CRYSTAL Palace battered Arsenal 3-0 Monday to edge away from the Premier League’s relegation zone and pile even more pressure on beleaguered Arsene Wenger.

    Sam Allardyce had lost 15 times to Wenger in the league previously but the hosts’ resurgence under the former England manager continued with their fifth win in six games — which now includes the scalp of Arsenal having also beaten league leaders Chelsea.

    Palace opened the scoring with their first shot on target, Andros Townsend turning in a low cross from his fellow winger Wilfried Zaha after Arsenal failed to deal with a long ball.

    Zaha and Townsend were both involved in Palace’s second goal too, with the former picking out Yohan Cabaye for a brilliant finish, and Luka Milivojevic converted a penalty for his first Premier League goal to complete an impressive victory over a limp Arsenal side.

    Wenger’s men have now lost four successive away Premier League games, conceding three goals in each, and their chances of qualifying for the Champions League — as they have every season under the Frenchman — are fading fast, with a seven-point gap to make up on fourth-placed Manchester City.

    Palace’s crushing win increases their cushion from the bottom three to six points, although they stay 16th, while Allardyce’s men have a game in hand on the two sides immediately below them in the table, Hull City and Swansea City.

    Milivojevic shot narrowly wide after six minutes as an unchanged Palace side made a bright start, before Wayne Hennessey turned a firm Mohamed Elneny drive around his right-hand post.

    Under-pressure Wenger could then only sit and watch as Palace took the lead after 16 minutes.

    Christian Benteke won a long Hennessey kick and Townsend and Cabaye combined to find Zaha on the right.

    Despite the winger slipping as he delivered a low cross, Townsend arrived late to lift a clipped first-time finish past Emiliano Martinez on his 250th club football appearance.

    Alexis Sanchez tested Hennessey and the Chilean bent another effort wide of the far post as Arsenal sought an immediate response.

    But Palace continued to threaten and Benteke forced a sharp near-post save from Martinez after 41 minutes, with the resulting corner flicking narrowly wide via an Arsenal defender.

    Danny Welbeck almost equalized for the visitors shortly before half-time when fed by Mesut Ozil but the striker’s shot across goal went wide, then Hennessey easily claimed Gabriel’s header.

    (SD-Agencies)