It was the sort of move that is more routinely associated with the skill buttons on the PlayStation. But when Olivier Giroud blurred the line between the virtually real and the gloriously tangible, he did more than set Arsenal on their way to victory over Crystal Palace. He lit up the Emirates Stadium and provided a memory for years to come.

Giroud’s 17th-minute opener recalled the finish of Henrikh Mkhitaryan for Manchester United against Sunderland on Boxing Day. There were shades of a scorpion kick, albeit with only one leg; a rainbow flick or whatever else the gamers want to call it.

But when Giroud’s back-heeled flick – recalled from a distance behind him and on the run, too – arched in off the underside of Wayne Hennessey’s crossbar, the stadium and the watching TV millions felt their jaws drop. Even Giroud looked a little stunned.

Arsenal 2-0 Crystal Palace: Premier League – as it happened Read more

Arsenal coasted to the points thereafter, with Alex Iwobi providing the tempo and incision in the No10 role in the absence of Mesut Özil, who was ill. Iwobi added the second goal; a looping header after Palace had left him unmarked only four yards out. Palace’s defending continues to be a cause of high anxiety.

Sam Allardyce’s team had a brief flurry around the hour mark but it was not an afternoon when the club’s new manager could trumpet too many positives with any conviction. It said much that he substituted Yohan Cabaye, Andros Townsend and Christian Benteke well before the end, with one eye, perhaps, on conserving energy for the home game against Swansea City on Tuesday.

Giroud’s goal transcended the occasion and if the finish was a thing of exquisite class, it was worth going over every detail of the buildup, including the striker’s role in it, which was crucial.

After Lucas Pérez – who looked off the pace on a rare Premier League start – had slid in to intercept on the edge of his own area, Héctor Bellerín initiated the break with a sharp pass up to Giroud but it was what happened next that really got Arsenal moving. With his first back-heel, he found Granit Xhaka and he played in Iwobi who, in turn, made the right pass forward to Alexis Sánchez.

Giroud had bolted up in support but, when Sánchez’s cross arrived, it was a full yard behind him. No problem. Giroud adjusted his body shape and, in a moment of improvisational genius, he had reached back his left boot, located the ball and flicked it with his heel over his head and towards the roof of the net. Hennessey could do nothing to keep it out.

The first thought was of Mkhitaryan but Giroud was further out than the United forward – he was about 12 yards from goal – and the goalkeeper had looked better placed. As the Arsenal supporters who filed past the press box were also keen to point out, Giroud was onside; Mkhitaryan had been just ahead of the last man. Whatever the arguments, it was plain that Giroud had illuminated this game to a degree that went beyond merely shaping it.

In classic Giroud and Arsenal style, he had been guilty of a bad miss from an easier chance on seven minutes, after Xhaka’s dinked pass out to Nacho Monreal and the full-back’s low, first-time cross. In front of goal, Giroud could not set his feet in time and Mohamed Elneny’s follow-up shot was headed away by James Tomkins. Giroud had sorted himself out by the time that Sánchez crossed for him shortly afterwards.

It was only Giroud’s second Premier League start of the season but he now has five goals in the competition and the statistics show that they have come at a rate of one every 69.8 minutes. The next best record in the top flight belongs to Watford’s Stefano Okaka, who has scored once every 97.5 minutes.

Arsenal called the tune and it said everything that when Cabaye had a shot on target in the 37th minute, which was the definition of routine for the Arsenal goalkeeper, Petr Cech, the travelling fans celebrated wildly. “We’ve had a shot, we’ve had a shot,” they chorused, sarcastically.

Palace’s chaotic streak at the back, which Allardyce has been charged with stamping out, was evident in first-half stoppage time, when a Bellerín cross sparked such panic that the only surprise was the Keystone Cops did not arrive on the scene. With Martin Kelly all over the place, Iwobi won the ball and Sánchez had a chance from close range. His shot, though, was too close to Hennessey, who blocked. Arsène Wenger would lament his team’s failure to kill the game sooner than they did.

Palace were poor in possession in the first half but they had what Allardyce described as “our defining moment” on 47 minutes, when Townsend crossed for Benteke and one of the best headers of a ball in Europe found himself up against Bellerín at the far post. He failed to get a clean connection and the effort bobbled wide.

The visitors had their purple patch after Iwobi’s goal, which followed Monreal’s cross and Scott Dann’s diversion high into the air. Benteke worked Cech with a header from a corner and Cabaye went close with the follow-up while Kelly swung and missed when well placed and Cech was made to save by Townsend. This game, however, was all about one player and one moment.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Olivier Giroud twists to score his superb opening goal for Arsenal against Crystal Palace. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA