Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta praised his side’s ruthlessness in front of goal after they dispatched Crystal Palace with ease on Saturday.
The Gunners scored more than one goal in a single game in just one of their previous seven matches in all competitions, failing to find the net in three of them, an issue the Basque tactician highlighted after they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Liverpool.
There were no such problems in front of goal at the Emirates this weekend as Gabriel Magalhaes twice headed home in the first half, although his second was officially recorded as an own goal by Dean Henderson.
Leandro Trossard extended the host’s lead in the 59th minute before Gabriel Martinelli grabbed a stoppage time brace off the bench.
“Very pleased, clean sheet and five goals, win the game and performance,” Arteta told BBC Match of the Day after the final whistle.
“I had a really good feeling after we left the stadium after Liverpool, the performance was there but the results were not.
“Today we were much more efficient in the opponent’s box particularly than the last few games. Last few games we had moments playing better than today but this is about scoring goals.
“Set pieces are a big part of us, especially against teams that want to defend deeply. It is a good way to win games.
“The success of last season was the amount of players who scored more than 10 goals and we are going to have to do that again.
“We used moments of the game we knew could exploit really, really well. The subs did really well and had a big impact. Everyone was really focused.
“This is the second part of the season, we want to tackle it with a lot of aggression and motivation.
“I would like to play three days after but it is what it is! We will keep preparing and we must continue to do better and improve as a team.”
