Arsenal made short work of Crystal Palace in a 2-0 victory that saw the Gooners go third in the Premier League. Olivier Giroud scored a goal that is likely to win the goal of the season award, and Alex Iwobi added a second in the second half.
Sam Allardyce’s Crystal Palace rarely threatened the Gunners, although Cech had to make a string of saves in a frantic few minutes.
Arsene Wenger and Arsenal will be happy with the performance, and Gunners fans on Twitter were clearly feeling the same way.
Twitter went wild as Olivier Giroud opened the scoring with an absolutely incredible finish:
BREAKING: Olivier Giroud wins Goal of the Year for 2017 on the first day of the year.pic.twitter.com/fs3ZCfJcJg
— Puskas Awards (@Puskas2016) January 1, 2017
#ThatMomentWhen You score goal of 2017…on the first day. ?https://t.co/kBCkQ7qMsc
— SPORF (@Sporf) January 1, 2017
Olivier Giroud pic.twitter.com/xkXaV58JQS
— Football Funnys (@FootballFunnys) January 1, 2017
Giroud has just pressed a start button to 2017, magnificent. Forget Mkhitaryan’s ofside goal. Giroud’s goal is real #AFCvCPFC
— Manie Fabio Phetla (@ManieFabio1) January 1, 2017
That goal by Giroud was better than Mkitaryan’s goal. The build up play was so wavy, the flick that started it all, amazing! #arscry ?
— Ali (@ChocMilkSheikh1) January 1, 2017
Goal of the season. Supernatural. https://t.co/2tdBE3E0rS
— Liam Canning (@LiamPaulCanning) January 1, 2017
Giroud, stop that – should be banned. #AFCvCPFC #Giroud
— Brownyy (@JamesBrown1105) January 1, 2017
Gary Neville on Giroud’s scorpion-kick goal: “I have to say, it’s one of the best goals I’ve ever seen.” [Sky]
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) January 1, 2017
Giroud’s scorpian kick so much better than Mkhitaryan’s. Faster paced and more pressure around him given he’s actually onside! #Giroud
— Antonio (@MrAntonioKing) January 1, 2017
Giroud is lucky Lee Mason wasn’t the ref or it would have been disallowed for a high-foot! #Giroud
— Aidan Walsh (@AidanMUFC_) January 1, 2017
Unquestionably the best goal scored this year #Giroud
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) January 1, 2017
Wow. One of the goals of the season in build-up/execution. Bellerin to Giroud to Xhaka to Iwobi to Sanchez for Giroud’s flicked finish #afc
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) January 1, 2017
Just 3 men with audacity to score like that in Premier League 1 Henrikh Mkhitaryan 2 Olivier Giroud 3 Gary Cahill (It would be an Own Goal)
— roger bennett (@rogbennett) January 1, 2017
What a goal from Giroud. Brilliant ??
— Ray Parlour (@RealRomfordPele) January 1, 2017
Started with a backheel, finished with a scorpion kick. World class from Olivier Giroud
— ARSENAL (@Artekkers) January 1, 2017
Only eight seconds elapsed between @_OlivierGiroud_ passing to Xhaka at one end and scoring THAT goal at the other#NaNaNaNaa#AFCvCPFC pic.twitter.com/TRo8rm9hpX
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) January 1, 2017
There was plenty of talk about Mathieu Flamini’s return to the Emirates as well.
I was honestly expecting @mathieuflamini to run with the @Arsenal players to celebrate that goal. #AFCvCPFC #gooner
— Zlatko Markovic (@ZlaMarkovic) January 1, 2017
If we fail to beat a team with Mathieu Flamini or he injures anyone I’m tracking him down and burying him at sea.
— Paddy (@VieiraPaddy) January 1, 2017
Flamini own goal for old times sake needed.
— |Nat.??| (@Natality__) January 1, 2017
If someone had told me four years ago Flamini will start at the Emirates in 2017, I’d have ended myself then.
— FG (@FunnyGooner) January 1, 2017
Ozil not playing due to illness. No reigniting his bromance with Flamini #COYG #AFC pic.twitter.com/6397CrxXln
— ?⚪️Gooner Kev⚪️?? (@kevdavis736) January 1, 2017
Giroud’s finish was so good that Flamini was already hitting the dab before it went in pic.twitter.com/imxOj5M3Hg
— Sean Kearns (@SeanPaulKearns) January 1, 2017
@arseblog I don’t think Özil is ill, I just don’t think he could bear to line up opposite Flamini. Poor guy! Happy New Year!
— Andy Phelan (@andy_phelan) January 1, 2017
Flamini sighting. And they let him wear short sleeves which is nice
— John Totty (@jtotty0224) January 1, 2017
Twitter praised Arsenal for a job well done after they saw out the game 2-0 in a comfortable fashion.
Arsenal’s Premier League home form since losing to Liverpool:
WWWDDWWWW
Goals: 18
Conceded: 6
Clean sheets: 4Righting the ship. pic.twitter.com/u5sx740pCa
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 1, 2017
Comfortable as you like. One critique was the subs. Should have taken Sanchez off and left departing Elneney on.
Good start to 2017 #AFC
— Le Grove (@LeGrove) January 1, 2017
It’s a winning start to 2017 – we know we must build on it#AFCvCPFC pic.twitter.com/dAn3vn0j5C
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) January 1, 2017
Good accomplished performance but I can’t believe that was an Allardyce team.
Too deep. No bite. No pressure. Too much respect.#AFCvCPFC— Moh Haider (@ArsenalMoh8) January 1, 2017
Arsenal 2-0 Palace
? Goal of the season contender
⚪️ Back-to-back clean sheets
? 3rd in table
⚪️ Özil fully restedUp next: Bournemouth
— Fresh Arsenal (@Fresh_Arsenal) January 1, 2017
Arsenal now have 40 points at the halfway stage of the PL. They have achieved this just once in the last 6 years (42 in 2013/14). #afc pic.twitter.com/VscIt6cBZX
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) January 1, 2017
Arsenal great performance?????????????????
— Mansha Khadim (@manchakhadim) January 1, 2017
@Arsenal good performance, good attitude, good goal, good 3 points
— CGaw (@Munch_U) January 1, 2017