The Gunners weren't wholly convincing against the Eagles but did just enough to claim another huge three points as Arsenal capitalised on their title rivals Manchester City and Liverpool dropping points over the weekend.
Eze beat Dean Henderson with a fine hit shortly before the break and despite a late Palace push, the Gunners held out to secure all the spoils.
GOAL rates Arsenal's players from the Emirates Stadium...
Getty Images SportDavid Raya (6/10):
Had little to make in the way of saves. Distribution was solid, including a calm short pass in the first half between two Palace attackers.
Jurrien Timber (7/10):
Got forward well from right-back again. Dealt with the Palace press with relative ease.
William Saliba (5/10):
Struggled against compatriot Mateta and came off at the break due to an apparent injury.
Gabriel Magalhaes (7/10):
Won the Rice free-kick to knock down for Eze to bag the opener. Struck the woodwork shortly after the break.
Riccardo Calafiori (6/10):
Found a team-mate well but not wholly convincing defensively before he was replaced by Hincapie.
AFPDeclan Rice (7/10):
Free-kick in the first half resulted in Eze's goal. Could have had an assist having created three chances. Replaced by Merino late on.
Martin Zubimendi (6/10):
Made a crucial clearance in the 85th minute as Palace pushed for an equaliser. Tidy on and off the ball.
Eberechi Eze (8/10):
Scored a superb opener against his former club shortly before the break. Came off to a standing ovation in a match-winning display.
AFPBukayo Saka (6/10):
Not the most memorable performance. Worked hard off the ball but struggled against Mitchell.
Viktor Gyokeres (6/10):
Made some good off-the-ball runs to stretch the Palace backline. Failed to follow up his midweek brace with a goal, but his overall display was solid.
Leandro Trossard (5/10):
Forced a notable stop from Henderson on the half-hour mark. Kept quiet otherwise.
AFPCristhian Mosquera (6/10):
Come on for Saliba for the second half. Did little wrong to help Arsenal to victory.
Gabriel Martinelli (5/10):
Marshalled easily enough having been subbed on for Saka midway through the second half.
Piero Hincapie (6/10):
Like Mosquera, was solid enough as Arsenal claimed a narrow win.
Mikel Merino (5/10):
Misplaced a simple pass for Trossard shortly after introduction, which angered Arteta.
Myles Lewis-Skelly (N/A):
Replaced Eze for the final knockings.
Mikel Arteta (7/10):
Got his selection right and managed his subs accordingly to maximise the strength in depth to see out the win.
