Premier League pundit lauds 'breathtaking' piece of play by Granit Xhaka during Arsenal v Palace

By Lee Connor

Arsenal hammered Crystal Palace this afternoon as they continued their march towards the Premier League title.

An inspired performance from Bukayo Saka once again ensured Arsenal were simply too much for their opponents.

Saka helped himself to a few goals, while Granit Xhaka and Gabi Martinelli got themselves in on the goals action as well as the England man.

And watching on for Premier League Productions, former PL midfielder Lee Hendrie was impressed with the finish from Xhaka when he scored Arsenal’s third.

“It really is silky. I might add sexy to the equation because it is brilliant. Movement of the highest quality. Granit Xhaka picks up that little bit of space trying to draw Joel Ward out, and he doesn’t go with him this time,” Hendrie said.

“The finish is brilliant, he’s still got an awful lot to do off balance and that cheeky little bit of a lift. Breathtaking.”

Xhaka has been just as integral as anyone else for Arsenal this season. Crucially, he’s added a number of goals to proceedings himself.

TBR’s View: Granit Xhaka continues to be so crucial for Arsenal

This was another superb performance from Arsenal. It was a potential banana skin against a team with a new man overseeing things. But in the end, they simply had too much for Palace.

The likes of Saka and Martinelli continue to get the plaudits. But the performance of Xhaka was once again that of a midfielder right at the top of the his game.

Looking back, it’s quite remarkable that Xhaka is now performing at this level for Arsenal. Once upon a time, he looked on his way out of the club.

Now, alongside Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard, he is one of the best midfielders in the league. And that, really, is testament to the work Mikel Arteta has done.