Gabriel Jesus extended his goal tally against Crystal Palace to five in four days as Arsenal thrashed their London rivals 5-1 at Selhurst Park on Saturday, reclaiming third place in the Premier League.
Crystal Palace will be tired of the sight of the former Manchester City striker, who netted a hat-trick against them in the League Cup quarter-finals at the Emirates on Wednesday.
Jesus scored twice in the first half on Saturday and was only denied a third by the width of the post, with Kai Havertz reacting swiftly to convert the rebound.
Palace forward Ismaïla Sarr, who had equalised at 1-1, failed to capitalise on two promising chances early in the second half.
Instead, Arsenal added two more goals, reclaiming their position above Nottingham Forest, who had briefly overtaken them earlier in the day.
However, Mikel Arteta — celebrating five years in charge of Arsenal — will be concerned after Bukayo Saka limped off midway through the first half.
Jesus opened the scoring in the sixth minute, finishing confidently after excellent work by Saka on the right wing. It was Jesus’s first Premier League goal since January.
Palace equalised just five minutes later when Sarr latched onto a Tyrick Mitchell pass, opened his body, and curled the ball past the diving David Raya.
Arsenal’s second goal came from a corner, with Jesus steering the ball in off the post with pinpoint accuracy when it fell to him.
Jesus, brimming with confidence, hit the post with a header in the 38th minute, allowing Havertz to tap in the rebound.
Sarr squandered a golden opportunity with a diving header early in the second half, but Raya reacted well to save. Minutes later, the Arsenal goalkeeper made another vital stop, parrying Jean-Philippe Mateta’s powerful shot from distance and collecting Sarr’s header on the follow-up.
Palace failed to claw their way back into the game, and Arsenal extended their lead further. Jesus nearly completed his hat-trick, but Dean Henderson denied him. Substitute Declan Rice made good contact with a loose ball, and Gabriel Martinelli converted from close range.
Rice himself added the fifth goal in the 84th minute, curling a superb shot into the far corner from the edge of the box.
Speaking on Friday about his five-year tenure at the Emirates, Arteta remarked that “the best is yet to come,” expressing his ambition to target “big trophies.”
The Gunners, who have not claimed the Premier League title since 2004, now trail league leaders Liverpool by just three points, although Arne Slot’s side have two games in hand.