With 69 points, the Gunners are now eight ahead of the defending champions, even if the latter has a game late.
Eliminated Thursday in the eighth final of the Europa League by Sporting Portugal, Arsenal has only the championship as its objective and seems very determined to win a first title in 20 years.
With only 11 games to play, the trophy seems to be getting closer and closer to the north London club.
On the side of the Eagles, on the other hand, the dismissal of Patrick Vieira, Friday, will not have produced any visible effect. Crystal Palace (12th) are still not winning in 2023 and remain three points behind relegation leaders West Ham.
They may regret that Wilfried Zaha's strike, in the 12th, hit the post and then the back of Aaron Ramsdale before going out.
But Mikel Arteta's men quickly took the lead thanks to an increasingly decisive Bukayo Saka.
After opening the scoring to Gabriel Martinelli (1-0, 28th), the England international striker scored twice (2-0, 43rd and 4-1, 74th) to become the first player to break the 10-goal, 10-assist mark in the Premier League this season.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta in London on March 19, 2023 © JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP
Granit Xhaka had aggravated the score even before the hour of play (3-0, 55th) and the goal of Jeffrey Schlupp, on a corner poorly cleared (3-1, 63rd), will have been only an adventure in a meeting largely controlled by the Gunners.
If their schedule still includes trips to Liverpool, Manchester City or Newcastle and the reception of Chelsea, the Gunners show no signs of weakness or nervousness when it comes to the final sprint.
© 2023 AFP