Playing a central midfielder out wide usually means a team lacks width, as their tendency is to come back inside more often than note.

However, that’s exactly what Arsene Wenger wanted from Aaron Ramsey yesterday as he shifted his team selection to accommodate the returning Alexis Sanchez.

Pre-game there was a lot of discussion about whether or not Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain should have started over the Welshman, but Ramsey was solid, and probably should have got himself on the score-sheet with some excellent movement from midfield into the Palace penalty area – his runs often un-tracked by their defenders and midfielders.

“It was the manager’s decision and he tweaked things,” he told Arsenal Player.

“He told me to try and get in between the lines, not stay outside, to come inside and I thought I did that by getting into some dangerous positions. Some of the combination play was really good and on another day we could’ve scored more.

“We played really well, got into some dangerous positions in between the lines and on another day we could have scored a few more. Even though we conceded we never questioned our ability to go on and score again.

“I had a couple of chances and maybe on another day they would’ve gone in. I’m just happy for the team, for Olivier to get his goal and to get the win.”