Eberechi Eze, as the script dictated, scored against his former club as Arsenal remained top of the Premier League with victory over Crystal Palace at the Emirates.

After his summer move from south London, Eze has stepped into Mikel Arteta’s side with Martin Odegaard out injured and finished smartly from a set piece after Palace had threatened Arsenal for much of the first half.

The league leaders struggled to create much before Eze’s goal, but in the second half continued their impressive form from set pieces as they hit the crossbar after another Declan Rice free kick. One concern for Arteta will be William Saliba being taken off at half-time, with the centre-back replaced by Cristhian Mosquera – and the Spain Under-21 defender stepped up ably. Rice also appeared to pick up a knock before being replaced by Mikel Merino late on, although this may have just been precautionary.

The result leaves Arsenal on 22 points from their nine games, four points clear of second-placed Bournemouth, with Liverpool and Manchester City both losing last weekend. James McNicholas breaks down the action from the Emirates…

Eze’s willingness to try things has been refreshing since he returned to north London. It’s familiar to those who have played with him How important was it for Arsenal to capitalise?

On Saturday, champions Liverpool suffered a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat. Then on Sunday, Manchester City were beaten 1-0 at Villa Park.

The results leave Arsenal four points clear at the top of the table – but six ahead of fourth-placed City, and seven ahead of sixth-placed Liverpool. Arsenal’s closest challengers right now are Bournemouth and Sunderland.

Factor in that Arsenal have already visited Old Trafford, Anfield and St James’ Park and their start to the season becomes all the more impressive. This was yet another fixture in which Arsenal improved on their points tally last season. In 2024-25, Arsenal were twice pegged back in a game which ended as a 2-2 draw.

Arsenal’s developing lead will make them early favourites for the title. That will bring its own pressures and challenges, but recent evidence suggests this squad is better prepared than ever to face them.

Is this what Eze was brought in for?

It’s difficult to decide which felt more inevitable: an Eze goal against his former club or Arsenal scoring from a set piece. In the end, Arsenal got both at once.

Rice’s free kick was headed back into the melee by Gabriel, and Eze arrived to finish with a spectacular scissor kick. This was precisely the sort of moment Arsenal purchased Eze for. The Gunners had largely toiled against a disciplined Palace side, producing just one shot on target in the opening 38 minutes.

Eze himself had been subdued, struggling to get on the ball regularly as the right-sided No 8. Yet even when he is having a quieter game, he is capable of producing moments of magic.

The England international was restrained in his celebrations, but did mark the moment by pointing to the sky in recognition of his faith. Scoring his first Premier League goal for Arsenal against his previous club felt written.

Arsenal’s threat from set pieces – and Eze’s audacious skill – combined to help them find a breakthrough against a stubborn opponent.

How much does Mosquera ease defensive cover concerns?

Saliba was withdrawn at half-time and Arsenal fans face an anxious wait for news on his fitness. Saliba had an awkward first half, with Jean-Philippe Mateta’s power providing a stern test.

Arteta will doubtless soon update supporters on Saliba’s situation, but if there were any concerns, the Arsenal manager would have felt relatively relaxed about making a change. He was able to bring on 21-year-old Cristhian Mosquera, who has been one of the positive surprises of Arsenal’s season.

Once again, Mosquera stepped in seamlessly to help Arsenal to yet another clean sheet.

Saliba’s centre-half partner, Gabriel, came into the game with some concerns over his fitness – and suffered a nasty collision with the post during the second half.

Arsenal would not want to be without either of their first-choice central defenders for any length of time. In this early position of the season, however, Mosquera has already shown himself to be a very able deputy.

The most crucial thing seems to be his stylistic similarity to Saliba and Gabriel. The former Valencia man has the athleticism to play high up the pitch, and the composure to partake in Arsenal’s intricate build-up play.

Nobody is suggesting Mosquera is yet at the level of either Saliba or Gabriel, but for the first time in a long time, Arsenal can afford some measure of rotation among their centre-backs without having to adapt their style.

Speaking after the match, the Arsenal manager discussed various injury concerns. On Saliba, he said: “The first one was Willy, who had to be out after the first half. Declan was struggling with a knock that he took from the first half and Ricky (Calafiori) as well, so let’s see how they recover.”

It was suggested that Gabriel Martinelli looked like he was limping at the end. Asked if the Brazilian was ok, Arteta said: “Yeah, I think so. We have to check that one. He was a bit uncomfortable. He said he felt something. We don’t know whether it’s a muscular issue or not. Tomorrow we’ll have more news.”

On Saka, he said: “He’s been ill and hasn’t really trained. We didn’t know whether he was going to be fit, so he made a big effort to be available today. The doctor guided us to give us the best possible opportunity to be in the best condition. He managed to play a few minutes but the longer the game went on, he was getting too fatigued and risked injury. We didn’t want to take that risk.”

• A Tell Media report / Adopted from The Athletic