Image Credit: Getty Images
Arsenal were victorious by a large margin this afternoon as they netted five past Crystal Palace, who now remain winless this calendar year. However, before the fixture, Roy Hodgson’s side had been triumphant more recently than the north London outfit, who suffered three losses and one draw since their 2-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion in mid-December.
Arsenal scored two goals from corners to go into half-time with a comfortable margin on the scoreboard. The deadlock was broken by Brazilian centre-back Gabriel Magalhães, who towered over the young Chris Richards to nod the ball home. Gabriel popped up again after just 16 minutes, this time at the back post, as his effort from Bukayo Saka’s inswinging corner deflected into the net off Dean Henderson.
Arsenal’s set-piece coach, Nicolas Jover, received a large amount of credit for the way in which Arsenal found themselves leading at half-time. The German-born coach met Mikel Arteta during their spell together at Manchester City, and Jover agreed to join Arteta in north London when he was appointed.
READ MORE: PLAYER RATINGS: Arsenal 5-0 Crystal Palace
Following the 5-0 win, Bukayo Saka spoke to TNT Sports, and revealed, “Nico [Jover] is full of himself but he should be, we’ve scored the most corners this season.”
The English talent added, “He [Jover] knows and tries to make it fun & easy for us to understand. What he’s doing is working so we need to continue it.”
Arsenal have been awarded 164 crosses this season, an amount which sees them top the charts in that respect, whilst Manchester City follow behind with 141. Despite recent questions of Jover’s defensive corner tactics, which saw the Gunners concede in both the prior two league games, the attacking display showcased at the Emirates today has amassed respect for the coach.
Leandro Trossard’s first goal for the club which was not assisted by Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli’s late brace increased the scoreline’s embarrassment for Palace. Arteta’s side travel to Nottingham Forest at the end of the month to face a refreshed side following the appointment of former Tottenham Hotspur boss, Nuno Espírito Santo.
NEXT ARTICLE: Arsene Wenger gives Mikel Arteta his candid opinion on Karim Benzema transfer links
