LIVE: Arsenal 1 Vs 0 Crystal Palace

• In the end, it was a comfortable and impressive afternoon for Arsenal, who never looked like losing against a Palace side that struggled at either end of the pitch. The visitors always looked second best at the back, whilst, at the other end, both Benteke and Campbell found little luck in front of goal due to their inability to create chances. The win moves Arsenal back up to third place, above Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, whilst Palace remain dangerously near to the relegation zone ahead of their must-win game against Swansea City on Tuesday.
• FULL-TIME: ARSENAL 2-0 CRYSTAL PALACE
• 90'+3'

  Late chance for Oxlade-Chamberlain! Sanchez twists and turns as he weaves his way into the left-hand side of the Palace penalty area before teeing up Oxlade-Chamberlain, but the latter's low shot is brilliantly saved at the far post by the outstretched limbs of Hennessey.
• 90'+1'

  The resulting set-piece is fired into the heart of the Palace penalty area and almost finds Giroud in front of goal, but Tomkins is just about able to get a head on the ball to send it away from the Frenchman and over the top of the crossbar.
• 90'

  The fourth official has indicated that there will be three minutes of added time.
• 90'

  Yellow Card James Tomkins
  Tomkins drifts out to the left wing as he tries to help Ward deal with a determined Arsenal attack, but he ends up bringing Ramsey crashing to the ground with a hefty challenge and gives away a free-kick before picking up a booking.
• 88'

  Ramsey picks up the ball in a pocket of space just outside of the Palace penalty area and skips past his marker before shooting, but his low strike from 20 yards out flies just past the far post after beating Hennessey.
• 87'

  A dangerous bouncing cross from the left wing momentarily causes problems for the Arsenal back line and looks set to find Zaha in front of goal, but the winger loses out at the vital moment due to good goalkeeping by Cech, who dived on the ball to cut out the danger.
• 85'

  Oxlade-Chamberlain and Bellerin link up well deep down the right flank, but the latter is unable to pick out a teammate with his cross before Oxlade-Chamberlain sees his follow-up attempted deflect off his thigh and out for a goal-kick.
• 83'

  Yellow Card Ignacio Monreal Eraso
  Zaha causes problems for Monreal down the right wing, resulting in a cynical challenge from the Spaniard that earns him a yellow card. The resulting free-kick is taken by Mutch and chipped into the box, but it's poorly hit by the midfielder and sails harmlessly out for a goal-kick.
• 82'

  Vital clearance by Kelly! Oxlade-Chamberlain flies down the right wing on a great run before cutting inside and fizzing a low pass across the face of goal, but Kelly is just about able to thump the ball away from danger before it can find Ramsey in front of goal.
• 81'

  Lee picks up the ball on the halfway line before slotting a pass down the left wing and into the path of Ward, who had made a good run forward, but the full-back is quickly closed down by Bellerin and Gabriel and loses out before he can poke a pass into the penalty area.
• 79'

  Giroud goes close! Sanchez chips a lovely cross in from the left flank that almost finds Giroud in front of goal, but the ball misses the Frenchman's head by the narrowest of margins before being palmed away by a reflex save from Hennessey.
• 
  77'

  SubstitutionChristian Benteke LioloFraizer Campbell
  Meanwhile, Palace have brought on Fraizer Campbell to replace Benteke up front.
• 
  77'

  SubstitutionAlex IwobiAlex Oxlade-Chamberlain
  Arsenal have made their final change of the game, with Iwobi making way for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
• 75'

  Ward charges into Bellerin and catches the Spaniard on the top of the foot with his follow-through, resulting in a free-kick for Arsenal in a dangerous position 30 yards away from goal. Sanchez steps up and decides to shoot, but his strike fails to beat the wall of yellow shirts camped in front of him.
• 73'

  Coquelin makes an immediate impact by immediately pushing Lee to the ground and giving away a free-kick. Puncheon steps up and fires a cross over to the far post, but there's nobody there to meet it and the ball bounces harmlessly out of play for a goal-kick.
• 72'

  SubstitutionMohamed Naser Elsayed ElnenyFrancis Coquelin
  And the second is Francis Coquelin, who takes the place of Elneny in the heart of midfield.
• 72'

  SubstitutionLucas Pérez MartínezAaron Ramsey
  Meanwhile, Arsenal have made a double substitution. The first player to come on is Aaron Ramsey, who replaces Perez.
• 71'

  SubstitutionAndros TownsendChung-Yong Lee
  Palace have made their second change, with Chung-Yong Lee coming on to replace Townsend.
• 71'

  And now Xhaka goes close! Sanchez is left in far too much space on the left-hand side of the Palace penalty area and is able to poke the ball back to Xhaka, whose first-time strike is deflected away from goal and out for a corner.
• 70'

  Bellerin skips past Ward with ease before firing in a low cross that Hennessey is just about able to deal with. The goalkeeper can only scoop the ball up into the air and towards Giroud, who then heads the ball towards Elneny, but Kelly is just about able to deal with the danger.
• 69'

  Chance for Giroud! Once again, Sanchez easily beats Kelly deep down the left wing before teeing up Monreal with a clever poked pass forward. The Spaniard then fires a low cross into the heart of the Palace penalty area and towards Giroud, but the striker loses out to Flamini just as he's about to shoot.
• 67'

  Zaha twists and turns on the left-hand side of the Arsenal penalty area as he tries to take on Bellerin, but this time it's the full-back who comes out on top thanks to a well-timed tackle just as it looked as if he was about to get beaten.
• 66'

  SubstitutionYohan CabayeJordon Mutch
  Palace have made their first substitution of the game, with Cabaye making way for Jordon Mutch.
• 65'

  Zaha cuts inside from the left wing and does well to beat Bellerin before testing Cech from 30 yards out, but his audacious strike is poorly hit and the goalkeeper is able to watch it sail comfortably over the top of the crossbar.
• 64'

  Nervy moments for Cech! Townsend twists and turns on the right wing before firing a bouncing cross into the Arsenal penalty area and towards goal. The ball is left by Laurent Koscielny and almost finds the bottom left-hand corner of the net, but Cech is just about able to tip it away with a one-handed save.
• 62'

  Monreal skips past two Palace players deep down the left flank and flies into the penalty area on a great run, but just as he's about to poke a pass back to Giroud, Flamini flies in and dispossesses the Spaniard with a vital sliding tackle.
• 60'

  Chance for Kelly! Palace enjoy their best spell of the game as they continue putting Arsenal under pressure, but Kelly is unable to fire in a volley from close range and completely misses the ball. He really should have buried that golden opportunity!
• 59'

  Another great save by Cech! Palace keep pushing forward before another cross is fired into the box, but this time the goalkeeper is able to punch the ball away from danger. He can only do so as far as Cabaye, and the midfielder then unleashes a rocket of a shot that is stopped by another wonderful diving stop.
• 58'

  Cech fails to keep a back-pass from Monreal in play and gifts a corner to Palace. It's fired into the middle of the Arsenal penalty area and finds Benteke, whose wonderful headed effort is parried away by a strong diving save from Cech.
• 56'

  Goal Alex Iwobi
  GOAL! It's 2-0 to Arsenal! Monreal causes yet more problems for the Palace back line as he darts into the left-hand side of the penalty area and towards the byline. He then fires a low pass across the face of goal that Dann can only scoop up into the air and on to the head of Iwobi, who then does well to loop a header over Hennessey and into the back of the net via the underside of the crossbar.
• 54'

  Monreal does well to dispossess Townsend midway inside the Palace half of the pitch before doing well to tee up Sanchez. The latter is easily able to skip past Kelly before working the ball over to Perez, but the Spaniard's shot from a tight angle is poor and fails to test Hennessey.
• 52'

  Arsenal break forward once again before Dann pokes the ball out for a corner. The set-piece is taken short and worked over to Bellerin, but the full-back is unable to play a quick one-two with Giroud on the edge of the Palace penalty area.
• 50'

  Sanchez almost makes it 2-0! The ball pinballs around the Palace penalty area as the visitors struggle to deal with the danger before finally falling to Sanchez. The Chilean is in a good position in front of goal and immediately unleashes a rocket of a shot, but Dann is there to throw his body in the way of the thumping strike.
• 48'

  And now Perez goes close! Sanchez cuts inside from the right wing before teeing up Perez with a lovely pass into the penalty area, but the Spaniard's first-time shot is deflected just wide of the goal and out for a corner.
• 47'

  Early chance for Christian Benteke! Townsend is presented with an opportunity to fly forward on a marauding run after an Arsenal attack comes to an end. He does well to get forward before floating a cross right on to the head of Benteke, but the striker fails to hit the target and sends his effort bouncing just wide of the far post.
• 46'

  And we're underway once again!
• The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
• So far, so good for Arsenal, who are comfortably dominating the game and head into the half-time break with a well-deserved one-goal lead. They arguably should be at least three goals ahead after being presented with several good opportunities to extend their advantage over a Palace side that have really struggled at the back. At the other end of the pitch, the visitors have done very little, with only Cabaye managing to force Cech into making a save with a weak long-range shot.
• HALF-TIME: ARSENAL 1-0 CRYSTAL PALACE
• 45'+1'

  What a chance for Sanchez! A chipped cross from Bellerin should be easily dealt with by the Palace defence but is completely messed up by Kelly and Tomkins. The ball spins away from both before rolling over to Sanchez, who quickly unleashes a low shot but is unable to beat the outstretched legs of Hennessey.
• 45'

  The fourth official has indicated that there will be just one minute of added time.
• 44'

  Townsend loses out to Monreal deep down the right flank and another Palace attack comes to a disappointing end. Arsenal then hit the visitors on a quick attacking move that ends with Sanchez, who unleashes a thumping shot from just outside of the box that Hennessey does well to hold on to.
• 43'

  Xhaka picks up possession inside the Arsenal half of the pitch and breaks towards the halfway line before firing a lofted pass up towards Giroud, but it's slightly overhit by the midfielder and sails straight into the hands of Hennessey before it can find the Frenchman.
• 41'

  Perez breaks down the right flank after skipping past Ward before firing a low cross into the heart of the penalty area and towards Giroud, but his pass fails to find the striker and is easily blasted away by Tomkins.
• 39'

  It's all Arsenal at the moment as they comfortably hold on to the ball inside the Palace half of the pitch. The visitors are playing with a back six as they try to keep the home side at bay, with Townsend and Zaha slotting in alongside Kelly and Ward.
• 37'

  With 37 minutes on the clock, Palace are finally able to test Petr Cech with their first shot on target, but Yohan Cabaye's strike from the edge of the penalty area is straight at the goalkeeper and fails to cause him too many problems.
• 35'

  Sanchez, who has been a real handful for Townsend and Kelly thus far, cuts inside from the left wing on another clever run before trying to curl a shot into the bottom right-hand corner of the net, but it's hit slightly too straight and fails to hit the target.
• 34'

  Arsenal come back once again as Monreal and Perez link up well over on the left flank. The latter then tries to pick out Giroud with another dangerous cross into the middle of the penalty area, but the Frenchman loses out to James Tomkins.
• 33'

  Almost a great chance for Monreal! Sanchez easily beats Townsend with a wonderful run forward before chipping a cross into the middle of the Palace penalty area. It finds Giroud, who quickly chests the ball down to Monreal, but the Spaniard is flagged offside just as he's about to shoot from close range.

• 31'

  Bellerin darts down the right-hand side of the penalty area and does well to keep the ball in play before firing a cross towards the near post, but, slightly off balance, he's unable to pick out a teammate and it's easily collected by Hennessey.
• 29'

  Elneny catches Zaha from behind as the winger tries to break forward on a quick counter-attack and gives away a free-kick midway inside the Arsenal half of the pitch. Ward steps up and chips a pass into the box, but it's poorly hit and easily dealt with by Elneny.
• 27'

  Perez breaks through the middle of the Palace defence and tries to latch on to a lovely lofted pass forward from Iwobi, but, despite his best efforts, he's unable to make contact with the ball and Hennessey is just about able to deal with the danger.
• 26'

  Elneny goes close! Sanchez twists and turns on the edge of the Palace penalty area before teeing up Iwobi, who, with his back to goal, pokes the ball over to Elneny. The midfielder is in acres of space 25 yards out and decides to shoot, but his rocket of a low shot ends up flying just a yard or two wide of the near post.
• 24'

  Arsenal try to hit Palace on another quick counter-attack, this time through Perez over on the right flank. The Spaniard does well to dart down the wing before taking on Zaha, but the winger is there to out-muscle the Arsenal man with a well-timed tackle.

• 24'

  Arsenal try to hit Palace on another quick counter-attack, this time through Perez over on the right flank. The Spaniard does well to dart down the wing before taking on Zaha, but the winger is there to out-muscle the Arsenal man with a well-timed tackle.
• 23'

  Palace patiently push forward down the left wing before winning their first corner of the game. It's fired into the middle of the Arsenal box and finds Scott Dann, but the defender is unable to beat the wall of red and white shirts in front of him with his headed effort.
• 21'

  Risky play by Townsend! The winger tracks back well and cuts out a cross before falling asleep on the ball, allowing Monreal to pick it up on the touchline. However, luckily for the Palace man, Hennessey does well to read the danger and darts out to deal with the danger at the vital moment.
• 19'

  Arsenal quickly win the ball back from the restart before a lofted pass is thumped forward and towards Giroud once again, but this time the ball is slightly overhit and fails to find the striker inside the penalty area.
• 17'

  Assist Alexis Alejandro Sánchez Sánchez
  Sanchez did wonderfully well to pick out Giroud with such a lovely cross, but that finish from the Frenchman was sublime. Easily the best goal of the season thus far!
• 
  17'

  Goal Olivier Giroud
  GOAL! What a strike by Giroud! Arsenal break away quickly after dealing with a half-hearted Palace attack, with Sanchez breaking down the left wing. The Chilean darts towards the penalty area before chipping a cross over to Giroud, who then beats Hennessey with a Henrikh Mkhitaryan-esque scorpion kick that flies into the back of the net off the underside of the crossbar.
• 16'

  Chance for Iwobi! Perez skips past Ward far too easily before teeing up Iwobi on the edge of the penalty area, but the latter's swinging shot fails to find the bottom left-hand corner of the net and is well saved by Hennessey.
• 14'

  Arsenal quickly move the ball around deep inside the Palace half of the pitch before Perez and Sanchez try to play a swift one-two between one another just outside of the penalty area, but the Spaniard loses out to Mathieu Flamini before catching the Frenchman with a late sliding challenge.
• 12'

  Sanchez goes close! Arsenal keep putting pressure on Palace as they push forward once again. Sanchez weaves his way through a group of yellow shirts before shooting from 25 yards out, but his rocket of a shot ends up flying a few yards wide of the far post.
• 11'

  Monreal takes on Andros Townsend on the left-hand side of the Palace penalty area before winning Arsenal a third corner of the game. It's fired in by Granit Xhaka but there's no one there to meet the ball, allowing Hennessey to easily collect the cross under no pressure whatsoever.
• 10'

  Zaha is muscled off the ball by Perez and allows the latter to break forward on a quick counter-attack, but he loses control of the ball as he tries to take on Ward and ends up knocking the ball out for a throw-in.
• 8'

  Palace push forward on a first foray into the Arsenal half of the pitch before winning themselves a free-kick deep down the left wing. It's quickly play to Wilfried Zaha, who then tries to take on Perez, but the Spaniard muscles the winger off the ball with a hefty challenge. The Palace man isn't at all happy with the decision, but the referee isn't interested in listening to his protests.
• 6'

  Arsenal go close! Nacho Monreal fires a dangerous bouncing pass across the face of goal, but, somehow, both Olivier Giroud and Perez completely miss the ball. It then rolls over to Iwobi, who quickly tees up Mohamed Elneny, but the Egyptian midfielder's first-time shot deflects off a yellow shirt and out for a corner.
• 4'

  Sanchez cuts inside from the left wing midway inside the Palace half of the pitch before curling a dangerous lofted pass towards Lucas Perez. The Spaniard does well to beat Joel Ward before trying to latch on to the ball, but Wayne Hennessey darts out of his penalty area to deal with the danger.
• 2'

  Alex Iwobi and Alexis Sanchez link up brilliantly on the edge of the Palace penalty area before the latter charges towards goal, but Martin Kelly does well to stick out a foot to poke the ball out for a corner. The set-piece is whipped into the middle of the box and almost finds Gabriel, but the Brazilian misses making contact with the ball by the narrowest of margins.
• 1'

  And we're off! Palace get us underway, attacking from right to left.
• The two sides are making their way out on to the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
• Meanwhile, Palace boss Sam Allardyce has made just one alteration to the team that featured in their last outing, with James Tomkins returning from injury to replace Damien Delaney, who picked up a suspension in the game against Watford on Boxing Day.
• Arsene Wenger has decided to make three changes to the Arsenal side that started the win against West Brom, with Nacho Monreal, Mohamed Elneny and Lucas Perez coming into the starting line-up to replace Kieron Gibbs, Francis Coquelin and Mesut Ozil, the latter of whom misses out due to illness.
• Crystal Palace substitutes: Speroni, Husin, Mutch, Lee, Phillips, Campbell, Sako.
• Crystal Palace XI (4-2-3-1): Hennessey; Kelly, Dann, Tomkins, Ward; Flamini, Puncheon; Townsend, Cabaye, Zaha; Benteke.
• Arsenal substitutes: Ospina, Mustafi, Reine-Adelaide, Maitland-Niles, Coquelin, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain.
• Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1): Cech; Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Monreal; Elneny, Xhaka; Iwobi, Sanchez, Perez; Giroud.
• There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this afternoon…
• A defeat for 18th-place Sunderland yesterday gave Palace a boost and has presented them with an opportunity to climb up to 16th in the table, but that should be tricky for them to make a reality. Since returning to the top flight in 2013, they have taken just one point off Arsenal from a possible 18, with each of the other five games all ending in wins for the North London club.
• Sam Allardyce’s return to management almost ended in a desperately needed victory against Watford in his first game in charge of Palace, but a second-half Troy Deeney penalty condemned them to a fourth game without a win. The Eagles now have just one victory from their last 12 league games, leaving them just two points outside of the relegation zone.
• Despite suffering recent defeats, Arsenal have impressed at home and will be confident about their chances of extending that record here today. Only Liverpool have managed to beat the Gunners at home this season, with all of their previous three clashes ending in victories. They also boast a dominant record over Palace, who haven’t won away againt Arsenal since October 1994.
• Groans of discontent have been heard from Arsenal fans in recent weeks after back-to-back defeats against Everton and Manchester City, but their team bounced back with a much-needed, albeit narrow, 1-0 win against a stubborn West Bromwich Albion side on Boxing Day. They currently sit 12 points behind Chelsea, however, meaning that another victory here today is imperative if they are to avoid falling too far behind the league leaders.
• Good afternoon and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s Premier League game between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium.