Eze's kung-fu volley keeps Arsenal in command of Premier League title race
Eberechi Eze (centre) scored his first Premier League goal for Arsenal against Crystal Palace, the side he was signed from during the summer. Pic: John Walton/PA Wire.
Eberechi Eze scored his first Premier League goal for Arsenal to increase his side’s lead at the top of the early-season table to four points. Eze, who scored 34 times in 147 Premier League appearances for Crystal Palace, swapped south for north London in a £60m deal in August.
And it is his ability to settle tough tussles such as this why Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was so keen to sign the England international. They have still conceded only three goals with a quarter of the season gone. Even not at their best Arsenal are in good shape.
They had all of the ball but lacked the required zip and intensity to get through Palace’s well-structured 11-man counter-attacking wall of a team for much of the match.
Leandro Trossard finally got in Arsenal’s first shot on target after well over half an hour of play as a clear sign of a physical and mental drop off from Tuesday night’s momentous Champions League deconstruction of Atletico Madrid.
The Arsenal crowd, so much more intense in recent seasons here under Arteta, were not really up for it either. The slightly early 2pm kick off did not help.
The match suddenly came to life on 39 minutes when Eze finished off a set piece by scoring with a flying kung-fu kick volley. Dead-ball demon Declan Rice fizzed a curling right foot ball to his favourite target player Gabriel and the ball was headed back towards Eze, who finished with a flying right-foot volley. A classy end to Arsenal’s 11th set-piece goal of the season.
Arteta started the second half with a surprise change when William Saliba was replaced by Christhian Mosquera. His side had not been overly convincing but now had something to build on.
Gabriel headed against the Palace bar and both Rice and Bukayo Saka also threatened to score as Arsenal resumed with a much higher level of intensity.
Palace manager Oliver Glasner countered by replacing Yeremy Pino and sending on former Arsenal striker Eddie Nketia to applause from all sections of the stadium. An hour in and Palace were in danger of becoming the third Premier League side in a row to fail to register an attempt on target against the meanest defence in the top flight.
Saka, who had not trained properly since the Madrid match on Tuesday, made way for Gabriel Martinelli after 65 minutes. One fewer England international for watching national manager Thomas Tuchel to keep an eye on.
Further potential injury issues led to Rice being replaced by Mikel Merino and Ecuador international defender Piero Hincapie making his Premier League debut when Riccardo Calafiori could not play on.
Eze got the standing ovation, from Palace fans too, when he made way for Myles Lewis-Skelly for the final phase of the match.
Raya, Timber, Saliba 5 (Mosquera 45), Gabriel 7, Calafiori 6 (Hincapie 82), Zubimendi 6, Rice 7 (Merino 82), Eze 8 (Lewis-Skelly 88), Trossard 6, Saka 5 (Martinelli 65), Gyokeres 6. Subs: Kepa, White, Norgaard, Nwaneri.
Henderson 6, Munoz 6, Richards 6, Lacroix 6, Guehi 7, Mitchell 7, Wharton 6, Kamada 7 (Hughes 74), Sarr 6, Pino 6 (Nketiah 60), Mateta. Subs: Benitez, Lerma, Uche, Clyne, Canvot, Sosa, Devenny.
Thomas Bramall 6 Att: 60,013
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