THE NOTEBOOK: Arsenal welcomed title-winning royalty to the Emirates as the current team beat Palace

Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon gave them an eight-point cushion at the top of the Premier League before the international break.

Bukayo Saka secured a double as the Gunners controlled the London derby from start to finish, with Gabriel Martinelli and Granit Xhaka also scoring for the hosts.

Meanwhile, the visiting Eagles were led by backup boss Paddy McCarthy following the firing of Patrick Vieira on Friday. They got some solace at 3-0 through Jeff Schlupp, but he did little to change the direction of the game.

Arsenal welcomed previous title winners to the Emirates to celebrate with the fans at half time, and the current crop took an important step to join them.

Here, Sportsmail’s daniel matthews highlights some of the stories you might have missed from Arsenal 4 – 1 Crystal Palace:

Those who bought a show would have read what looked like an obituary for Patrick Vieira.

Program greeted ‘El Jefe’ who was not

Ah, the dangers of printing a pregame show. In Sunday’s edition, Arsenal provided a scouting report on Crystal Palace which included a profile of ‘The Boss’: Patrick Vieira.

Since it was fired after it was printed, it read more like an obituary. Slightly unfortunate, but unavoidable. The Arsenal fans offered a bit of support to their former captain by chanting Vieira’s name from the first minute yesterday. Among those who listen in the elegant seats? The president of the palace, Steve Parish.

PS A word on Vieira’s interim replacement, Paddy McCarthy. It’s always interesting to watch a new boss’s wardrobe choices. For those interested, McCarthy opted for the club’s tracksuit. He head to toe.

Vieira’s interim replacement, Paddy McCarthy, arrived dressed head to toe in the club’s tracksuit.

Ben White will surely have another chance in England

Simple math and pecking orders – that was Gareth Southgate’s party line when asked about the omission of Ben White from this England squad. The right-back hasn’t represented his country since he withdrew from last year’s World Cup for ‘personal reasons’.

That will surely change soon, should he keep playing like this, anyway. This was a terrific display from White, who received a standing ovation when he left the field late.

The 25-year-old had set up Arsenal’s second goal for Bukayo Saka; After half time, he roared through the supporters after a grim challenge on Wilfried Zaha and a smashing clearance away from Tyrick Mitchell.

His substitution provoked an interesting experiment by Mikel Arteta. The absence of Takehiro Tomiyasu, who was injured midweek, leaves Arsenal with only one recognized right-back (Blanco).

Later here, Arteta moved Thomas Partey to that flank. He has played there before, though not for Arsenal. Planning for the worst, perhaps.

If he continues to play like this at Arsenal, it is inevitable that Ben White will return to England.

Flares and firecrackers from Palace made the goal look tame

The opening minutes of this clash were played in a cloud of smoke and the smell of burning after Crystal Palace fans decided the best time to set off flares and firecrackers was before kick-off.

All of which meant that his second-half celebrations of Jeffrey Schlupp’s goal were pretty tame by comparison.

But any reluctance to keep the powder dry can be understood: Palace are yet to win in 2023. They hadn’t scored for over a month before this.

Crystal Palace fans lit sparklers before kick-off, making the goal celebrations feel more sedate.

Partey dodges the free kick despite the Club’s specialist coach

There was something strangely comforting about Arsenal’s tactics after a free kick just before half time. White stood on the ball halfway and looked for options. He faked a few passes and spun around the ball to change angles. Nothing obvious came up. So his teammates hit the ground running; the referee urged White to hurry. Eventually, however, the defender gave up and gestured for Partey to take over. The midfielder came off a long run and simply smashed the ball into the sky.

This is a club, remember, that has a specialist coach in set pieces. It’s good to know that they can still be as agricultural as the best in the Islington Sunday League.

Despite the club turning to a set-piece coach, Thomas Partey dodged a high free kick

Arsenal’s half-time guests were title-winning royalty

Arsenal paraded some club royalty at half time – Pat Rice, Bob Wilson, George Graham and Frank McLintock were welcomed onto the Emirates pitch. Everyone knows the feeling of winning the title with Arsenal.