This is just how it is. Arsenal won once again because of a set piece, and while Mikel Arteta might have struck a frustrated figure in his pre-match press conference when facing questions of such an ilk, he was delighted to claim all three points.
As Declan Rice swung yet another perfect delivery into an opposition box, rival fans watching from home, rolling their eyes at the inevitability of what was to follow, would materialise yet again. This time, however, Eberechi Eze was the man on hand, against his former club, to slam in the only goal of the game.
Discussions took place inside the press room with colleagues and with Arsenal supporters both before and after kick-off about the inevitability that the Gunners will, one day, lose a game. But it was not this day.
There has been just one defeat all season so far, the same number of defeats suffered just this weekend by both Liverpool and Manchester City. Brentford and Aston Villa provided Arsenal with the perfect weekend, which sees them now four points clear at the top, but to Bournemouth, not either of their expected rivals.
Arteta denied the idea that his players knew of their rivals’ scorelines during the break between the two sides on Sunday afternoon. Citing the fact that his players are banned from using their phones.
“No, I wasn’t aware,” Arteta said. “I just found out at the end of the game; I think most of the players did as well.
“They’re not allowed their phones at half-time, so hopefully they didn’t know about it, maybe through the staff. But yeah, I think I’m really positive.
“We came forward especially because we did what we had to do, and then it shows you the difficulty of the league and how complicated it is to win games.”
Whether they knew it or not, the Arsenal players were forced into an uncomfortable end to the game where they needed to secure the result with the likelihood of a second fading toward the final whistle. Oliver Glasner had made a triple change late on in search of an equaliser.
Yet Arteta had the capacity to bring both Myles Lewis-Skelly and Piero Hincapie to join the already substituted Cristhian Mosquera to create a back five to end the game. It was yet another example of how Arteta can shift his team’s setup to suit the scenario.
A game that saw Viktor Gyokeres limited to very few touches of the ball, and could easily have been misinterpreted as a poor performance from the Swede. However, his link-up, hold-up play and first touch were a marked improvement throughout the game from what we have previously experienced.
While Martin Zubimendi likely had the weakest of his Arsenal displays so far, that is by no means a criticism. An early mistake from the Spaniard didn’t shake him, and he grew into the game, which lacked perhaps the same slick passing we’ve come to expect so far this season.
It was a weekend where the Gunners needed to find a way of winning by any means, and as so often has been the case, a set piece came to the rescue. Yet while some still cling to this asset as something of a downside and claim some form of reliance the Gunners have, instead, it should be looked at as the club’s versatility to continue to find the answer to previously locked doors.
The win over Palace completes a run of four victories over Newcastle United, West Ham United, Fulham and now Crystal Palace, who all managed to take points off Arteta’s side last season. A net gain of ten points in total from the same fixtures during the previous campaign.
If there was ever a sign at this early stage that Arsenal are heading toward achieving their ultimate goal and what Arteta has been preparing this side for, then victories such as this are just that. Yet there remains so much football still to play and a rollercoaster of a campaign yet to be realised that patience and perspective still must be encouraged.
