Arsenal survived a late scare against Crystal Palace to secure a 2-1 victory at Selhurst Park and climb up to third place in the Premier League table.

Palace dominated much of the ball in attacking positions, although they failed to make it count until the dying stages as the visitors left South London with all three points.

Santi Cazorla opened the scoring from the spot inside the opening 10 minutes, after Pape Souare gave away a penalty on his top-flight debut, and, despite Glenn Murray pulling one back at the death, the damage had already been done thanks to Olivier Giroud's close-range finish.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look back at how both sets of players rated across the 90 minutes of action in this London derby.

CRYSTAL PALACE

Goal

Julian Speroni: It may have been a quiet afternoon for him on the whole, but once more the Argentine was at fault for a goal conceded. He could only push Welbeck's shot into the path of Giroud in a central position, and the Arsenal forward made no mistake. Wayne Hennessey continues to watch on from the stands, meanwhile. (5/10)

Defence

Joel Ward: Did well defensively and even managed to push into higher positions in the second half to help his side out in attack. (6/10)

Scott Dann: Another solid afternoon in the heart of defence for the Palace centre-back, although he will have nightmares after being sent to ground thanks to Giroud's quick footwork. His feet appeared to give way and treatment was required late on, but, thankfully for him and Eagles supporters, he was okay to continue. (6/10)

Damien Delaney: Given a few problems by Arsenal's attack, and was unable to close down Giroud for Arsenal's second goal, although it was hardly a bad performance. (6/10)

Pape Souare: Made a horror start to life in the Premier League by giving away a penalty inside the opening 10 minutes. Recovered well and provided a brilliant cross for Gayle to attack in the second half. That early error really did prove to be costly, though. (5/10)

Midfield

Joe Ledley: He has done very well since Alan Pardew took over last month, but he did not really impose himself on this match. May drop out in place of Mile Jedinak next week, with the Australian now ready to return following his ankle injury and Asia Cup exploits. (6/10)

Wilfried Zaha: Impressed and frustrated in equal measure, although it was largely the latter of the two. So often caused Monreal problems, particularly in the first quarter of the contest, but time and again he failed with his delivery. One opportunity in particular that was telling was when he waited for too long after being picked out by Bolasie four yards from goal and was dispossessed. (6/10)

Jason Puncheon: Likewise, Puncheon saw plenty of the ball in the final third without making the most of it. Probably the home side's liveliest player over the course of the 90 minutes, playing in a more central role once more from the off. (7/10)

Jordon Mutch: Arguably his finest performance for the Eagles since joining in January, although he is still well off the mark in terms of what we saw at stages last season. At his best he provides a real link between defence and attack, and, while there were signs of that today, he is still looking to return to his free-flowing best. (7/10)

Dwight Gayle: Another player who did well at times without really causing a great deal of problems overall. Came close to scoring with his headed attempt 20 minutes from time. With Campbell picking up an injury, he may be given a chance to shine as an out-and-out striker next time out. (7/10)

Attack

Fraizer Campbell: Failed to build on the two goals that he has scored in his previous two matches, yet he showed some promising movement in the opening quarter of the game. Went off injured in the second half clutching his hamstring, so may now be on the sidelines for the next few weeks. (6/10)

Substitutes

Yannick Bolasie: There is no question that Palace's delivery improved drastically when he was on the field. He was the difference against Newcastle United a couple of weeks ago, and, as soon as he regains full fitness, he will provide his side with a real boost in attack. (7/10)

Glenn Murray: The ultimate impact sub, scoring once and coming within the width of the post of bagging a second in his 11 minutes on the field. Could not quite direct Bolasie's cross into the back of the net after getting the better of Ospina. (8/10)

Shola Ameobi: Came on at the same time as Murray as Pardew went into full on attack mode in the final 10 minutes. Did not have the same impact as his teammate on what was his Palace debut, however, as he struggled to get on the ball. (6/10)

ARSENAL

Goal

David Ospina: Very much established himself as first-choice keeper in the Premier League now, and, had these ratings been submitted a minute from time, he would have had a solid mark. But, having conceded a sloppy goal in the dying seconds, before misjudging a cross into the box which almost lead to a dramatic second for Palace, his afternoon was soured somewhat. (6/10)

Defence

Calum Chambers: Does not look all that convincing when up against pacey wingers, which is not ideal when you have the likes of Bolasie and Zaha to defend against. Left exposed by Welbeck at times, but stood up to the test on the whole. (6/10)

Per Mertesacker: Took a clattering from his goalkeeper in the final 10 minutes, although he did not let that put him off the task at hand. Will be hugely disappointed to have seen his clean sheet bonus go down the drain in such poor fashion. (7/10)

Laurent Koscielny: With both full-backs so often exposed and a bombardment of crosses coming into the box, Koscielny did well to stay strong for 93 minutes or so before the Eagles finally made a way through. (7/10)

Nacho Monreal: Given a torrid time of it by Zaha in another underwhelming showing. Credit to him for restricting Palace on occasions, but this was not a great showing from the Spaniard. (5/10)

Midfield

Francis Coquelin: Finally given a run of games in the side, with this his eighth Premier League start in succession. His task was made so much more difficult thanks to an early yellow card. That said, he still completed seven ball recoveries, six interceptions, eight clearances, five tackles, won four aerial duels and ended the contest with a 74% pass-completion rate. Not bad going. (7/10)

Santi Cazorla: Did well to link up play and even got his name on the scoresheet with yet another penalty. He has now bagged more goals from the spot himself this season (six) than any of the other 19 Premier League clubs. (7/10)

Alexis Sanchez: Even when he is not involved for large parts, he is still somehow a menace. Created the opening for Welbeck which led to the second goal, and also came close to rounding off the game when he worked some space for a one-on-one which he uncharacteristically placed wide. (7/10)

Mesut Ozil: A good showing from the World Cup winner, whose best moment came when instigating an attacking move which culminated in him turning a player before playing in Sanchez for that aforementioned chance, which the Chilean really should have buried. (7/10)

Danny Welbeck: While this was hardly his finest hour for Arsenal, he still managed to bag himself a couple of assists of sorts, winning a penalty and firing away the shot which paved the way for Giroud's goal. Always get full commitment from the Englishman, as that was clear once more this afternoon. (7/10)

Attack

Olivier Giroud: It is an identical story for Giroud, who, without really coming to life throughout the contest, still made a telling difference. His strike at the end of the first half, his 50th in the red and white of Arsenal, made it five goals and three assists in his last seven outings. (7/10)

Substitutes

Kieran Gibbs: Introduced with 13 minutes remaining to shore up the defence, which he pretty much did even if that late goal conceded did blemish his record somewhat. (6/10)

Tomas Rosicky: The fans' favourite was given a little run out in South London, but simply not enough time to make any real difference on the game. (6/10)

Gabriel Paulista: Came on at the death as Arsene Wenger opted to go defensive, yet he could do nothing to prevent the scrappy Palace consolation strike. (6/10)