Arsenal vs Crystal Palace Review
Arsenal played a disappointing 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium. Entering the match 13 points behind Liverpool with only five games left, Arsenal understood that a victory would only postpone the inevitable. Nevertheless, Mikel Arteta opted for a relatively strong lineup to keep his team focused ahead of their Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain. They took the lead in under three minutes when Martin Ødegaard’s free-kick was headed in by Jakub Kiwior, who scored past Dean Henderson in the Palace goal.
Daichi Kamada then had a shot that was deflected wide, and former Arsenal player Eddie Nketiah missed a header from the resulting corner. After Declan Rice had two long-range attempts, the Eagles equalized with a brilliant volley from Eberechi Eze at the edge of the box. However, the hosts took the lead into halftime thanks to Leandro Trossard’s precise low shot from just inside the area, marking his third goal in two games.
The first 15 minutes of the second half were uneventful, but Palace came alive shortly after the hour mark. Justin Devenny, Marc Guéhi, and Ismaïla Sarr all had excellent chances to score with headers, but none made solid contact, allowing David Raya to make two saves while Sarr’s attempt went wide. At the other end, Henderson had to make an impressive reaction save to deny substitute Bukayo Saka from scoring. After overcoming a challenging period against Palace, Arsenal seemed poised to secure all three points. However, Jean-Philippe Mateta had different plans, stealing the ball from William Saliba about 35 yards from the goal and executing a brilliant lob over Raya that hit the underside of the crossbar before going in.
Despite a lengthy injury time, neither team managed to score again, but it served as a solid preparation for their upcoming cup matches. As a result, Arsenal remains unbeaten in their last 43 league games when they score first, while Palace has not won in their last four league outings.
