Alexandre Lacazette can channel Crystal Palace memories to send Arsenal closer to Europe

When Alexandre Lacazette steps out onto the pitch for Arsenal at Selhurst Park, it will be hard not to think about his role in the Gunners’ last Premier League meeting with Crystal Palace.

Back in October, the former Lyon frontman had less than an hour of league football under his belt all season when he replaced Martin Odegaard at the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Arteta’s side hadn’t been at their best, looking fallible once more after launching a mini-recovery from their losing streak at the start of the campaign, and things got even worse when Odsonne Edouard put Palace in front.

At the time, Lacazette’s introduction felt like a decision borne more out of hope than expectation. However, since delivering an equalising goal deep into stoppage time, he has rebuilt his reputation in north London in a way which hadn’t always looked possible.

Strangely, given the excitement of the goal, Lacazette’s revival has come not with his scoring but rather his link-up play. He has impressed away from the box, rather than in a poacher’s role, allowing the likes of Odegaard and Bukayo Saka to find space and score goals.

As a result, Arsenal ’s grip on a top four finish has tightened. Dropped points from Manchester United on Saturday mean Arteta’s men have a little more margin for error with a home meeting with Ralf Rangnick’s side on the horizon, but they’ll still hope to leave nothing to chance when they travel south of the river on Monday night.

His input has become even more important for reasons few could have predicted, though. With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang first dropped and then offloaded, Lacazette hasn’t just been encouraged to step up - he’s been required to.

That’s not to say the goals have entirely dried up, though. His