Arsenal’s Champions League hopes were dashed at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace. Despite an unexpectedly sloppy Arsenal performance, the hosts were able to maintain their two-goal lead and clinch a comfortable victory.
At the start of the game, the Arsenal trio of Ramsdale, White, and Gabriel appeared to be on completely different wavelengths. Tavares was just one of many Arsenal players that struggled in Tierney’s absence. As a result of a concerted Palace push, the Gunners were forced to make mistakes with the ball. To bring their attackers into the game, Arsenal had to play long and risk losing the ball, or risk losing it to the hosts’ defenders.
Ayew was handed an open goal as a result of Palace’s poor free-kick defense and even poorer defending from Gabriel and Tavares. Arteta’s team was eagerly awaiting the break. We made considerable progress in the second half. Arsenal’s ball control and attack frequency improved after Tavares was replaced by Xhaka.
Nketiah came in for Cedric soon after, but despite Arsenal’s swarming attack, the hosts never seemed threatened. Late in the game, Nketiah hit the crossbar, while Smith-Rowe and Odegaard also had chances. The hosts won 2-1 thanks to a late penalty from Wilfried Zaha. After a bad day at work, Arsenal could aim to make amends against Brighton. It’s possible that Tierney’s absence, Thomas Partey’s second-half injury, and Takehiro Tomiyasu’s persistent absence are more concerning than the score shows.
The loss of three key players will considerably limit the North London club’s prospects of finishing in the top four. Vieira’s team triumphed spectacularly. Selhurst Park was electrified throughout the game as the London squad moved up to ninth place despite their dismal home record and strong away victories.
Selhurst Park is no longer in operation. Crystal Palace cruised to victory in the second half after being far too strong for the visitors in the first. Vieira’s team delivered yet another solid effort.
Arsenal’s goal is now full-time in the 91st minute. Palaces are also popular for a variety of reasons.
Arsenal is still going strong in the 84th minute. The ball soars off the bar and the rim when Eddie Nketiah shoots from outside the area. Even if the Gunners were unlucky not to score tonight, their weak defense is entirely their own.
Thomas Partey is here because something is wrong with him. Arsenal’s defense is vulnerable when he can’t keep up with Wilfried Zaha due to his lack of mobility. Despite having three defenders on his right, he moves to the left before cutting back to the right and driving into the area. Odegaard collides with Zaha and knocks her on the ground. Tierney points at the location after a brief minute of thought. When it comes to Zaha, there is no space for error.
