3. Declan Rice
Producing a goal and an assist in a little over half an hour shows Rice is back to very near 100 percent. That's terrific news for the Gunners to have their busiest midfield man raring to go for the frenetic festive schedule.
Arsenal needs Rice powering the engine room, no matter what it says on the calendar. Strength in the middle of the park is one of the Gunners' obvious advantages over title rivals Liverpool, and Rice is a key part of maintaining the athletic edge.
He carried the fight to Palace with some typical loping breaks forward. Those runs were allied with a willingness to take shots on or to try and play the decisive pass.
Threading balls between the lines isn't exactly Rice's strong suit. Where he can excel is in taking shots at goal, with his superb 84th-minute strike ample proof of his greater potential to find the net more often.
Many would like to see Rice operate strictly at the base of midfield as a minder for the back four. Yet this limited role would waste the more enterprising aspects of the outstanding all-rounder's game.