Yesterday in the English "Premier" league, there were eleven matches played from the 27th round. The defending champions "Arsenal" club at home did not spare the league newcomers "Crystal Palace", achieving the biggest victory of the season 5-1. After this victory, the "Gunners" reduced the gap from the leader "Chelsea" to 11 points.
Goals: 5 - 1 32' [1 - 0] Dennis Bergkamp 35' [2 - 0] Jose Antonio Reyes 39' [3 - 0] Thierry Henry 54' [4 - 0] Patrick Vieira 63' [4 - 1] Andrew Johnson (from the penalty spot) 77' [5 - 1] Thierry Henry
Despite an unpleasant scandal that happened a few days ago on live radio, undoubtedly one of the best players in yesterday's match was the young "Arsenal" forward J.A.Reyes. The Spaniard not only scored a goal but also tore apart the vulnerable defense of "Crystal Palace" with powerful play.
The hosts determined the outcome of the match in the first 7 minutes of the first half. The first goal was scored by the Dutchman D.Bergkamp after a pass from J.A.Reyes. A few minutes later, J.A.Reyes himself doubled the score, and the final goal of the first half was scored by the league's top scorer T.Henry.
The second half started again with successful play from the hosts, and by the 54th minute, the result was further increased by the Frenchman P.Vieira. Although the guests managed to score from the penalty spot, the league's top scorer T.Henry restored a four-goal advantage a few minutes later. The guests had several opportunities to score at the end of the match, but the result remained the same.
By the way, in this match, there was not a single English player in the "Arsenal" team, as due to health problems, the English national team defenders S.Campbell and A.Cole were not included in the team lineup. This was the first time in English football history when English players were absent not only on the field but also on the team's reserve bench.