Crystal Palace 2 Arsenal 3: Debate over Alexis Sanchez celebration takes shine off Arsene Wenger's milestone

The big question on Jeremy's lips tonight:  Can the old school of managers still cut it in the Premier League? Click to find out what he thinks.

Arsenal hold out and have a big - and really well-earned - three points here. Palace took a long time to get going, but when they finally decided they were in the mood they caused Arsenal all sorts of problems.

Ultimately, though, just like so many times previously, Alexis Sanchez was the difference. Arsenal move level on points with Tottenham just outside the top four.

It's a poor ball in, and the move looks to have died, but Zaha slips Townsend in again on the left. He has all the time in the world to pick someone out - but ends up crossing to nobody at all. What a waste.

Zaha gets away down the left, and wins a corner off Mustafi.

This is brilliant - and very un-Arsenal like - game management from Arsenal, who have basically played the whole game inside Palace's final third since conceding. 

Palace have a throw-in now, with two minutes to find an equaliser.

Four minutes added on. And Arsenal have the ball at the right end of the pitch. Kolasinac is keeping it well.

Is there to be some late drama here after all? James Tomkins rises highest to head home Townsend's corner.

Bellerin fails to clear an awkward bouncing ball, and online a good, strong Mustafi challenge gets in the way of Sako shooting.

Frustration building among the home fans, with little going their way in the final third.

Palace have sprung back to life again, and everything is going through that man Zaha. He twists one way, then the other, but his final ball lets him down on two occasions.

Milivojevic then makes a chance for Sako by winning the ball high up the pitch, but Sako blazes well over. Time is running out for the hosts.

Maitland-Niles replaces Xhaka for Arsenal.

Zaha comes off the left to meet McArthur's cross, and he has a free header just yards from goal. He takes his eye off the ball, though, and skews his effort well wide.

Bellerin is in behind the Palace defence again after a direct ball forward, and he forces a smart save from Speroni with a stinging effort.

Xhaka then slips trying to close Milivojevic down, and looks like he might have injured himself doing so.

He's up and on his feet again soon after. The home fans aren't happy. 

Another good run from Zaha, but he is forced out wide, unable to cut inside. Chambers slides in to block the attempted cross, and Arsenal deal with the corner that results.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah replaces Kelly at right-back for Palace.

Townsend puts a decent inswinging cross into the box but Cech collects easily.

Wenger is shutting up shop. Lacazette is replaced by Francis Coquelin, and Lacazette doesn't look at all happy about it. Wilshere has moved into a more advanced position.

Sanchez wants his hat-trick. He's very lively now. Palace are still looking for a way back into this, but their 15 minutes of seeming like they might do that seems to be over.

Arsenal are rampant now. Kolasinac charges into the Palace box and cuts back for Ozil, but he leans back as he shoots and skies an effort well over the bar.

Sako replaces Loftus-Cheek for Palace.

Sanchez has his second goal in the space of a few minutes but this goal is all about the ball from Jack Wilshere. He picks the ball up in front of the centre-backs, spots Sanchez darting off the wing behind the Palace defence and picks him out beautifully. 

Alexis takes the ball down first time, takes a look at Speroni, and then slots it past him to give Arsenal a two-goal lead. What a lovely goal that was.

Palace fail to properly clear their lines from an Arsenal corner - Benteke has the opportunity to put his foot through it but he tries to find a team-mate up field, and Xhaka intercepts. His ball back into the box is again not cleared, and Lacazette brings it down. 

He tries to work himself a yard, but then Sanchez takes over, slamming a shot through Tomkins' legs and past Speroni at the near post.

That was Zaha's first assist in 21 Premier League appearances.

Milivojevic is lucky not to be carded after he seems to pull Wilshere back.

Arsenal are still yet to have a shot since half time. Palace have had four, including the equalising goal.

First Palace change: McArthur replaces Cabaye.

Loftus-Cheek tries to bend an effort at goal from distance, but he doesn't get enough curl on it and it sails harmlessly wide.

And Palace come again. Schlupp nicks possession in midfield and leads a break away. He finds Zaha, before continuing his run. Zaha returns the pass, Schlupp slams a shot at goal, but can only find the side netting. 

This has been turned on its head. Zaha feeds Loftus-Cheek in acres of space inside the Arsenal box and he turns, drives at the defences and then shoots, but it's straight at Cech.

Palace finally get Zaha on the ball and in a position to do some damage and just like that they are level.

He runs at Chambers, throws one stepover, heads for the byline and cuts back left-footed towards the penalty spot, where Townsend is arriving to slam home an equaliser with Palace's first shot on target of the match.

Game on.

Bellerin makes a great run around the outside of Loftus-Cheek, who finds himself far closer to his own goal than he would like, and Sanchez finds him with a wonderful ball from an inside left position. He stoops to head at goal but turns his effort just wide.

But it doesn't look Hodgson has made any changes at half time. He must have seen something I didn't in that first half...

Arsenal get the second half under way. 

Complete control, that, from Arsenal. They have been good value for their lead, and Roy Hodgson will just be happy to be going in only the one goal down. Arsenal have had far more shots and touches in the opposition box.

It's been more or less one-way traffic, and unless Crystal Palace change something major at half time, it's hard to see any way back into this one. 

One minute added on.

Zaha, meanwhile, is doing his best to talk himself into a booking after being denied a free-kick after he felt he was pulled back by Wilshere.

Arsenal are looking very much in control and there has, so far, been little sign of a Palace equaliser. Arsenal very threatening on the break.

How on earth have Arsenal not scored there? They break at such pace and Sanchez is again at the heart of it. He slips Ozil in on goal beautifully, not for the first time tonight, and Ozil decides from this position:

...that it is a better idea to pass.

His square ball is ahead of both team-mates up in support, and Palace survive. 

Hallo Alistair,

I do enjoy watching young Mr Zaha go about his business, but I've yet to see him do a Mark Lazarus;  Skin a full back, sprint to the corner flag, sit on the ball and invite the full back to have another go at it.

Still, there's a way to go yet, so fingers crossed.

Cheers,

Shane O'Leary

We can all hope, Shane. We can all hope.

Huge interception from Tomkins as Bellerin tries to cut the ball back from the byline.

Arsenal have been completely dominant so far, not only in terms of possession.

Cabaye brings Wilshere down and Arsenal have a free kick a long, long way from goal, in a central position. Sanchez laces it, but fires straight at Speroni.

What a pass from Sanchez from out on the left wing, spotting Ozil as he darts through the middle. He turns a first time effort at goal from very close range but Speroni does really, really well to turn it around the post.

Chambers takes evasive action as Zaha breaks, grabbing the Palace forward and pulling him back as he looks to launch an attack. Yellow card. Each decision for Michael Oliver, tonight's referee.

Wilshere wins a free-kick, Ozil lofts it into the box, Benteke only half clears and Arsenal take full advantage.

Lacazette bends a left-footed shot at goal from out on the right, and Speroni gets a good hand to it but it only falls just outside the six-yard box, where Mustafi is waiting to pass into an empty net.

I did say an Arsenal goal was coming...

Arsenal are keeping the ball well high up the pitch and Palace are struggling to find a way out. When they do get out Benteke is too isolated. An Arsenal goal is coming, it feels.

Lovely one-, two-touch football from Arsenal. Sanchez draws a Palace man and slips Ozil in, and his pull back finds Xhaka, but his shot is blocked by Dann. 

Arsenal come again though as Palace fail to clear their lines properly, and Wilshere gives the game its first shot on target, but his low effort is straight at Speroni.

Dann takes Lacazette down when well beaten and he is probably lucky to escape a booking.

Sanchez's cross-field ball is headed clear, but only as far as Wilshere, who has a goal-bound shot blocked before Sanchez's ambitious volley is blocked as well.

Palace go up the other end and are claiming a free kick after Chambers seems to handle Schlupp's cross, but the referee says no.

Decent effort from Cabaye but it's from a good 25 yards and Cech has it covered.

Palace's first good move of the game as Townsend comes off the right flank, plays a one-two with Cabaye, before slipping Zaha in. He tries to burst through two Arsenal challenges but is tackled and Palace win a corner. 

Cech punches clear well under pressure from Benteke.

This could be speaking way, way too early, but Arsenal have certainly started the much better side. 

It's taken nine minutes but we have out first shots of the game. The first is from Chambers and is blocked; the second is well hit, but very ambitious indeed, as Xhaka fires over from 25 yards.

Nothing gets the Selhurst Park crowd going like Wilf Zaha running at pace. Quick, direct and so, so threatening, he comes in off the left and it all opens up for him to shoot, but he tries to play Benteke in and his pass misses its target. The move breaks down.

Palace are very happy sat deep inside their own half but when they do break Arsenal are looking fairly dangerous themselves on the counter. Sanchez and Ozil combine to very nearly get the Chilean in behind the home defence but Dann intercepts and Schlupp clears.

The ball spent much of the opening 90 seconds in the air before Arsenal have a sustained period of possession. That is ended when Granit Xhaka puts the ball up over Martin Kelly, but it's too far ahead of Sanchez and goes out for a goal kick.

Arsenal are all in black as Palace go long from kick off.

Selhurst Park is bouncing. Do Arsenal fancy it on a very cold, dry Thursday night in south-east London?

Arsenal fan Jack Whitehall is in attendance tonight.

"We've had to show determination late on - it's a good sign when your team keeps believing.

"It's been a good spell but we've got two tough games in a few days now

"It took Benteke a while to get going again after his injury but he's showing what he can do now. He can bring so many players into the game, and we've got players to hurt any defence in the world.

"If we're going to get anything from tonight we have to be at our very best, but we go into every game believing we're going to win."

"I still prefer the four [at the back], but we adapt. We are used to playing this system. Benteke and Zaha are dangerous through the middle so we go with three.

"[The defeat at Selhurst Park] last season isn't a distance memory. We have a good opportunity to show we are able to bounce back.

"It's a big opportunity for Calum Chambers. He is back to full fitness."

This is Palace's fifth season back in the big time, and Arsenal have tended to enjoy their trips here, winning the first three 2-0, 2-1 and 2-1.

But it was a completely different story in April, when Crystal Palace took a huge step towards securing their survival with a 3-0 win.

I reckon Arsenal will have learned their lesson this time around, I'm going for a 1-2 away win. 

Crystal Palace go into this game - the final London derby of 2017 - on their longest unbeaten run in the top flight since October 1990. They have gone eight games without defeat, which is twice as long as Arsenal's best unbeaten run all season, and the third best behind Manchester City (20 games) and Liverpool (11 games).

Roy Hodgson has shored things up at Selhurst Park and they will go into tonight's match aiming for three points; his team selection, with three attacking midfielders behind Benteke up front, suggests as much.

December hasn't been kind to Arsenal, meanwhile, who have won just one of their last five, slipping down into sixth place.

This is a difficult place to come, and given the sides' recent form this match is very difficult to predict. Which Arsenal will turn up tonight? 

And Christian Benteke goes straight back into the Crystal Palace side as he returns from suspension. James McArthur drops out in an attacking move from Roy Hodgson. That's the only change from the team that drew at Swansea last time out.

Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger has brought Calum Chambers in as Arsenal go back to a back three tonight. Shkodran Mustafi comes in for the injured Nacho Monreal, and Sead Kolasinac returns to left wing-back, with Maitland-Niles on the bench.