Good evening! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for today's Premier League clash between
Crystal Palace and Arsenal at Selhurst Park!
The final match of the penultimate gameweek of 2017 is a London derby which has plenty of intrigue around it, with Palace having hit form to haul themselves out of the relegation zone and Arsenal losing ground in the race for a top-four spot.
We will look at both clubs in depth a little later, but first let's check out the team news...
CRYSTAL PALACE STARTING XI: Speroni; Kelly, Dann, Tomkins, Schlupp; Milivojevic, Cabaye, Loftus-Cheek, Townsend, Zaha; Benteke
CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: Hennessey, Van Aanholt, Fosu-Mensah, McArthur, Puncheon, Riedewald, Sako
ARSENAL STARTING XI: Cech; Chambers, Mustafi, Koscielny; Bellerin, Xhaka, Wilshere, Kolasinac; Ozil, Lacazette, Sanchez
ARSENAL SUBS: Ospina, Walcott, Holding, Iwobi, Welbeck, Maitland-Niles, Coquelin
What can we make of those two teams, then
Well, we will have a closer look at the hosts in a short while, but let's start by looking at an Arsenal side which sees three changes to the team which drew against Liverpool in that thrilling contest six days ago.
The most notable of those come in defence as Calum Chambers is handed something of a surprise start due to Nacho Monreal's absence through an ankle injury.
Shkodran Mustafi also comes back into the starting lineup this evening as Arsenal revert to their 3-4-3 formation, having opted for a 4-2-3-1 system against Liverpool.
Koscielny keeps his place at the heart of the defence, but it is all change around him with Mustafi and Chambers coming in, as well as a return for Sead Kolasinac at left wing-back, with Maitland-Niles dropping back to the bench.
Arsenal's midfield is otherwise unchanged, which means another start for Jack Wilshere. The England international is enjoying a good run in the team at the moment and Wenger once again selects him in the middle of the park today, alongside Xhaka.
Xhaka got on the scoresheet during the 3-3 draw with Liverpool, but it would be fair to say that the jury is still out over the Arsenal midfielder.
The familiar front three of Ozil, Lacazette and Sanchez will be looking to do the damage in the final third this evening, and if Palace don't keep a very close eye on all three of them then that could be the difference between winning and losing this game.
Sanchez has not been at his best so far this term but both he and Ozil scored against Liverpool and will once again be looking to prove that they are committed to the Arsenal cause amid the endless speculation over their futures.
© SilverHub
The headline news from the Crystal Palace camp is that Christian Benteke returns to lead the line, having missed last weekend's draw with Swansea City due to a one-game suspension.
Benteke finally ended his long goal drought during his most recent Palace appearance and will be desperate to find the back of the net again this evening, but he has only ever scored in three of his 25 home Premier League games for the Eagles.
Benteke's return is the only personnel change from the 1-1 draw with Swansea City, with James McArthur dropping to the bench to make way for the striker.
That, of course, forces a reshuffle elsewhere in the team, with Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend - who were the two most attacking players in that match against the Swans, expected to play in a slightly more withdrawn role today. Zaha has also featured up front for Palace this season, though, so don't be surprised to see him pop up alongside Benteke on a regular basis tonight.
Zaha's form this season has drawn plenty of plaudits, with the forward even being linked to Premier League leaders Arsenal as a result. Zaha could relish a second chance at a big club following his unsuccessful spell at Manchester United a few years ago, but for now he will be fully focused on the Palace cause.
Zaha's pace and trickery works well in tandem with Andros Townsend too, and Arsenal will need to be wary of those two wingers whipping crosses into the head of Benteke tonight.
Townsend, Cabaye and Milivojevic were all on the scoresheet the last time these two sides met, and the trio all start again tonight with Loftus-Cheek also given another run-out in midfield.
There are no changes at the back, meanwhile, as long-serving Julian Speroni continues between the sticks and Kelly, Dann, Tomkins and Schlupp are once again tasked with protecting him.
Palace come into this match in much better shape than they might have thought following their woeful start to the season, with even manager
Roy Hodgson admitting in the build-up to this one that his side's improvement has taken him by surprise.
To have picked up no points whatsoever from their first seven Premier League games of the season and still go into the Christmas period out of the relegation zone is an impressive feat, and huge credit must go to Hodgson for that.
Overall, though, it has been a pretty disappointing 2017 for Crystal Palace, who have gone through three different managers throughout the year including an ill-fated spell of just four games for Frank de Boer at the start of this season.
No goals and no points from those four matches ultimately spelled the end for De Boer, but Hodgson now seems to have turned the team around after also getting off to a slow start - to the extent that victory this evening would lift Palace up to 13th.
Indeed, should Palace match their 3-0 from this fixture last season then they would move as high as 12th, although such a relatively lifty position should not be mistaken for safety.
Palace's position is a lot less perilous than it was a few months ago, but they are still only one point clear of the relegation zone and are one of three teams locked on 18 points. Palace do have this game in hand over the teams around them in the table, but it is all very crowded down there.
Palace come into this match unbeaten in their last eight matches, although five of those have been draws - including a 1-1 stalemate against Swansea City last time out.
Palace took the lead against the Swans and could have put more distance between themselves and the league's bottom club had they managed to hold on following Milivojevic's penalty, but Ayew levelled things up for the hosts at the Liberty Stadium and ultimately Palace were forced to make do with a point.
Even so, this eight-game streak constitutes Palace's longest ever unbeaten run in the Premier League and the longest in the top flight since 1990, when a 12-match streak ended in October.
You have to go back to November 5 for the last time Palace tasted defeat in the league, although that did come at the hands of North London opposition when Tottenham Hotspur ran out 1-0 winners.
Palace have taken all of their 18 points this season from the last 36 on offer, which is a decent ratio to pick points up at and would certainly be enough to keep them clear of danger. Indeed, had Palace managed the same ratio throughout the season then they would be sitting pretty in eighth place right now.
The Eagles have been particularly impressive at home too, going six Premier League games unbeaten here at Selhurst Park and notably scoring exactly two goals in all of those matches - having failed to hit the back of the net at all in their first three.
Victory tonight would hand Palace back-to-back wins for the first time since Arsenal's last visit here, when they were dispatched 3-0 in April. Since then, though, Palace have only kept one clean sheet in 13 home Premier League games, so Arsenal will at least be confident of getting on the scoresheet this time around.
Palace's home form will face some stringent examinations over the coming months too, with six of their next seven home league games coming against team currently in the top seven - starting, of course, tonight.
Palace have won their own home game against a top-six club already this season - stunning Chelsea in October - but Arsenal go into this game knowing that defeat would leave them playing catch-up in the race for a top four spot.
Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham - the three teams directly above Arsenal in the table - all won earlier this week, so the pressure is now on for the Gunners to pick up a crucial victory. Arsenal's league position will not change tonight - unless they win by eight or more goals - but a win would be the difference between finding themselves four points from the Champions League places or one.
Arsenal actually come into this match in identical form to Palace over the past five games but, while that has been good for Palace to lift themselves out of the bottom three, for Arsenal it has not been enough.
The Gunners are unbeaten in their last six games across all competitions since their 3-1 defeat to Arsenal at the beginning of December, but in the Premier League they have only won one of their last five outings.
Three draws and a defeat in that time have seen Arsenal drop nine valuable points from the last 15 on offer, whereas perfect form over the same period would have left them in third place.
Instead, Arsene Wenger's side are languishing in sixth and they will know that they need to return to winning ways sooner rather than later if they are to avoid this slump becoming fatal to their Champions League hopes.
Arsenal have also only won one of their last five away games across all competitions, drawing two and losing two of those.
It is their goalscoring on the road which will be the biggest concern, though, with Arsenal netting just three times in their last five away outings and only nine times away from home in the Premier League all season - fewer than the likes of Newcastle, Stoke and West Ham.
Unsurprisingly, that away goals tally is significantly lower than any of their top-six rivals, and a full 16 fewer than the league's top away scorers Liverpool.
Five of Arsenal's nine away league goals this season came in one game too, with the Gunners drawing a blank in four of the remaining eight such outings. That was the case in the most recent league away game too, when West Ham held on for a 0-0 draw at the London Stadium earlier this month.
Arsenal would only be ninth in the table if just away results counted having only won two of their nine games on the road so far this season - half the number of games which they have lost on the road.
Twenty-five of Arsenal's 34 points this season have come at the Emirates, dropping only five points in front of their own fans compared to a whopping 18 on the road. Indeed, only two wins from their opening nine away games is Arsenal's joint worst away record at this stage of a Premier League season.
That away record is Arsenal's worst since 2005-06, and the damning statistics keep on coming for the Gunners when looking at 2017 as a whole - a year which has been a pretty miserable one by the club's standards.
Arsenal have suffered 11 Premier League defeats this year - the most ever in a calendar year under Wenger - while their tally of 48 goals conceded is also their most in a calendar year since 1984, when they let in 57.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Selhurst Park, which means that it is time for a prediction!
Palace's improvement in recent weeks makes this one quite a difficult one to call, particularly with Arsenal not at their best too. However, the Gunners know that anything other than victory could be very damaging to their top-four hopes, so we're backing them to scrape the win.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal
I alluded to the fact that Palace won this corresponding fixture 3-0 last season, but that was a very rare triumph for the Eagles over Arsenal - their first since October 1994, to be exact.
That victory was memorable for a few other reasons too, as Palace picked up their first home win over Arsenal since November 1979 in addition to scoring three goals in a game against them for the very first time.
Arsenal had been unbeaten in the previous 14 meetings between the two sides across all competitions, winning 10 of those, while the 3-0 defeat was only the second time in the last 19 league meetings that Arsenal have failed to score - the other coming in a goalless draw in October 1997.
Palace have only won one of their last 12 home league games against their London rivals, though, so that result was very much the exception to the rule.
Indeed, these two sides have faced off on 41 previous occasions, and Palace have only ever won four times, losing 26 and drawing 11 of those.
The reverse fixture last season went the way of Arsenal on New Year's Day, although neither of their goalscorers from that match - Giroud and Iwobi - are starting this evening.
Right, the players are out and we're just about ready to get going here. Let's have a quick reminder of the team news tonight...
CRYSTAL PALACE STARTING XI: Speroni; Kelly, Dann, Tomkins, Schlupp; Milivojevic, Cabaye, Loftus-Cheek, Townsend, Zaha; Benteke
ARSENAL STARTING XI: Cech; Chambers, Mustafi, Koscielny; Bellerin, Xhaka, Wilshere, Kolasinac; Ozil, Lacazette, Sanchez
KICKOFF: Here we go then! Crystal Palace get us underway at Selhurst Park!
Nothing to report in the very early stages of this match as both sides look to settle into the game. Both have seen plenty of early goals fly in during their games this season, so they are trying to make a more solid start tonight.
Ozil and Sanchez link up for the first time tonight as Arsenal make their first thrust forward, but Palace deal with the danger and are then able to break out really sharply. It comes to nothing, but that was a good, quick break from the hosts.
Palace win the ball back and again are quick to break forward, with Zaha leading the charge. The winger cuts inside and looks ready to pull the trigger, but he instead opts for a pass and puts the ball behind Benteke.
SHOT! Better from Arsenal as they apply their first sustained bit of pressure. Sanchez is heavily involved, but it is Xhaka who has the eventual shot, hammering an effort a few yards over the crossbar.
SHOT! This time it is Cabaye who tries his luck from range, but this effort - after some good pressure from the home side - is never troubling Cech in the Arsenal goal.
Another good move from Palace almost allows Zaha to break into the box, but Bellerin gets back and puts in an important challenge to concede a corner.
Roy Hodgson will be happy with what he is seeing from his side here!
CLOSE! It is still Palace who are looking the most likely to break the deadlock here. Again this one comes from a Cabaye long-range effort, drilling a low strike towards goal which fizzes narrowly past the post - although Cech appeared to have it covered.
CHANCE! Arsenal respond with a chance of their own at the other end of the pitch as Sanchez releases Bellerin down the right with a peach of a pass. Bellerin cuts the ball back for Wilshere, but his effort is tame and straight at a Palace defender.
It is a landmark night for
Arsene Wenger tonight...
CHANCE! More good football from Arsenal as they exchange a series of quick passes in and around the Palace box. The ball is eventually teed up for Xhaka, but he rather scuffs his effort and it is again blocked before it can test Speroni.
SAVE! Both teams have been largely limited to long-range efforts in the opening quarter of this game, and here is another from Wilshere. It is hard, low and on target, but comfortable for Speroni to save.
Palace have more than held their own for the most part of this match so far, but Arsenal's pressure and control over this game is beginning to grow now.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 0-1 Arsenal (Shkodran Mustafi)
First blood goes to Arsenal, and there had been signs of this coming in the preceding minutes!
Speroni could perhaps do better with the initial shot as Lacazette whips a fierce strike towards the far corner which the Palace keeper can only parry away. His save falls straight to Mustafi, though, and the defence strokes the rebound into the empty net - making it look a lot easier than it was.
Hosgon would have been happy with his side in the opening 20 minutes or so, but they have really gone off the boil since then. Palace just cannot keep the ball at the moment and Arsenal are in control.
YELLOW CARD! The first card of the evening is shown to Chambers who a cynical foul on Zaha to prevent a quick counter.
CHANCE! Big chance for Arsenal to double their lead and almost take this game beyond Palace on the half-hour mark! Sanchez threads a lovely pass through the middle for Ozil, who tries to clip it past the keeper from close range. Speroni makes himself big, though, and pulls off a crucial stop.
SAVE! Wilshere wins a free kick around 35 yards from goal, but that distance does not put Sanchez off. He goes for goal, but his bouncing strike is held by the keeper.
CLOSE! Crystal Palace hit back with an increasingly-rare sight of goal of their own as Zaha cuts onto his right foot before bending a low strike narrowly past the far post.
Here is that opening goal - should Speroni have done better?
CLOSE! Arsenal are looking for that second goal, and Lacazette almost provides it here. He twists and turns before wriggling into space and finally getting a shot away, but his effort flashes wide.
Arsenal could and perhaps should be further than one goal ahead here, but as long as the deficit remains one then Palace are still in this one. Hodgson will be desperate to avoid suffering any further damage before half time.
CHANCE! Arsenal do almost get that second goal, but Palace just about survive. Sanchez plays the ball inside for Ozil, whose first touch is exquisite to take him into the box. The playmaker is under heavy pressure from a defender as Speroni also rushes out to meet him, but he unselfishly looks for a teammate rather than going for goal himself. His pass is too heavy for Bellerin and Lacazette, though, denying them a tap-in, and after the latter recycles it Sanchez fires a tame effort towards goal which is saved by the keeper.
Kolasinac is perhaps a little fortunate to get away without a yellow card here as he hauls Townsend back after allowing the winger to escape him. Free kick in a good crossing position...
Cabaye's free kick is only cleared as far as Schlupp, but the full-back is off balance and skews his shot well wide.
Here is the earlier Ozil chance which was so close to sending Arsenal 2-0 ahead...
There will be one minute of added time at the end of this first half.
HALF TIME: Crystal Palace 0-1 Arsenal
The referee brings an end to the first half at Selhurst Park, and it is Arsenal who take the lead into the break.
Indeed, it should be a lot better for Arsenal, who could well be out of sight at the halfway stage. The Gunners only have the one-goal lead, though, and while that remains the case Palace will still fancy their chances of rescuing something from the game.
The only goal of the contest so far arrived from an unlikely source as Mustafi tucked home a rebound at the back post, making a difficult finish look easy on the half-volley.
Speroni could have perhaps done better having only managed to parry Lacazette's initial effort into the path of Mustafi, although it was by no means a howler from the Palace keeper.
Arsenal have had plenty of chances to increase that lead, but a mixture of good goalkeeping and poor finishing has prevented them from doing so so far.
Ozil had the best chances, twice being played clean through on goal by Sanchez but failing to squeeze his finish past Speroni on both occasions. Lacazette and Sanchez himself have also come close, but Palace managed to avoid any further damage.
Palace actually started the match quite well, but any attacking threat they posed quickly disappeared and they will need to show a lot more in the second half if they are to get back into this one.
The hosts did not manage a single shot on target in the opening 45 minutes, with Benteke far too much of a peripheral figure throughout.
KICKOFF: Arsenal get us back underway for the second half!
CHANCE! Almost a perfect start to the half for Arsenal as Bellerin sneaks in behind Loftus-Cheek at the back post to get on the end of an inswinging cross from the left. It looks like a really good chance, but Loftus-Cheek does just about enough to prevent Bellerin from getting a clean connection.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-1 Arsenal (Andros Townsend)
I was just typing that the next goal in this match would be crucial, and Andros Townsend has just made sure that it is Palace who get it!
It comes out of nothing really as Zaha lines up Chambers on the left channel and pulls a low ball into the box. Townsend has peeled away round the back and meets the ball with a fine first-time finish which leaves Cech no chance.
That goal has completely changed the complexion of this match. Suddenly it is Palace who are well on top and the crowd are roaring them forward now. They think they can go on to win this one, and right now they look the most likely!
CHANCE! Decent chance for Loftus-Cheek as he breaks into the box, but he goes for goal when a pass may have been the better option and his effort is blocked.
CHANCE! Another chance for Palace, who can smell blood here! This time it is Schlupp who breaks into a similar position to the one Loftus-Cheek had moments ago, and he too goes for goal when he had teammates in a better position. The angle is against him, and sure enough he can only pick out the side-netting.
CRYSTAL PALACE SUB: The hosts make their first change of the night as James McArthur replaces Cabaye.
SHOT! Loftus-Cheek breaks into the box again here, but he gets his finish all wrong and sends it high and wide of the target.
This second half has been entirely different from the majority of the first so far. Palace now looks dangerous almost every time they come forward, whereas Arsenal are the team struggling to get hold of the ball now.
Better from Arsenal now as they begin to keep possession again and regain a degree of control over the game. They have done well to weather that Palace storm without further damage.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal (Alexis Sanchez)
Blimey! Out of nowhere,
Alexis Sanchez has restored Arsenal's lead with a blistering strike!
Lacazette is initially the man looking to find some shooting space inside the box, but he eventually just leaves it for Sanchez. The Chilean takes his shot early and puts everything behind it, sending the ball crashing past Speroni at the near post. The Palace keeper got a hand on it, but there was just too much pace on that one.
That has well and truly dampened the atmosphere inside Selhurst Park once again. Arsenal must now simply try to prevent Palace from building any momentum in the next five or 10 minutes.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-3 Arsenal (Alexis Sanchez)
Two goals in the space of only three minutes from Sanchez has taken this game away from Crystal Palace, and this is the pick of the bunch so far!
Wilshere is the creator with a pinpoint pass over the top of the defence, releasing Sanchez from just inside his own half. Sanchez still has plenty to do, but he takes the ball down on his knee before sliding it past Speroni and into the bottom corner. Lovely goal.
Is there any way back for Palace now? It is not looking promising for them at all - they had a good spell immediately after their equaliser but now Arsenal are back in complete control.
CHANCE! Another chance for Arsenal as they break forward down the left. Ozil peels off into space and is found by the pass, but he tries an audacious chip and gets it all wrong.
CRYSTAL PALACE SUB: Another change for the hosts sees Bakary Sako replace Loftus-Cheek.
If Palace are to get back into this match you feel that they need to score soon. Once again quickfire goals have helped Arsenal here - they scored three in less than five minutes against Liverpool last Friday and have two in three minutes today too.
ARSENAL SUB: A first change of the night for Arsenal sees Francis Coquelin replace Lacazette.
I mentioned Arsenal's struggles to score away from home so far this season, but they could have had five or six comfortably tonight. Wenger will be very pleased with what he has seen from his side.
Just over 10 minutes remaining in this one now and Arsenal are in cruise control. They are just knocking the ball about amongst themselves at their own pace.
CRYSTAL PALACE SUB: A third and final change from the hosts sees Timothy Fosu-Mensah replace Kelly.
SAVE! Almost a fourth for Arsenal as Bellerin races on to a long ball over the top. He has no-one in support, but still manages to get a shot away from a tight angle and the keeper needs to make the save.
Concern for Xhaka here as he slips off the ball and looks to have hurt his groin in the process. It looks like the midfielder will try to continue, though.
CHANCE! Chance for Zaha to give Palace a lifeline! A cross from the right goes over the head of Benteke, but Zaha gets the wrong side of Bellerin at the back post. He tries to nod it in, but mistimes his header and the ball comes off his shoulder, taking it away from goal.
Palace are not giving up here! Zaha again breaks into the box here and plays a low pass into a dangerous area, but it only finds an Arsenal shirt, who clears.
CHANCE! The ball breaks to Sako on the edge of the box now and he gets it out from his feet, but the finish is poor and never troubling Cech.
ARSENAL SUB: Another change for Arsenal as Ainsley Maitland-Niles replaces Xhaka.
CLOSE! Palace have had the chances to have got themselves back into this game. Schlupp breaks down the left and squeezes a cross into the box, but Sako's finish is deflected just wide.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 2-3 Arsenal (James Tomkins)
Palace do have some late hope here! Tomkins rises highest from the resulting corner and plants his header into the bottom corner to set up a blockbuster finale to this match!
There will be four minutes of added time at the end of this match!
FULL TIME: Crystal Palace 2-3 Arsenal
Arsenal treat us to more goals over his festive period, then, although this time they come out on top despite a late scare from Crystal Palace.
Ultimately it was a quickfire Alexis Sanchez brace which won Arsenal the points after Shkodran Mustafi had earlier opened the scoring, with Townsend and Tomkins scoring in reply for the hosts. The Gunners move back to within a point of the top four, whereas Palace stay just a point clear of the relegation zone.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as Arsenal record a 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park to move back to within a point of the Champions League places. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
