Arsenal 4 Crystal Palace 1: Nacho Monreal stars as Gunners thrash sorry Eagles without Alexis Sanchez

James Benge20 January 2018

Arsenal began the post-Alexis Sanchez era with a bang as they romped to a 4-1 win over Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium.

Sanchez has not always been the most popular member of the Arsenal squad and, in their soon-to-be former team-mate’s absence, they offered a timely reminder that their collective qualities extend beyond one divisive forward.

With the Chilean bound for Manchester United, Arsenal had a more unfamiliar match-winner as a four goal, 22-minute blitz was inspired by Nacho Monreal, who headed home the opener before laying on goals for Alex Iwobi and Laurent Koscielny.

Alexandre Lacazette’s first goal since December 2 completed a devastating rout, though Petr Cech will have to wait for a 200th Premier League clean sheet after Luka Milivojevic struck a brilliant volleyed consolation 12 minutes from time.

In Pictures | Arsenal vs Crystal Palace | 20/01/2018

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Wenger was able to welcome back Monreal, Koscielny and Mesut Ozil to provide quality at both ends, and it told. Palace had made only one change from the side who had won 1-0 at Burnley last week, but seemed to have revived the spectre of the early weeks of the season.

It only needed five of these displays to get Frank de Boer the sack. The transformation they have made under Hodgson has been remarkable, but this was a far cry from the side that had gone toe-to-toe with Arsenal at Selhurst Park three weeks ago. Scott Dann’s absence in defence was being felt but today’s malaise afflicted more than just the back four.

Nine of Palace’s starting XI are taller than Monreal, yet somehow the 1.79m left-back was able to nod home unmarked at the far post. James McArthur had abandoned his man but Wayne Hennessey could have done more than merely watch the ball fizz by him.

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Moments later Timothy Fosu-Mensah bungled a clearance in the area, simply sliding the ball into the path of Monreal, who drove to the byline and crossed for Iwobi to tap home.

By the 13th minute the game was over. Once again McArthur contrived to lose his man at a corner, seemingly being outfoxed by a simple run from Shkodran Mustafi. Monreal volleyed across goal and Koscielny bungled the ball across the line before Benteke could bundle the ball away from behind the line.

As if the atmosphere couldn’t get any more ecstatic at the Emirates - where pockets of supporters in front of the press box were ironically chanting Sanchez’s name - Lacazette was able to break his goal drought in style, slamming a low shot past Hennessey after Iwobi, Wilshere and Ozil - the latter providing a brilliant backheel - had found him in space.

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It is the sort of move Arsenal had put together all too rarely during their record signing’s 11-hour wait for a goal, when more often than not Lacazette was obliged to create and finish his own chances.

With a quarter of the game played the only remaining question was how many more Arsenal wanted to score. Palace were sufficiently supplicant, barring Milivojevic’s brilliant swivel-volley in the second half, that it was up to them but the Gunners opted to spend most of the second half with the handbrake on. They had already made their point.

Roy Hodgson Press Conference: Arsenal 4-1 Crystal Palace