Oliver Glasner reserved special praise for Declan Rice after Crystal Palace's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, applauding the midfielder's efforts in shutting down Ismaila Sarr.

Eberechi Eze arrowed home the only goal of the game against his former club to help Arsenal tighten their grip on top spot in the Premier League table.

Gabriel Magalhaes and Bukayo Saka both had opportunities to double the hosts' lead after the break, but Eze's stunning 39th-minute strike ultimately proved the difference in north London.

The win was Arsenal's seventh on the spin in all competitions and Mikel Arteta's men will be looking to pick up where they left off when they return to top-flight action away to Burnley next Saturday.

Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea all slumped to defeats on a massively productive weekend for the Gunners, who sit four points clear at the summit after nine games.

'I haven't seen many teams creating a lot of chances here,' Glasner told reporters after his Palace side were consigned to only their second loss of the campaign.

'We had a few moments where we could have been more dangerous and we missed a few opportunities to create more chances because it took us too long.

'On the other side, it was a credit to Arsenal, how quickly they recovered.

'We saw just in the second half that there were two or three times we found Ismaila Sarr in the pocket and then Declan Rice recovered and stole the ball, instead of making an overload, because he made pressure.

'It just took us too long and that's why we couldn't create more.'

Glasner felt Palace were 'punished' for making two 'mistakes' in the build-up to Eze's thumping strike shortly before half-time.

'We didn't give them a lot but a little bit too much,' the Palace head coach added.

'In one situation [the goal] we made two mistakes and we got punished. That's why we lost in the end.

'Two mistakes in one situation is too much when you play here at the Emirates against Arsenal, who are in fantastic shape.'

According to Glasner, Rice has taken Arsenal to 'the next step' since joining from West Ham - and the England international is just another example of the club's exemplary recruitment in recent years.

Asked what exactly makes Arsenal so difficult to break down, the Austrian replied: 'Everything!

'They were second in the league three times in a row, investing £300million, having fantastic players, having a great manager, having a clear structure.

'You can they play on the top level of the world and this is what they are showing: consistency, always analysing what kind of players to add to the squad to make the next level.

'And that's over years, not just this summer. They saw Declan Rice two or three years ago and they bought him for £120m from West Ham... always exactly knowing what kind of players they need to make the next step and then integrating them into their structure.

'Defensively, they are compact and always relying on their structure on set-pieces, having a fantastic balance in the game, so I think all of this and developing over many years now, doing many things right... then you are challenging for the Premier League title.'

While Glasner was glowing with his assessment of Rice's display, he refused to give his thoughts on Eze's showing - two months on from the attacker's departure at Selhurst Park.

Asked to rate Eze's performance, an unimpressed Glasner replied: 'I don't talk about players from other teams.

'Yes, he scored the game-winner like he did for us in the FA Cup final. At that time I was pleased.

'Today it's the opposite. What's the opposite of being pleased? I'm sad.'

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Glasner singles out Arsenal star - but refuses to answer Eze question