain. First, injuries. Saliba’s issue, Rice’s knock, and Martinelli’s discomfort deserve careful management across the cup tie and the next two league matches. Second, chance creation in open play against organized blocks. Arsenal’s first shot arrived after 33 minutes, and the first half produced a combined xG of just 0.20. The team solved it here with a dead-ball. There will be days when the game asks for more flow.

Conclusion

This match will not make many highlight reels. It will matter all the same. Arsenal beat Crystal Palace because their habits travel and because their players understand game states. The leaders absorbed a sticky opening phase, grabbed the one chance a set-piece offered, then guarded the box with the calm of a team that knows exactly what it is.

The three things we learned fit the broader season narrative. Set pieces are a weapon, not a crutch. Individuals across the spine are winning their mini battles, with Eze’s finish and Gabriel’s presence standing out, and the bench is solving live problems without a drop in standards. The bigger picture shows a group skilled at turning small margins into three points, which is the currency of a title push.

There is more to polish. Earlier service to the No. 9 can increase shot volume. A touch more speed in midfield combinations would help break stubborn blocks sooner. Those are good problems for a team sitting on top, defending better than anyone, and collecting wins on days that offer few easy routes.

Arsenal did not need spectacle here; they needed authority. They found it through structure, set piece play, and a moment from a summer signing who looks more at ease every week. That is a strong place for a league leader to be. As the calendar turns toward winter, control and depth will decide how long this gap at the summit lasts. On this evidence, Arsenal are building the right kind of lead, one grounded in repeatable work, not streaky form.

This was a match of details: the free-kick routine, the near-post clearances, the quiet excellence of center-backs dealing with crosses, and the midfield’s refusal to let counterattacks breathe. Those details travel into every close game still to come. If the weekend’s results hinted at an opening in the Premier League race, Arsenal’s response delivered a clear message: the leaders can win with style on Wednesday nights and with structure on Sunday afternoons. That mix wins seasons.