Arsenal vs Crystal Palace LIVE: Premier League result and reaction as Gunners net five at Emirates Stadium

Mikel Arteta insists Emile Smith Rowe is settled at Arsenal amid reported interest from West Ham.

Smith Rowe has endured a frustrating time since he hit 10 goals in the 2021-22 campaign, with groin surgery restricting his role in the club’s unsuccessful title challenge last season.

England international Smith Rowe has also struggled with a knee issue this term, but even when he has been fit the 23-year-old has been reduced to cameo appearances with only one Premier League start among 12 outings in all competitions.

Roy Hodgson discussed his disappointment with Palace’s campaign so far and rued the misfortune of having suffered injuries to some of his ky players.

However, he has high hopes for the remainder of the campaign and does not believe his team will be drawn into a fight to avoid relegation.

“I’ve been closer to the relegation zone than we are at the moment, that’s for sure, and often for very long periods of time,” he said. “I do have a lot of hope here that things are going to get a lot better when we maybe come over this very unfortunate period that we’ve been through.

“We haven’t just lost players who’ve been injured, we’ve lost them for months and months at a time. Six months is a hell of a long time to be out. Three-and-a-half months for [Ebere] Eze, that’s a long time. It’s not just a couple of weeks missing them, it’s a long period of time.

“I think the future looks a lot better. But at this particular moment in time it’s tough, and we’ve got to toughen up ourselves and get through it and do it in the best possible way.

“If I go back over the last four or five games, we haven’t got the wins that I would have liked, but we certainly haven’t been particularly outplayed anywhere. We haven’t looked as though we haven’t got the fight or the capacity to get ourselves out of the situation.

“So that’s what I shall keep believing and I shall keep encouraging the players to show the necessary resilience and toughness themselves, because no-one said this should be easy.

“No-one who comes into the Premier League, manager, coach, player, should ever think, well this will be easy, I’m here, now I’m on easy street. No, you sign up not to be on easy street, so get on with being on what the opposite of easy street is.”

Mikel Arteta spoke about what he is expecting from today’s match and claims that Crystal Palace will be a difficult team to beat. The Arsenal boss said: “[Hodgson’s] teams are extremely well-organised and hard to beat.

“He’s really good at provoking things that he wants in the game and tomorrow is going to be a big battle for us, that’s for sure.

“We are recharged, full of energy and super motivated. The team is super motivated and we want to attack the second half of the season with a lot of ambitions and with the understanding that the team is capable of big things.

“They are convinced of that.”

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson was asked about the increasing prevalence of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules following the ongoing enquiry into Everton and Nottingham Forest’s finances. The Toffees have already been hit with a points deduction in this campaign and could face further consequences.

“The club here is well run in that respect, so I’ve never heard that we can’t do this or we can’t do that, or we’ve got to sell a player because of FFP [Financial Fair Play],” Hodgson said. “That’s never happened during my time at the club, and that’s because the club is well run.

“Whether or not the club will be able to generate the money necessary to buy a player or to facilitate the loan, that’s another question. But they have done in the past, so I’ll have to wait and see if that’s going to be a possibility.

“If you’re talking purely Crystal Palace, then the FFP doesn’t enter into our thoughts at this moment in time. But if you’re asking generically, do clubs have to start thinking about this, I think what’s happened recently, certainly with Everton and now Nottingham Forest, and there’s still a cloud hanging over the head of Manchester City and Chelsea, so it’s very much a relevant topic.

“So I’m pretty certain that quite a few clubs are looking now and thinking: ‘Well, what is our financial situation like? What will happen if we make these decisions? And will it push us into a situation where we’re going to be charged?’

“But as I say, that’s for other clubs to worry about, not us.”

Leah Williamson has issued a warning to Fifa and Uefa that their crowded calendar is placing “unsustainable” demands on top women’s players.

Arsenal defender Williamson is closing in on a return from a serious knee injury having resumed training for the first time since tearing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in April.

The injury forced the England captain to miss last summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

A number of high-profile footballers, including Arsenal teammates Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema, also suffered ACL tears last season.

The winter break won’t have fully reset Arsenal’s squad following three games without a win but they will look more like themselves. Expect some fluid moves and stylish passing which, coupled with the home crowd and a need to win, should be enough to get them past the Eagles.

But only just.

Arsenal 2-1 Crystal Palace

Arsenal XI: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Rice, Jorginho; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Jesus.

Crystal Palace XI: Henderson; Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Richards, Lerma; Franca, Eze, Schlupp; Mateta.

Mikel Arteta was vague about the fitness of his squad ahead of this fixture, suggesting that several of his players were “touch and go” on Friday.

Gabriel Jesus could be back from a knee problem that caused him to miss the FA Cup defeat to Liverpool, while Oleksandr Zinchenko will also be assessed. Fabio Vieira may be in contention following two months out.

Crystal Palace winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi is still unavailable despite returning to training after a hamstring issue. Jordan Ayew is at the Africa Cup of Nations and Michael Olise remains out.

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace is due to kick off at 12.30pm GMT on Saturday 20 January at the Emirates Stadium.

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage on the channel from 11am GMT. Subscribers can stream the action via discovery+.

If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of today’s Premier League action between Arsenal and Crystal Palace.

The Gunners are hoping that the winter break has refreshed them nursed any niggling injuries within the squad. They are looking to reignite their title challenge and a win this afternoon would bring them within two points of league leaders Liverpool.

Palace, meanwhile, secured a needed 3-1 victory over Brentford in their last league game which has kept a buffer between them and the teams fighting off relegation. Any points they pick up at the Emirates today will be a big boon though Roy Hodgson will be focusing on a strong performance from his team.

We’ll have all the updates, team news and match action throughout the day so stick with us as we build up to kick off at 12.30pm.