Updated April 11, 2017 08:21:54

Photo: Crystal Palace shored up their position and dented Arsenal's top-four hopes with a 3-0 win. (AP: Tim Ireland)

Arsenal's hopes of finishing in the Premier League top four suffered a huge blow, with the Gunners sinking to a humiliating 3-0 defeat at relegation-threatened Crystal Palace.

The Gunners on-again, off-again season continued, when the north London side, fresh from an uplifting 3-0 win at home to West Ham, crashed once more with a demoralising defeat to Sam Allardyce's Premier League strugglers.

The loss meant Arsenal has racked up four consecutive defeats away from home.

Arsenal has built an empire of sorts under manager Arsene Wenger and owner Stan Kroenke, making the Gunners perennial top-four finishers, all-but guaranteeing them Champions League football every year for two decades.

Critics fire back that while this consistency makes lots of money for the club, Arsenal is too happy to settle for top four instead of challenging for what is seen as the real prize — the Premier League title.

These discussions have become much louder in Wenger's 21st year as manager — with fans hiring planes to fly pro and anti-Wenger messages over a recent fixture — and matters are likely to get worse after an abject display against the bottom-four Palace side.

"It's damaging of course," a seemingly dispirited Wenger told Sky Sports when asked about how serious the blow was to the Gunners' chances of Champions League football next season.

"That's the most difficult thing for us tonight."

Palace, winners of four of their previous five league matches, started in confident fashion and opened the scoring when former Tottenham Hotspur winger Andros Townsend swept the ball home at the end of a smart passing move after 17 minutes.

Palace striker Christian Benteke then had a goal ruled out for off side before Yohan Cabaye's superb curled effort and Luka Milivojevic's penalty in five second-half minutes completed a miserable night for Wenger's men.

Photo: The futures of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and star striker Alexis Sanchez remain up in the air. (AP: Tim Ireland)

Arsenal now has 54 points from 30 matches — seven points and two positions behind fourth-placed Manchester City, who have played a game more.

Crystal Palace stays in 16th spot but now has 34 points from 31 matches, six more than Swansea City, who occupy the final relegation place in 18th and have played a match more.

Reuters/ABC

Topics: sport, soccer, english-premier, england

First posted April 11, 2017 08:17:12