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Gabriel Jesus netted twice in the first half as Arsenal cruised to a dominant 5-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, narrowing the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Fresh off his League Cup hat-trick against the same opponents, Jesus opened scoring in the 6th minute and doubled Arsenal’s lead eight minutes later.
According to Eurosports, Palace briefly equalized through Ismaila Sarr in the 11th minute, but Arsenal’s relentless attack proved too much for the hosts.
Read more: Tottenham crush Man City 4-0 as Maddison shines, Arsenal, Chelsea secure vital wins
Despite losing Bukayo Saka to a suspected hamstring injury during his 250th appearance for the club, Arsenal maintained control with additional goals from Kai Havertz (38′), Gabriel Martinelli (60′), and substitute Declan Rice (84′).
The victory lifted Arsenal to third place, one point behind Chelsea and three behind Liverpool, who face Tottenham on Sunday.
Arsenal, unbeaten in London derbies throughout 2024—a record last achieved in 2004—will next host Ipswich on Friday.
Crystal Palace, meanwhile, sit in 15th place, just four points above the relegation zone, ahead of their Boxing Day trip to Bournemouth.
Villa Stun Manchester City
John Duran’s first-half strike and Morgan Rogers’ second-half goal helped Aston Villa to a stunning 2-1 victory over Manchester City at Villa Park.
Al Jazeera reported that Phil Foden’s injury-time goal offered little consolation for City, who have now suffered six defeats in 17 league matches and nine losses across all competitions this season.
Villa, who finished fourth last season, climbed to fifth in the table, boosting their hopes of European qualification.
Nottingham Forest Continue Winning Run
At the Gtech Community Stadium, Nottingham Forest defeated Brentford 2-0, with Ola Aina and Anthony Elanga scoring in the 38th and 51st minutes, respectively.
The win propelled Forest to third in the standings.
Newcastle Thrash Ipswich
Alexander Isak’s hat-trick inspired Newcastle to a commanding 4-0 win over Ipswich Town.
Goals in the 2nd, 45+2nd, and 54th minutes from Isak, along with Jacob Murphy’s 32nd-minute strike, pushed Newcastle to seventh in the table.
West Ham Share Points with Brighton
West Ham and Brighton played to a 1-1 draw, keeping Brighton ninth in the standings while West Ham remain mid-table.
League leaders Liverpool, holding a two-point lead with a game in hand over second-placed Chelsea, travel to Tottenham on Sunday.
Chelsea face Everton the same day as the title race heats up.
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