For all the understandable excitement about their progress to the last four of the Champions League, the collapse of Arsenal’s domestic form has been stark. After yet another disappointment at the Emirates, the Premier League title is all but Liverpool’s.
Arne Slot’s team now need just a point at home to Tottenham on Sunday. If they get it, they will be over the line with four games to spare. Not so much a title race as a spring walk across Stanley Park. Maybe, given their recent generosity, Mikel Arteta’s team will send flowers.
Crystal Palace, energised and ambitious under coach Oliver Glasner, could have won this game. They came from behind twice, had the better chances and were pushing hard at the end.
That they didn’t prevail should not spare Arteta and his players from the reality that by the time they next play domestically a week on Saturday, they will have won four times in the league in three months. It has been quite some collapse since they demolished Manchester City 5-1 amid scenes of such exhilaration here at the start of February.
This morning, they will blame the sight of next Tuesday’s game against PSG in their peripheral vision for the rather aimless nature of this performance and we will give them that one. The game was pretty much up in the league a couple of weeks ago and every point gained since that point on has only been delaying the inevitable.
Nevertheless, their regression in the Premier League this season has been clear. This should have been the year to make good the promise of two previous campaigns jousting with City. But it hasn’t happened and once his team’s Champions League adventure is over – hopefully not until after next month’s final in Munich – Arteta must look back on a run of ten games that has yielded only 17 points and ask himself why – injuries apart – it has come about.
Jean-Philippe Mateta scored a brilliant lob over David Raya to make it 2-2 on the night
Raya could only look on in dismay as the ball clipped the underside of the bar and went in
Mikel Arteta’s men have suffered domestically and all eggs are in the Champions League basket
So it’s Europe or bust for Arsenal now. The Champions League or nothing. They will seek inspiration not from this but from their recent dismantling of Real Madrid when PSG arrive next week. For sure it will be a different game, atmosphere and indeed ball game. They were brilliant over two legs against Real and there is no reason why they cannot repeat the trick.
As for Palace, they also have much to play for beyond the confines of the league. Their manager Glasner had complained that Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final opponents Aston Villa have been given an extra day to prepare by the fixture planners after playing their spare league game at City 24 hours earlier on Tuesday.
It seems a fair point but the reality is that he was able to rest two or three big players here and still get a result. And the adrenaline and confidence provided by this performance will be invaluable. Palace fell behind in only the third minute but from that point on were excellent in so much of what they did.
Arsenal left Bukayo Saka and Ethan Nwaneri on the bench while Palace did the same to Ismaila Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta. The latter was to equalise just two minutes after coming in with seven minutes left. What a goal that was. Before that, this was a game that swung one way and then the other and was all the more entertaining for it.
The home team’s opening goal was straight forward. Martin Odegaard delivered a free-kick from the left, former Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah failed to mark Jakub Kiwior properly and the defender headed the ball down and in.
From that point on it was never simple for Arsenal. They simply conceded too much ground and control. Odegaard was wayward and Raheem Sterling almost invisible. In goal, David Raya looked nervous.
Palace threatened from deep with clever passes. Had Nketiah been sharper – or maybe just a bit better – they would have equalised earlier. As it was, Eberechi Eze volleyed a dropping Adam Wharton corner down and up in to the corner off the post from 18 yards in the 27th minute and Palace were level.
When Eze ran on to another pass from deep and fed Nketiah on his inside three minutes later, Palace may have been ahead. But Kiwior blocked his shot brilliantly on the turn from six yards.
Mateta and Co celebrate a hard-fought point and visiting Palace even had chances to win it
Leandro Trossard had earlier given Arsenal the lead for the second time in the match
Eberechi Eze’s volley hit the post and went in to equalise in the first half for Crystal Palace
The home side celebrated Jakub Kiwior’s powerful header, putting them ahead early on
The Polish defender was somehow unmarked and steered his header past Dean Henderson
Bukayo Saka came off the bench but could not help his side avoid dropping two points
Mikel Arteta’s side have made life easier for winners-in-waiting Liverpool this weekend
Palace were to rue that close call soon after as Leandro Trossard expertly controlled a pass from the right, turned inside Maxence Lacroix and Jefferson Lerma and drove a low shot in to the corner at the near post with his left foot.
Ahead at half-time, the game was there for Arsenal to kill but they couldn’t do it. Justin Devenny, Marc Guehi and Sarr – on now as a substitute – all could have equalised as Palace came on strong during the middle of the second period and after Dean Henderson saved superbly from a Saka volley with ten minutes to go, Mateta delivered his masterpiece.
William Saliba and Odegaard were too deliberate with the ball 30 yards out and when Mateta stole it Arsenal were in trouble. The Frenchman – so prolific under Glasner – still had much to do but his chip over Raya from distance was as perfect as it needed to be and Palace had what they deserved.
With eight minutes of time added on, Palace sought a killer blow hungrily. Merseyside held its collective breath. Ultimately, Liverpool’s party remained on hold. But it’s coming. And it’s Arsenal who have helped to write the invitations.