However Hodgson will be incredibly frustrated that his team have scored from just one set piece so far this term – the lowest return of all 20 top-flight teams, while one big reason behind their poor form of late has been their wayward finishing, with a shot conversion rate of 14 per cent ranking them 16th in the division.
Facts and stats
After a run of just one win in eight games against Crystal Palace, we have now won each of our last three against the Eagles.
Palace have picked up six points in Premier League London derbies this season, less than any other side. Away from home, the Eagles have won just one of their last 17 matches against fellow London clubs (D9 L7), a 2-1 victory at West Ham in November 2022.
We have lost our last two London derbies, as many as in our previous 25 combined. We haven’t lost three consecutive such games since March 1993.
We have lost our last three matches in all competitions, last losing four in a row in March 2018. We’ve not lost three in a row at home without scoring since a run of four in 1908.
Only Liverpool (17) and Luton (14) have scored more goals in the final 15 minutes of Premier League games this season than ourselves (11).
Bukayo Saka has been involved in 15 goals in his last 18 Premier League London derbies, scoring six and assisting nine. Three of those came in our 4-1 win over Palace last term.
Eberechi Eze could make his 100th Premier League appearance in this match. Aged 25 years and 205 days, he’d be the third youngest to reach the milestone for the Eagles after Tyrick Mitchell and Wilfried Zaha.
Match officials
Paul Tierney will make his second appearance at Emirates Stadium this term, having refereed our 2-2 draw against Fulham in August, awarding us a penalty in the process. That was the seventh consecutive game he has overseen that we failed to win, a run that stretches back to August 2021.
Meanwhile, Palace are unbeaten in 11 matches that Tierney has been appointed to, going back even further to January 2020 when they secured a 1-1 draw against us. This season has seen them draw against Fulham and Manchester City on his watch – the latter seeing Tierney award a 95th-minute spot-kick to Hodgson’s side to earn a fine draw at the Etihad.
Referee: Paul TierneyAssistants: Scott Ledger, Dan RobathanFourth official: Andy MadleyVAR: Stuart AttwellAssistant VAR: Steve Meredith
Test yourself
Have a go at these 10 teasers about our previous encounters with the Eagles in north London during the Premier League era – can you get them all right?
