Patrick Vieira may have been absent but Arsenal again displayed the type of assertive performance during the run-in that typified his title wins as a player. It might be what makes this race all the more interesting, as the leaders are getting very good at this. This 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace was the second successive league match in which Arsenal had beatable but awkward opposition, and yet had effectively claimed three points in clinical fashion by half-time. That’s what can really win titles, as it illustrates no hesitation just when doubt and nerves could feasibly seep in. These notionally easy games could easily become long and tense occasions, after all. Arsenal instead have the confidence of an eight-point lead, albeit with one more game played than Manchester City.
The Europa League elimination didn’t seem to have any negative effect or matter much at all. Gabriel Martinelli followed his decisive penalty miss against Sporting Lisbon with the strike that set them off here, a wonderfully swished finish that reflected a forward in form. It only emphasised how this is all about the Premier League. That’s all Arsenal want to focus on.
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