Crystal Palace vs Arsenal LIVE: Express Sport brings you the latest Premier League score, goals & highlights from Selhurst Park

HT: Silly boy! Zaha continued arguing with the referee as they were heading towards the tunnel, and Michael Oliver gave him a yellow card.

CRYSTAL PALACE 0-1 ARSENAL

HT: After a minute’s stoppage time that Wilfried Zaha mainly used to argue with the referee, the referee blows his whistle.

Arsenal are deservedly ahead through Mustafi’s smart finish, but they really should have driven home their advantage against a lacklustre Crystal Palace.

Much more required from Roy Hodgson’s side after the break.

44: The Gunners need to capitalise while they’re on top. A second would give them breathing space against a side who specialise in late, late drama! Schlupp fires wide after a knock-down from a Cabaye free-kick.

41: Palace JUST survive. Ozil takes two defenders out of the game with a clever pass into Sanchez, but his first touch is unusually heavy and Speroni smothers.

A cynic would ask why these two are putting in such a good shift shortly before the transfer window opens…

38: Lacazette does very well to hold the ball up before slamming a shot into the side-netting. No goals in four appearances for the Frenchman… 

35: Better from the Eagles. Zaha quickly shifts and makes himself a couple of yards before firing wide.

33: Danger! Arsenal have a free-kick just outside the Crystal Palace penalty area. Alexis Sanchez pulls rank and tamely fires at the goalkeeper.

30: Should be 2-0. Sanchez plays a delicate through ball to the overlapping Ozil, whose glanced shot is tipped away by Speroni. Great save.

28: It’s been a fairly decent response from the hosts. Zaha looks to break but Chambers tugs him back and receives a booking for his troubles.

CRYSTAL PALACE 0-1 ARSENAL - MUSTAFI

25: And there’s the breakthrough! I’m not sure anyone was expecting Shkodran Mustafi to open the scoring.

Lacazette collects a loose ball from a free-kick and launches a rocket at Speroni, who palms it into the path of Mustafi to convert with a cracking half-volley from an acute angle.

24: Six Arsenal attempts vs Crystal Palace’s three. None have been particularly threatening but the visitors are starting to take control.

23: When it clicks for Arsenal - it really clicks. Xhaka, Ozil and Sanchez combine down the left with some beautiful one-touch football. The German sweeps a cross into the six-yard box where nobody takes the gamble to attack the ball.

20: A quick message from Arsenal fan Piers Morgan, who is NOT impressed by the number of players wearing gloves tonight.

He tweeted: “I’d like a manager who knows how to zip up his coat & who bans our players from wearing gloves. That too much to ask?”

Yes Piers, yes it is.

19: Close! Cabbie tries his luck from range and it’s whistled past the post with Cech at full-stretch.

16: Petr Cech confidently deals with a lofted corner from the left with Christian Benteke for company. I feel like that could be a recurring entry tonight.

13: A few passes going astray and long balls not reaching their intended targets over the last few minutes folks. Bit more quality required. And yes, Twitter is awash with every Arsene Wenger zip GIF, meme and joke under the sun. I won’t rub salt in the wound.

10: Vintage Xhaka. Clearly confident after scoring against Liverpool from range, he tries his luck and it flies miles over.

9: Zaha finds Townsend cutting in from the right flank but it comes to nothing. Very even opening. Sanchez drives forward and dummies onto his right peg but Dann anticipates it and hoofs clear.

7: Oh for goodness sake! The Sky Sports camera pans to Arsene Wenger, who is struggling to zip up his coat on the bench. Have I slipped back in time?

6: Martin Kelly will have his hands full this evening. He’s drawn the short straw and must deal with Alexis Sanchez, who has looked likely in the opening exchanges. Wilfried Zaha looks to break at speed but he’s surrounded by three Arsenal shirts in a flash.

3: So Arsene Wenger has switched things up defensively. He’s reverted to three at the back to deal with Christian Benteke. Atmosphere is electric, as usual for an evening kick-off at Selhurst Park.

CRYSTAL PALACE 0-0 ARSENAL

1: And we’re off! Incidentally, it’s so cold at Selhurst Park that the Cheerleaders are wearing jumpers. Not that I’ve been looking all night…

JACK’S HERE…

19:58: Nope, not Jack Wilshere! Although he is probably the more important Jack in the building. Comedian and Arsenal supporter Jack Whitehall has been busy taking selfies. He’ll be hoping there’s nothing laughable about tonight’s display! Where’s Flintoff and Redknapp?

ROY HODGSON

19:56:  "The players have been working hard and showing great determination to get the results of late but we have a real testing game tonight. If we are going to get points we need to play at our very best and believe we can win."

CRYSTAL PALACE vs ARSENAL

19:55: Quick reminder of those line-ups folks. Saves you needing stitches from the hilarious content below…

Crystal Palace XI: Speroni, Kelly, Tomkins, Dann, Schlupp, Milivojevic, Cabaye, Loftus-Cheek, Townsend, Zaha, Benteke.

Subs: Hennessey, Van Aanholt, McArthur, Fosu-Mensah, Sako, Puncheon, Riedewald.

Arsenal XI: Cech, Koscielny, Mustafi, Chambers, Bellerin, Wilshere, Xhaka, Kolasinac, Ozil, Sanchez, Lacazette.

Subs: Ospina, Walcott, Holding, Iwobi, Welbeck, Maitland-Niles, Coquelin.

HAVE YOUR SAY

19:50: If you want to vent your frustrations, or discuss any issues in the world of football (within reason), then get in touch!

You can either comment at the bottom of the page or contact me via Twitter using the hashtag #ExpressSport.

RUBEN LOFTUS-CHEEK

19:48:  “Our unbeaten run has given us a lot of confidence and we can take our good form into the game tonight. Arsenal have class players and are one of the best passing teams so we need to work hard and go out and play well.”

MAHREZ SWOOP…

19:45: You can’t fail to be interested when the term “swoop” is involved, right?

Anyway, the latest reports are claiming that Arsenal will try again with a bid to land Riyad Mahrez in the January transfer window.

That's according to reports from Le Buteur, who claim Arsenal will offer more than their bid in the summer, rumoured to be in the region of £26million.

WENGER vs MOURINHO - PART 1587

19:40: Arsene Wenger just couldn’t resist, could he?

The Frenchman has responded to Jose Mourinho’s comments that he’s not been given enough transfer funds to compete with Manchester City.

And needless to say - he had very little (none) sympathy with his old foe.

“I have been in that position for 21 years so I can’t start to complain now,” the Frenchman said.

“There have always been three or four teams richer than I am. I’ve learned to cope with that. Man City, Chelsea and Man United are all richer than us. You have to find ways to be successful.”

THE RECORD…

19:35: Updates from our reporter Matt Dunn.

Arsene Wenger takes charge of a record-equalling 810th Premier League game insisting that while it seems everything has changed, nothing really has.

Of course, you have to forget that football was not, as the modernists would have us believe, invented in 1992. Sir Alex Ferguson had been in charge at Manchester United for 225 games in the old First Division before he even started his Premier League “record”.

Still, in the modern era, Wenger’s is a remarkable feat and one that is unlikely to be surpassed once he is finally persuaded to give up his tenure at the Emirates after more than two decades of loyal service.

Ironically, the 67-year-old will be the younger of the two bosses shivering in the dugouts when Arsenal travel to Selhurst Park tonight to face Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace.

Nevertheless, as he no doubt wrestles with zip of his giant winter coat, the inner fire will be burning just as fiercely as for his first game, a 2-0 win over Blackburn on October 12, 1996.

STAT BOX

*Crystal Palace won the last meeting, a 3-0 victory at Selhurst Park in April that was their first victory against the Gunners since October 1994.

*The Eagles are on an eight-match unbeaten run (W3, D5) - their longest in the top flight since a 12-match streak in October 1990.

*Arsenal have won just two away league games this season - their joint-worst tally after nine games of a Premier League season.

TWITTER ROUND-UP

19:25: I’ll skip over the fact tonight’s hashtag is CRYARS… we’re way too mature to laugh at that, right?

Ajitesh: I reckon if Crystal Palace get relegated they should change their name to Wooden Palace. Or Crystal Bungalow.

Siam: Alexis Sanchez has been abysmal in the past couple of months and has shown more frustration on team-mates than intent. And intent is exactly what Theo Walcott has been full of, in the little game time he had.

Jake: Big game for Arsenal tonight with others around us having seriously hard fixtures coming up.

TOSUN…

19:20: Cenk Tosun will NOT be joining Crystal Palace in the January transfer window folks.

At least that’s what the latest reports suggest after claims Everton have agreed a £25million deal for the Besiktas striker.

The Eagles saw a £10million bid rejected on the final day of the summer transfer window, and wanted to revive the deal.

I wonder what other names Roy Hodgson has up his sleeve. Is Clint Dempsey still around?

HAVE YOUR SAY

19:15: If you want to vent your frustrations, or discuss any issues in the world of football (within reason), then get in touch!

You can either comment at the bottom of the page or contact me via Twitter using the hashtag #ExpressSport.

TEAM NEWS - ARSENAL

19:10: Arsene Wenger has made three changes from the thrilling 3-3 draw with Liverpool before Christmas.

Defender Calum Chambers makes his first Premier League appearance for Arsenal since the opening day of last season. He replaces the injured Nacho Monreal.

Elsewhere, Sead Kolasinac and Shkodran Mustafi return for the Gunners with Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Alex Iwobi among the substitutes.

TEAM NEWS - CRYSTAL PALACE

19:05: Roy Hodgson has made one change from the side who drew 1-1 with Swansea.

Christian Benteke returns from a one-match suspension to relegate James McArthur to the bench.

CRYSTAL PALACE vs ARSENAL

19:00: OK, here’s tonight’s line-ups. Arsene Wenger makes three changes, just the one for Crystal Palace.

Crystal Palace XI: Speroni, Kelly, Tomkins, Dann, Schlupp, Milivojevic, Cabaye, Loftus-Cheek, Townsend, Zaha, Benteke.

Subs: Hennessey, Van Aanholt, McArthur, Fosu-Mensah, Sako, Puncheon, Riedewald.

Arsenal XI: Cech, Koscielny, Mustafi, Chambers, Bellerin, Wilshere, Xhaka, Kolasinac, Ozil, Sanchez, Lacazette.

Subs: Ospina, Walcott, Holding, Iwobi, Welbeck, Maitland-Niles, Coquelin.

TWO-MINUTE WARNING

18:58: Those starting XI’s will be dropping any moment now folks. I can’t imagine there will be too much rotation. He says praying his Fantasy Football players are playing…

CRYSTAL PALACE vs ARSENAL

18:55: Roy Hodgson’s resurgent Crystal Palace are officially out of the relegation zone.

Who saw that coming when they became the first team in 129 years of the Football League to lose their first seven games without scoring!

The Eagles have taken 18 points from 12 games to climb up to 16th position - one point above the relegation zone.

Meanwhile Arsenal are falling behind their rivals having drawn three of their last four Premier League games.

They’ve also got the unexpected complication of Burnley breathing down their neck!

Plenty at stake for both sides tonight folks.

EVENING

18:50: Welcome to our LIVE coverage of Crystal Palace vs Arsenal from Selhurst Park.

How’s everyone enjoying this awkward period between Christmas and New Year?

It’s weird. Just a few days of people vowing to improve their lives in 2018 while simultaneously spending and eating as much as humanly possible!

Also, are we allowed to start drinking at 10am?

While you’re busy thinking of an answer to that philosophical question - I’ll get started on tonight’s clash!