Arsenal secured a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace, extending their lead at the top of the Premier League by four points. Eberechi Eze, a former Palace player, scored his first league goal for Arsenal in the 39th minute at Emirates Stadium. Despite a lacklustre first half, Mikel Arteta's team had opportunities to increase their lead after the break.
Gabriel Magalhaes was outstanding in both defence and attack, hitting the crossbar with a powerful shot. Declan Rice's follow-up was cleared off the line by Dean Henderson. Bukayo Saka narrowly missed with a curling effort. Leandro Trossard almost set up Saka for an easy finish, but Palace's defence intervened just in time.
Arsenal's defensive resilience has been crucial this season, with six clean
sheets in nine league matches. They have conceded only three goals so far. In contrast, title contenders Liverpool and Manchester City have let in 14 and seven goals respectively. This defensive solidity is giving Arsenal fans hope for a successful campaign.
Gabriel played a pivotal role in Arsenal's defence against Palace, making six clearances and winning four aerial duels. His efforts limited Palace to just 0.47 expected goals. Arsenal achieved their 700th Premier League win and have accumulated 22 points this season.
This is the seventh time Arsenal have reached or exceeded 22 points at this stage of a Premier League season. However, they only went on to win the title once before under similar circumstances, during the 2003-04 season when they had 23 points after nine games.
Big Gabi is all of us pic.twitter.com/ob6mpuYzpK
- Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 26, 2025
Despite their strong performance, Crystal Palace experienced their third defeat in four matches across all competitions. Viktor Gyokeres had a chance from a Declan Rice corner but headed wide. Ultimately, Eze's goal was enough to secure victory for Arsenal.
