Alex offers an Oxtra dimension

Arsenal 2 Crystal Palace 0

It may not have been the big-name and big-money signing the fans wanted, but the return of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could prove vital in the Premier League title race.

Sidelined since the opening day of the season with a knee injury, the England international has quietly played his way back to peak form and fitness, and when none of his team-mates were able to break down an obdurate Crystal Palace, he was the one that finally stepped up to do so.