Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal: Gabriel Jesus scores twice as Gunners storm to victory at Selhurst Park to maneuver inside three factors of league leaders Liverpool

These two teams have conjured 10 goals in their back-to-back meetings and Gabriel Jesus has scored five of them. The Arsenal striker is back with a bang.

Following his hat-trick in Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup, he opened his Premier League account for the season with a brace here at Selhurst Park as Mikel Arteta closed the gap to leaders Liverpool to just three points.

The Brazil international had ample opportunities to notch consecutive hat-tricks, missing three other excellent chances to nab another match-ball.

Not that Jesus will be too downhearted, of course. Following a dismal start to his campaign, Jesus has emerged as Arsenal’s man of the moment.

Much has been made of Arsenal’s lack of a prolific goalscorer, but in this form Jesus remains one of the most adept in the business.

‘He has certainly clicked and he needed that to unlock that mentally his confidence and the belief externally,’ said Arteta.

Palace will argue the 5-1 scoreline flattered their opponents. There’s credibility to those claims.

Oliver Glasner’s team had the Gunners rattled on occasion, had they’d shown Arsenal’s ruthlessness in front of goal then we may be telling a different story.

But Arsenal were clinical when Palace weren’t – that is the only story worth telling.

Arsenal inflicted the majority of the damage during a breathless first half.

They drew first blood, Jesus firing the visitor’s ahead at the back post after an disorganised Palace defence failed to deal with Saka’s delivery in the sixth minute.

The early goal provided instant reward for Arteta’s brave team selection as he sought to quell a recent narrative that his side lack creativity.

Declan Rice and Mikel Merino were left on the bench, with attack-minded Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz preferred in midfield alongside solitary defensive pivot Thomas Partey.

And while the decision paid early dividends, Palace found themselves level just five minutes later when Ismaila Sarr sweetly finished a flowing move that included Maxence Lacroix, Marc Guehi, Jefferson Lerma and Tyrick Mitchell.

It was a strike former Palace heroes Wilfried Zaha and Michael Olise – who were both in the stands here – would have been proud of.

Palace swept through Arsenal’s midfield like it was non-existent. The control we’ve come to expect from Arteta’s Arsenal evaporating into the winter air.

Yet Arsenal were quick to respond; four minutes it took for them to retake the lead as Jesus beautifully struck beyond Dean Henderson at his near post as Palace failed to deal with the Gunners’ latest successful corner kick.

But even then you sensed the Gunners weren’t managing the game quite as Arteta would have liked – Jean-Philippe Mateta squandering Palace’s best chance to equalise for a second time after his close range effort, following William Saliba’s uncharacteristic mistake, was brilliantly stopped by David Raya in the 21st minute.

The sight of Bukayo Saka falling to his haunches before limping off holding the back of his right leg won’t have eased Arteta’s anxieties.

With the games coming thick and fast during the festive period, Arteta will be hoping for positive news regarding his brilliant England international.

Havertz, though, was on hand in the 38th minute to bring a smile to his manager’s face, tapping home after Jesus initially headed Gabriel Martinelli’s cross onto the foot of the post.

The Arsenal goalscorer looked for the all the world that he was in an offside position but Mitchell, who was tracking Martinelli’s run down, played Havertz onside.

It wasn’t like Palace hadn’t been warned, either. Just seconds prior to Havertz’s goal, Gabriel Magalhaes struck the crossbar from Odegaard’s corner.

Sarr missed an excellent chance to cut Arsenal’s deficit a minute after the restart but his diving header from Nathaniel Clyne’s cross, via Mateta’s deft flick, was saved by Raya.

The Spanish keeper then made a double save, initially saving Mateta’s driven effort before stopping Sarr’s header from the rebound.

Arsenal has a cushion, but it didn’t feel like it. They were hurried rather composed. Nervous rather than confident.

It came as no surprise that Arteta dragged Rice from the bench in the 58th minute to replace Havertz. Arteta also brought on fit-again Ricardo Calafiori in place of teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly.

It was a clear sign, that despite Arsenal’s lead, Arteta wasn’t comfortable. He didn’t have to wait long, though, for the serenity he craved.

Substitute Rice was at the centre of Arsenal’s fourth on the hour mark, his blocked effort fired home by Martinelli to give Arsenal an unassailable cushion before Rice stroked home the fifth late on.