EPL: Jesus double leads Arsenal’s five-goal rout against Crystal Palace

Gabriel Jesus delivered a stellar performance with two goals as Arsenal demolished Crystal Palace 5-1 at Selhurst Park, moving within three points of Premier League leaders Liverpool.

The Brazilian striker, fresh off a Carabao Cup quarter-final hat-trick against the same opponents, brought his tally against Palace to five goals in just one week. However, the Gunners were dealt a blow as Bukayo Saka limped off in the first half.

Arsenal wasted no time opening the scoring in the sixth minute when Saka’s deflected cross found Jesus, who fired a sharp strike past Dean Henderson at the near post.

Palace responded swiftly, equalizing just five minutes later through Ismaila Sarr’s sublime curled effort into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

The Gunners quickly reclaimed the lead three minutes later. A poorly cleared corner fell to Thomas Partey, who set up Jesus for a sensational top-corner finish, doubling his tally.

Jesus came close to securing another hat-trick when his header struck the post, but Kai Havertz capitalized on the rebound to tap in Arsenal’s third.

Both teams had chances to add to the scoreline before halftime. Jean-Philippe Mateta saw his close-range shot saved by David Raya, while Gabriel headed a Martin Ødegaard corner against the bar.

Crystal Palace started the second half with intensity but struggled to break Arsenal’s defensive line. The Gunners extended their lead when Gabriel Martinelli redirected a Declan Rice strike into the net.

Rice capped off the dominant display with a stunning curled shot to seal Arsenal’s fifth goal, underscoring the team’s impressive form.

The victory leaves Arsenal three points adrift of Liverpool, albeit having played two more matches.