Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Crystal Palace and Arsenal at Selhurst Park.

The Gunners come into this game on a run of 11 wins in their last 14 games, although any slip-up at this stage of the season could prove costly in their hunt for a top-four spot. Palace have different concerns at the opposite end of the table, meanwhile, sitting five points clear of the drop zone following a decent start to life under new boss Alan Pardew.

Kickoff in South London is now less than an hour away, so let's begin by taking a look at some team news...

TEAM NEWS!

CRYSTAL PALACE STARTING XI: Speroni, Ward, Delaney, Dann, Souare, Mutch, Ledley, Puncheon, Zaha, Gayle, Campbell

ARSENAL STARTING XI: Ospina, Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Welbeck, Ozil, Alexis, Giroud

Starting with the home side then, and Alan Pardew has opted to name what appears to be an attacking-looking starting lineup for this afternoon's match. James McArthur has failed to overcome injury in time to feature in midfield, while there is only a spot on the bench for the returning Mile Jedinak, which means that a lot of pressure will be on January recruit Jordon Mutch to perform against the Gunners this afternoon.

Yaya Sanogo is of course ineligible to play against his parent club, but there is still plenty of options available to Pardew in attack. He has opted to go with Fraizer Campbell up top following his decent spell in front of goal over the past fortnight, with Dwight Gayle, Wilfried Zaha and Jason Puncheon offering him plenty of support. Pape Souare fills in at left-back once more, meanwhile, as he helps Palace plug up that problem position in defence.

As far as the visitors are concerned, well the big news concerns Arsene Wenger's decision to stick with Danny Welbeck up top over Theo Walcott who is now surely close to full fitness following a year out with injury. Elsewhere, Per Mertesacker and Nacho Monreal are reunited in the back four, as Gabriel Paulista and Kieran Gibbs drop out from last weekend's FA Cup win over Brighton & Hove Albion.

Hector Bellerin, a major doubt coming into this game, fails to make the starting lineup; his place instead going to the versatile Calum Chambers who slots in at full-back. Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil all start in attack for the Gunners at Selhurst Park as they look to continue their push for a top-four spot.

BENCH WATCH!

CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: Hennessey, Hangeland, Kelly, Jedinak, Bolasie, Ameobi, Murray

ARSENAL SUBS: Szczesny, Gibbs, Bellerin, Gabriel, Wilshere, Rosicky, Walcott

So four changes in all for the Eagles following on from their FA Cup exit at the hands of Liverpool last weekend, with the most noticeable absentee from the squad being that of former Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh who misses out entirely this afternoon. Martin Kelly has to make do with a place among the subs with Souare afforded a first Premier League start, while Yannick Bolasie and Jedinak offer a different type of option should they be called upon.

Jack Wilshere is back among the matchday 18 for Arsenal for the first time since injuring his ankle against Manchester United in November. As well as David Ospina returning at the expense of Wojciech Szcesny in goals, there is a further three changes at the back for the Gunners, as already touched upon, with Gibbs, Paulista and Bellerin among the backups in South London.

Pape Souare, sporting the No. 40 shirt this afternoon, will be making his first start in the Premier League

Inside the #CPFC dressing room before our visit of @Arsenal today pic.twitter.com/m4GsknxPsZ — Crystal Palace FC (@CPFC) February 21, 2015

Well Palace head into today's game in a far better place than they were at a couple of months back, which is largely down to the work done by former Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew. Since arriving in January, Pardew has taken charge of eight games with five of those ending in victories for the Eagles. However, his men still remain in danger of relegation, sitting five points clear of danger with a third of the season to go, so points are still needed before any sort of mid-table mediocrity can be thought about.

Having covered both of Palace's last home league games it is clear to see that, although the results have improved drastically, performances are still not quite at the level that Pardew would want. A 1-0 defeat against an out-of-sorts Everton side was followed up by a 1-1 draw against the Magpies earlier this month. Palace just about deserved a point from the latter of those games, but chances proved to be few and far between in both. It is clear to see that this side already has the early hallmarks of a Pardew outfit as they look to break down the channels, and that could cause some real damage against the visitors this afternoon.

Speaking of Palace's home form, only three sides in the division have fared worse than the South Londoners this term. In fact, the Eagles have won just three of their last 14 league games at Selhurst Park, so if they have any hopes of really pushing on and securing a finish in mid-table well away from relegation, then they must simply start picking up points in front of their supporters.

That defeat against Liverpool seven days ago does at least mean that Palace can now divert all their attention on league matters for the remainder of the campaign, and that may be a good thing because they have some tricky fixtures to come. The Eagles have not faired all that well in London derbies this season, which is not ideal when they play West Ham, QPR and, of course, Arsenal in three of their next four games. The other fixture in that sequence is against high-flyers Southampton, so points may prove hard to come by in the coming weeks.

As far as Arsenal are concerned, their focus in firmly on a finish in the top four in the Premier League at the bare minimum. It's easy to forget among their current positive run of form, but the Gunners made a terrible start to the campaign, which saw Arsene Wenger's future as manager come under serious doubt. However, since their 3-2 defeat at Stoke City in early December, the North London outfit have won 14 of their 11 games, losing just two of those fixtures. That has seen them close in on a Champions League berth, which is proving a more exciting battle than the title race itself at the moment.

That's because Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton, Liverpool and Manchester United are all battling it out for two of the four Champions League qualification berths, which will no doubt go right down to the wire once more. United appear to be in the driving seat for third place, while as things stand Arsenal find themselves one point and one place off the Saints in fourth. Three of those aforementioned four sides play tomorrow, however, so today is a real chance for Wenger's men to stake their claim for a place in the CL spots.

I mentioned Arsenal's strong run of form a little earlier, although the two games in which they have tasted defeat in the last 14 have come against two of their rivals for the top four. Southampton ran out fairly comfortable 2-0 winners at St Mary's, while Tottenham prevailed in the recent North London derby meeting. It means that Arsenal really need to keep their eye on the ball if they are to sustain their challenge, or else a first season of now Champions League football in 19 years will be the outcome. Of course, the Gunners still remain in UEFA's elite competition, with a huge tie against Monaco to come in the week. There is also a small matter of a FA Cup quarter-final meeting against Man United to come, so a big month ahead lies in wait for Arsenal.

Arsenal players heading out for their warm-up a little earlier at Selhurst Park...

The @Arsenal squad are about to start their warm up... And look who's back #CPFCvAFC pic.twitter.com/lCaDaIPa35 — Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) February 21, 2015

DID YOU KNOW? Only Swansea City (12) have dropped more points from winning positions in away games this season than Arsenal. That may have something to do with the fact that the Gunners perform so well in the first half of matches, conceding just five times in the opening 45 minutes of matches in their last 15 outings in the Premier League - three of those coming in that disastrous defeat against Stoke last year.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS: The omens are not great for Palace this afternoon if past encounters are anything to go by. Arsenal are unbeaten in 11 trips to Selhurst Park; a run stretching back to 1979. In fact, the Eagles' last win overall came way back in 1994, with Arsenal winning seven and losing none of the last 10 meetings both home and away.

PREDICTION: Well I hope that sets this match up nicely enough for you, but there is still a bit of time to go prior to the match to make my prediction. It's a bit cliché to suggest that Arsenal could crumble under the impressive Selhurst Park atmosphere, with this side having competed in some of the most intimidating arenas in Europe as a group over the past few years. It's also worth noting that Palace hardly boast a good record in front of their home supporters, although buoyed by a (fairly) new manager, I'm expecting them to run the visitors close this afternoon. 1-2.

There's a few big games taking place which has an effect on both of these sides at either end of the table elsewhere this afternoon, so updates will be provided throughout the course of the 90 minutes. But right now our attention turns firmly to South London in what should be a thoroughly entertaining games. Three points are required by both teams for differing reasons, and a positive start could make all the difference. The players are now in the tunnel as they await their cue to enter the field, with kickoff just minutes away.

KICKOFF! Arsenal get this London derby underway, but it is the visitors who take the initiative from the off as Zaha fires in a cross within 15 seconds which flies right through the box.

The teams appear to have shaped up in a similar fashion which could make for an interesting tactical battle. It will be a particularly big afternoon for Jordon Mutch who has struggled since joining Palace, but when he is in form he is a real box-to-box threat as he showed at Cardiff last season.

Arsenal have had the better of things in terms of the early possession, Ozil making some space inside the box before being flagged offside, but that aside it has just been a case of gently probing away. Coquelin, who is starting his eighth game in succession in the Premier League, was a little lucky to avoid a card for his extremely high foot which caught Campbell in the chest.

For the third time inside the six minutes, the officials get a decision wrong. Palace should have been awarded a free kick in a crossing position, but the referee pointed in the opposite direction.

Disaster for Souare on his Premier League debut, as he brings down Welbeck inside the area to concede a penalty. It was right on the edge of the box, but referee Mark Clattenburg did get this call correct.

Santi Cazorla makes no mistake with the resulting penalty, rolling the ball in the opposite direction to Speroni to put his side into the lead. Souare must now bounce back from that horrendous error or else he could be in for a very long afternoon.

7 - Mark Clattenburg has awarded seven penalties in 16 PL games this season, no referee has given more. Whistle.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 21, 2015

Palace have responded well since that early setback, and in truth they are extremely unlucky to be behind. A few decision have gone against them, but they have done well to cause some problems. Most of the attacking threat is coming down their right, which has led to a couple of free kicks being awarded in the opening 15 minutes which they have failed to make the most of. Campbell had the best opening from one of these set-pieces, although he couldn't find a way through.

The good news for Palace is that Arsenal have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their six London derbies this season. It is the home side who are on the ascendancy, too, just struggling to get the ball in the net due to a lack of a decent final ball.

Having seen the penalty decision again, it really was a tight call for Clattenburg and his officials to make. There's no doubt that Souare brought down Welbeck, but it was right on the line so it could easily have seen Arsenal awarded a free kick. Not a great deal of openings for either side since that pen, as Palace continue to probe away.

YELLOW CARD! Jordon Mutch is shown the game's first yellow card, but Joe Ledley can consider himself lucky that he wasn't shown a caution also after wiping out Alexis.

Is there a player more frustrating than Zaha in the Premier League? He has done well so far, and having caused Monreal all sorts of problems on the right with his silky footwork he creates acres of space to swing a cross in, although after waiting too long the ball is won back by the Gunners.

Koscielny finds himself free inside the box as he heads wide Arsenal's first corner of the game. He probably should have done better from that position, even if it was an awkward chance. Meanwhile, Monreal and Zaha are continuing their personal battle out wide which the latter is well and truly coming out on top of.

Still just the one shot on target so far at Selhurst Park, which was the penalty Cazorla tucked away inside the opening 10 minutes. Not a great deal to shout about in the way of chances, but it has been an entertaining game on the whole which Palace are just about edging so far in terms of possession in dangerous areas.

Arsenal have given away far too many free kicks in dangerous areas in the opening 26 minutes, the latest of which saw Chambers lunge in on Campbell. Gayle opted to try his luck from this set piece, though, which his teammates were clearly unhappy with.

I've barely mentioned the likes of Welbeck, Ozil, Alexis or Giroud at the moment because they simply haven't been involved. Welbeck did win the penalty for his side, of course, but that aside it has been a quiet afternoon for that attacking quartet.

YELLOW CARD! Another strong challenge comes in, this time from Coquelin which earns the Frenchman a yellow. We've seen the referee go into his pocket on a couple of occasions thus far, yet we could have seen three or four cautions.

The Eagles are dominating things of terms of possession in the attacking third of the pitch, but there has been nothing in the way of chances. They must start turning this superiority into shots or else it will be another frustrating home loss as witnessed against Everton recently. Good game so far which has lacked the quality needed in advanced positions.

SHOT! Alexis finally gets involved in play, and having worked some space he gets a shot away from the edge of the box which is rather easy for Speroni to collect. It took a big deflection on the way through which took any sting out of the effort.

Of course, with Mutch and Coquelin on yellow cards their tasks have been made somewhat more difficult. The latter in particular is relied on to break up play, so he will have to be particularly careful against the likes of Puncheon, Zaha and potentially Bolasie if and when he is introduced.

I've praised Palace a fair bit this afternoon, but the quality of their set-piece deliveries has been truly awful. It's hard to see where a goal is going to come from at the moment with plenty of decent build-up play but little end quality.

The home side have lost their way somewhat over the past five minutes, while Arsenal have failed to get out of first gear all half. The second have should provide more chances in front of goal, but right now this one appears to be petering out to the interval.

6 - Santi Cazorla has scored more penalties in the Premier League this season than any of the other 19 clubs (6). Spot.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 21, 2015

Arsenal are having the better of things in the closing stages of the first half as they get bodies forward. A few probing runs have come to nothing, though, while Chambers's cross from the right lacked the quality needed to pick out a teammate.

Gayle battles his way into the box, and after somehow keeping hold of the ball he fires away a shot which is deflected behind. It was a shot to nothing which led to a corner, although once more it came to nothing. A vast improvement is needed as far as the home side's crossing is concerned.

Cazorla is caught in possession close to the right-hand touchline, which allows Palace to push forward once more. You can probably guess what happened next, though - Palace failed to make the most of the opening with a poor final ball.

Incredibly harsh on Palace, as Arsenal take a two-goal lead into the interval. They have soaked up plenty of the pressure in this first half, but the game is very much theirs for the taking now as far as Arsenal are concerned with Giroud slotting away his eighth goal in eight games. Welbeck's shot from a fairly tight angle was parried into the Frenchman's path by Speroni, which allowed Giroud to tap home from close range.

Mark Clattenburg brings the openng 45 minutes to a close, and the scoreline makes for good reading if you're an Arsenal supporter. It has not been pretty, but the Gunners lead 2-0 at the break thanks to goals from Cazorla and Giroud in a first half which Palace have had the better of in terms of possession.

Santi Cazorla put Arsenal from the spot inside the opening eight minutes somewhat against the run of play after Pape Souare brought down Danny Welbeck on his first Premier League start. Palace looked to peg their opponents back, although right on the brink of half time an in-form Olivier Giroud popped up to put the visiting side well and truly in control.

The biggest difference so far has been the quality of play in the attacking third. In barely mentioned Arsenal's illustrious talents in the opening 45 minutes, but it is they who hold a 2-0 advantage thanks to their ability to get into the box and cause problems. Too often Palace players have struggled to pick out a teammate from crosses, so that is something they will need to drastically work on.

BENCH WATCH!

CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: Hennessey, Hangeland, Kelly, Jedinak, Bolasie, Ameobi, Murray

ARSENAL SUBS: Szczesny, Gibbs, Bellerin, Gabriel, Wilshere, Rosicky, Walcott

Both sides have plenty of options to call upon for this second half, then, with Palace in particular needing to change things around slightly. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the somewhat jaded Bolasie introduced in the early stages of the second period in order to provide some much-needed quality from crosses.

SECOND HALF UNDERWAY! Play has resumed in South London with Palace instantly looking to get the ball in the box. Pardew has clearly told his players to make something happen rather than pondering when in possession. Incidentally, both teams are unchanged.

A very good start to this second half for Palace, and they have far more urgency about them now. They are still experiencing the same problems having been forced to settle for a few early corners, but they are pegging Arsenal back nonetheless.

Giant banner protest over £5bn TV deal from Crystal Palace fans today: http://t.co/G0biFb8pJa pic.twitter.com/QJn7WCzOIl

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) February 21, 2015

CLOSE! Palace failed to make that early spell of pressure come to anything and it is now Arsenal on the front foot once more. Alexis managed to get a decent cross into the box which Ozil latched onto with a fine headed attempt, which forced Speroni into pushing the ball over the bar.

CHANCE! Some good pressure for the Eagles, who are finally making it count in and around the opposition box. Mertesacker stuck a foot out to clear Zaha's cross, with Puncheon firing wide from the follow-up. A goal now really would change the complexity of this game.

And still Palace attack. This game has developed a theme from the opening stages which has continued throughout, but in truth Arsenal will not be all that concerned sitting as they do on a two-goal lead. Crosses continue to come in but Ospina is a mere spectator. Meanwhile, Campbell is down on the edge of the pitch holding his hamstring.

CHANCE! What a chance for Arsenal which could potentially act as a turning point in this game. Ozil orchestrated a fine counter-attacking move, getting the better of ward before playing in Alexis who burst through on goal. Left one on one with Speroni, albeit at a tight angle, the Chilean put his shot wide of the far post to give Palace just a glimmer of hope still.

CRYSTAL PALACE SUB: Campbell's hamstring injury has seen his afternoon come to a close with Bolasie on in his place. That will lead to a little shake-up in attack as far the hosts are concerned. Just prior to that Arsenal chance, Giroud was shown a yellow card for fouling Gayle.

SHOT! A third Arsenal goal looks likely to be coming as Giroud forces Speroni into action. He volleyed Joe Ledley's clearance goalwards, but a deflection saw the ball end nicely in the hands of the Palace stopper.

CHANCE! Yet again we see the frustrating side of Zaha's game. A ball was played into the Englishman's feet and it was just asking to be hit from around five yards out, but he waited and waited and waited until it was finally taken away from him.

Mutch is the latest player to try his luck with a volley on the end of Zaha's cross, which ends high in the stands. Arsenal are relying on counter-attacking moves now having produced a classic away performance thus far. Still 25 minutes to go, although the Gunners look comfortable.

I've used the word a couple of times already, but this Palace performance has been so incredibly frustrating. Puncheon burst forward towards the edge of the opposition box, laying off the ball for Bolasie who opted to shoot high and wide on his 100th appearance for the club. Poor.

Arsenal have still not left first gear as we approach the final 20 minutes, but in many ways that is credit to them because it has been straightforward. Palace have had the better of things without testing Ospina on a single occasion.

CLOSE! Souare appears to have recovered since giving away that early penalty, and having done well to get a cross in from the byline, Gayle attacked the ball with his head from five yards out. Ospina looked to be beaten, but the ball ended a few inches over the bar.

Elsewhere this afternoon, Swansea currently lead Man United 2-1 at the Liberty Stadium, while QPR, Hull, West Brom and Sunderland are all drawing. That means that as things stand Arsenal will climb up to third place; Palace remain in 13th.

CLOSE! So incredibly close to a breakthrough for Palace. Monreal gave away a free kick 19 yards from goal in a central position, and it was Puncheon who stepped up to take it, firing just inches wide of the left-hand post. Ospia was rooted to the spot.

ARSENAL SUBS: Ozil and Welbeck have been replaced with Wenger perhaps looking ahead to the midweek Champions League tie, bringing on Tomas Rosicky and Gibbs on in their place. Maybe a little negative, but you can't really blame the Frenchman at this stage.

PENALTY APPEAL! Shouts for a pen as Zaha's strike his Coquelin on the arm, but it would have been extremely harsh had Clattneburg pointed to the spot. There was not a great deal of distance between Coquelin and the ball when it was initially hit, so he could not really do much to get out of the way.

CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: Arsenal may have gone defensive with their subs, well Pardew has thrown on two strikers. Shola Ameobi is on for his debut in place of Joe Ledley, with Glenn Murray coming on for Gayle in the other change. An aerial bombardment awaits...

There's not been a great deal of rhythm to this second half, although it's fair to say that Palace have dominated possession once more. That said, much like in the first half, it's the visitors who have caused more damage in the attacking third. A Palace goal would change everything, but it doesn't appear to be coming even with those positive attacking changes.

Sanchez hasn't been involved in this contest as much as he would have liked, but his fine through-ball into the path of Gibbs shows just why he is so highly regarded. The English full-back could only cut the ball back as far as Speroni, however, so nothing came of the opening.

Worryingly for Palace, Dann is down on the ground receiving treatment after his ankle gave way on some loose turf. The Eagles have made all three changes already of course.

Giroud gets his head onto a punt up field which sees Speroni get down well to keep hold of the ball, while up the other end Ameobi looks to cause Arsenal some problems. He wins his team another corner, which Mutch swings in brilliantly. Murray appeared to be the man to flick it on but the Gunners dealt with it in the end.

As things stand, with Chelsea now drawing at home to Burnley, Arsenal are within 12 points of leaders Chelsea with the same number of games to be played. I wonder.

ARSENAL SUB: The Gunners' final change is another defensive one, as Paulista comes on in place of Alexis. Five minutes of added time left to go.

Arsenal are just looking to see this game out now with a few minutes left to play. Ospina had to deal with a shot/cross which he read well, but still no way through for the visitors.

A first home Premier League goal for Glenn Murray, who capitalises on a goalmouth scramble to fire home for the Eagles. There is literally just a matter of seconds left to play, though, so it may be a case of too little too late.

OFF THE POST! Murray comes close to grabbing the most dramatic of draws for Palace with his header coming back off the post. Ospina couldn't deal with Bolasie's cross, and the substitute came within inches of rescuing a draw. Incredible!

Well having knocked the door throughout the match, it took until four minutes into second half added time before Palace could make the breakthrough. Substitute Glenn Murray bundled home from corner number ten, before hitting the post in the last piece of play of the game. What an end to the contest at Selhurst Park!

Well that's all from me for the time being, but be sure to stick around as we bring you a full match report, analysis and player ratings from this entertaining afternoon of football in South London.