Nick Ames was at Selhurst Park this evening. His report has landed, and here it is. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta speaks to Sky. “Congratulations to Palace for the game that they played. But we made it impossible for ourselves with the way we competed. We talked about that before the game. You have to compete first at this ground, you have to be physical, then you earn the right to play. When we earned it a little bit, we were inconsistent and gave the ball away. It was unacceptable and I apologise to our supporters. You can accept individual mistakes, that is part of football, but we did not have the composure or commitment, and that is what I am annoyed about. We have to put our hand up, me the first one, get the criticism we deserve because we were not good enough today, accept it, look in the mirror, and then tomorrow try to prepare the next game. This is not good enough for this club. When everything goes well, everyone wants to be there. Well, now, jump on the boat and give us a hand. We have to face the challenge, and the opportunity is in our hands. We will support each other and make each other better.”
Palace boss Patrick Vieira talks to Sky. “I am really proud. We played a really good game of football. We defended well and took our chances. We needed a big team performance and we did it, and we’re really pleased. We were really smart, the way we defended from the front. When we play at home, we really feel the support and that allowed us to perform. We went through a difficult period in the second half, but we kept defending well. The players were tired, but the big difference was the atmosphere and the fans behind the players.”
Crystal Palace’s brilliant victory has catapulted them past Southampton, Aston Villa and Leicester City, into the top half of the table. Patrick Vieira really has got them playing. But the garden suddenly doesn’t look quite so rosy for Arsenal. They’ve still got a game in hand over fourth-placed Spurs, as they chase the precious prize of Champions League qualification, but their goal difference has taken a mighty walloping in this round of fixtures. With Spurs beating Newcastle 5-1 yesterday, there’s been a seven-goal swing between the north London rivals this weekend, and these small margins could be decisive come the end of the season. West Ham, Manchester United and Wolves will have taken notice of this as well. The run-in is going to be fun.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 30 | 15 | 54 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 29 | 10 | 54 |
| 6 | West Ham | 31 | 11 | 51 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton | 31 | 6 | 49 |
| 9 | Crystal Palace | 30 | 4 | 37 |
| 10 | Leicester | 28 | -4 | 37 |
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FULL TIME: Crystal Palace 3-0 Arsenal
A scoreline that doesn’t flatter Crystal Palace one bit. They were magnificent from the get-go. They’re a team heading in the right direction. So are Arsenal, to be fair, but tonight was one hell of a blip, and precious ground has been lost in the race for a top-four finish.
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90 min +2: Xhaka has a frustrated swipe from 25 yards. It flies 25 yards wide. On Sky, co-commentator Alan Smith names Jean-Philippe Mateta as his man of the match.
90 min: There will be three more minutes of pain for Arsenal.
89 min: Palace deal with the corner without too much drama.
88 min: Nketiah has been lively since coming on. He finds some space down the right and wins a corner with a cross-cum-shot.
86 min: Xhaka has a pop from distance. Easy for Guaita. Arsenal have been better in the second half, but they’d set the bar low.
84 min: Nketiah shrugs off a couple of challenges to the left of the Palace D, opens his body, and curls a sensational effort across and over Guaita ... and off the junction of post and bar. That would only have been a consolation ... but it would have been some consolation. So unlucky!
82 min: Mikel Arteta stands alone on the touchline, a silent, dejected, if romantically moody and smouldering, figure.
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80 min: Milivojevic replaces the excellent Kouyate.
79 min: Saka bursts into the Palace box down the left. He creams a low drive towards the bottom right. Guaita parries with a strong arm. The ball breaks to Smith Rowe, whose eyes surely light up. He belts goalwards ... only for Guehi to stick out a leg and clear off the line! Outrageous defending! This really isn’t Arsenal’s night. Palace have made it so.
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77 min: Xhaka is booked for a cynical tug on Zaha’s shirt. That was some intervention by Zaha, though. He took the fight to Arsenal all on his own, just as the visitors were finally asking a couple of questions, and now look. Palace have been as excellent tonight as Arsenal have been poor.
76 min: Both teams make a change. Partey, who had been struggling, makes way for Lokonga, while Edouard comes on for Ayew.
75 min: The home fans belt out a rendition of Glad All Over. That’s just rubbing it in, given the Dave Clark Five were prime movers of the Tottenham Sound.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 3-0 Arsenal (Zaha 74 pen)
Zaha stutters a little during his run-up, gives Ramsdale the eyes, sends the keeper the wrong way, and lashes into the top right. So clinical!
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Penalty for Crystal Palace!
73 min: Zaha takes Palace upfield on his own. He dribbles all the way down the middle and into the box. He’s surrounded and going nowhere, but Odegaard clumsily swipes him from behind. The referee takes his sweet time to think about it, and Zaha is about to go into meltdown, but the official finally points to the spot. What a daft challenge by Odegaard.
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72 min: Arsenal have had 80 percent of possession in this second half. It’s to Palace’s credit that they’ve done so little with it.
71 min: Xhaka floats a diagonal pass towards Martinelli, on the right-hand edge of the six-yard box. Martinelli looks for Odegaard, but the ball ricochets back off him and out for a goal kick.
69 min: Palace make their first change of the evening, and it’s a defensively minded one. Mateta is replaced by McArthur.
67 min: Nketiah is immediately involved, firing a low cross in from the left. Odegaard should work the keeper from 12 yards, but screws his first-time shot wide left. Big chance to get Arsenal back into the game there.
66 min: Thankfully, it looks like Martinelli has suffered nothing more than the sting of impact. He’s hauled up off the turf by his trainer and will play on. Meanwhile Arsenal send on Nketiah in place of Cedric, both of the starting full backs now hooked.
64 min: Martinelli goes down in a lot of pain, after an accidental knee-on-knee clash with Kouyate. On comes the physio.
63 min: Martinelli and Lacazette get busy down the inside left, playing a couple of one twos as they advance towards the Palace box, then teeing up Smith Rowe. He can’t get the ball fully out from under his feet, and sends a weak shot dribbling towards Guaita. A lot better from Arsenal, though.
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61 min: Mitchell and Schlupp exchange crisp passes down the left, nearly opening Arsenal up. Cedric does well to put a stop to their antics, intercepting and clearing his lines.
59 min: ... so having said that, Saka picks up the pace, jinks his way past Mitchell down the right, cuts infield, and sends a curler over the bar from the edge of the box. Saka looks the most likely for Arsenal right now.
58 min: Arsenal looked a bit livelier at the start of this second half, but their tempo has dropped again.
56 min: Cedric gifts the ball to Zaha just inside his own box. He’s very fortunate that Zaha falls over under his own steam, allowing Partey to clear. The home fans want a penalty, but their time would be better spent continuing to goad their former A23 rivals.
55 min: A few pantomime boos for White, formerly of Brighton & Hove Albion. Arsenal pour forward. Martinelli crosses from the left. Lacazette’s header is directionless. Half a chance there.
54 min: Andersen already has two assists to his name this evening. He fancies a goal as well, and takes the free kick, creaming one towards the top left. It’s well read by Ramsdale, though, who claims with a safe pair of hands.
53 min: Partey does go into the book, however, for a cynical clip on an in-flight Schlupp, who was dribbling his way with some skill and style down the middle of the park. A free kick in a very dangerous position, just outside the D.
52 min: Gabriel drags down Mateta in the midfield. It’s a garden variety free kick, but Gabriel for some reason goes ballistic. Not a proportional response. He’s very fortunate not to go into the book.
51 min: Saka drops a shoulder to break infield from the right. He dribbles purposefully into the box, before going over under light pressure from Kouyate. You’ve seen them given, of course you have, but it would have been dreadfully soft, and the referee’s not interested.
50 min: Gabriel shins a backpass towards Ramsdale, who takes a heavy touch. The irrepressible Gallagher needs no second invitation, and very nearly closes the keeper down. Ramsdale lashes clear just in the nick of time.
49 min: VAR takes a look at the Lacazette incident, but there’s nothing in it. He tried to power his way through Schlupp and Mitchell, but both stood their ground, and he went over more in hope than expectation.
47 min: Martinelli is in the thick of it immediately, dribbling across the front of the Palace box before offloading to Lacazette, who goes over with not a great deal of encouragement. He wants a penalty; the referee waves play on.
Arsenal get the second half underway. They’ve unsurprisingly hooked Tavares, sending on Martinelli. It looks as though Xhaka will fill in at left-back. The hosts are kicking towards the nearest branch of Sainsbury’s.
Half-time entertainment.
HALF TIME: Crystal Palace 2-0 Arsenal
There’s just enough time for Arsenal to win a corner, from which Gabriel heads weakly straight at Guaita. Then the whistle goes. Palace have been magnificent. Arsenal meanwhile are about to be told what’s what.
45 min: There will be one added minute.
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44 min: Tavares throws in to Xhaka, then fails to trap the simple pass that comes back. Throw for Palace. Tavares is enduring a shocker, not for the first time this season.
42 min: Palace seem happy enough to let Arsenal stroke it around in the middle of the park. The Gunners are creating nothing.
40 min: In the Arsenal dugout, Mikel Arteta seethes and rants quietly at the nearest member of the backroom. The visitors can expect a full and frank analysis of their performance at half-time, possibly involving the launching of teapots, blowdrying of hair and stripping of paint.
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38 min: Arsenal are so ponderous at the back. Gallagher nearly takes advantage as he latches onto a loose ball but he can’t quite control as he attempts to dribble free down the inside right. Then Palace come again down the left, Zaha cutting back for Mateta, whose low diagonal drive towards the bottom right is parried by Ramsdale and claimed at the second attempt.
36 min: Tavares clumsily clatters Ayew as the Palace striker bustles down the inside-right channel. Gallagher takes the free kick quickly. He slides it down the channel for Zaha, who crosses from the byline. Arsenal are in the process of making a meal of clearing when the flag pops up for offside. Zaha had indeed gone far too early.
34 min: A little bit more possession for Arsenal, but they can’t get anything going in the final third. Odegaard has been borderline invisible. Here’s Peter Oh: “I agree that the AC Milan kit shown in the action photo below is a fashion travesty, but nearly as hard on the eyes is just how easily Sandro Tonali seems to have turned former Stoke and West Ham man Marko Arnautovic inside out.”
32 min: Komic kutz in the Palace box as Guehi slices the ball high into the air. Lacazette comes across. A subtle nudge would put the striker in the box seat to meet the dropping ball ... so he gives the Palace defender a good old-fashioned heavy-handed shove in the back. The most obvious sly foul of the season. Free kick!
30 min: Smith Rowe powers his way down the left, a determined dribble, but is ushered into the corner by Clyne, then falls over. Nothing’s going right for Arsenal.
28 min: Partey has the opportunity to shoot from the edge of the Palace D, but takes one touch too many, is dispossessed by Gallagher, and has a fresh-air swipe. Saka tries to keep things going, crossing from the right, and Lacazette flashes a header over the bar. A little better from Arsenal, who nevertheless need to clear their heads quicksmart.
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27 min: Palace are playing at 101 miles per hour, and with a swagger to boot. Arsenal are second to absolutely everything right now.
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26 min: That was a lovely goal from a Palace point of view, and a complete shambles from Arsenal’s. Andersen’s driven diagonal pass was full of ambition and technique, and Ayew’s turn and shot sensational. But Gabriel and Tavares ... dearie me. To his credit, Gabriel shakes his head by way of apology to his team-mates, aware his rash attempt to intercept might have been a factor there.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 2-0 Arsenal (Ayew 24)
Palace are rampant, and they get their reward! Andersen, quarterbacking from deep, fires a low pass down the inside-right channel. Gabriel tries to intercept with a slide, but misses. Ayew picks up possession, turns inside past a discombobulated Tavares, and whistles a low shot into the bottom left!
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22 min: Zaha performs a couple of slick flicks down the left. Then Andersen makes sure Odegaard can’t launch a counter with a no-nonsense slide clearance. The home fans enjoy it all. Arsenal are rocking a bit here.
20 min: That goal has got Selhurst jumping. Arsenal have suddenly become a little jittery as a result. This is all good viewing for fans of Chelsea, Spurs, West Ham, Manchester United and Wolves. Have I forgotten anyone?
18 min: Some more bad news for Arsenal: Palace haven’t lost a Premier League game this season in which they’ve scored first. In 13 games, they’ve won seven and drawn six.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-0 Arsenal (Mateta 16)
A free kick for Palace out on the left. Gallagher delivers it long. Andersen goes up at the far post, beating the flailing Gabriel and Tavares. He’s looking the wrong way when the ball hits him and pings across the face of goal, allowing Mateta to steer a header home from close range. Palace lead, and Selhurst explodes!
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14 min: A brief pause as the referee gets his technological junk jangled. “Neither Juventus nor Palace can hold a candle to the abomination which is AC Milan’s fourth kit, which looks like someone took an eraser to the shoulders and waist of a regular red and black striped shirt,” reports Kári Tulinius. “They’re playing in that kit tonight and it took me about five minutes just to figure out what the heck I was looking at.” Sweet baby Berlusconi! That is an abomination!
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12 min: Arsenal are beginning to see a little more of the ball now. They’re not doing a great deal with it, however. Palace are holding their shape very well.
10 min: Lacazette sprays a glorious diagonal pass towards Saka, in miles of space on the right. But Mitchell reads the danger and gets over to intercept. That’s fine defending from the extremely promising Palace full-back.
8 min: Gallagher digs out a cross from a tight spot on the right. Mateta can’t quite meet it in the middle. Saka comes back to cover, chests down and clears. The home fans want a penalty, but come on and come off it.
7 min: Clyne tries to release Zaha into space down the right with a backheel along the touchline. Not quite, but there’s a measure of the confidence flowing through the Palace team right now. “Apropos of not very much, and motivated only by a need to vent, I want to tut-tut at what has happened to Palace’s stripes,” writes Charles Antaki. “They’ve gone all swirly, like a certain ice-cream I remember from way back. Swirliness has no place on football kits. Points to be conceded, unless Arsenal win, in which case they can wear what they like.” Wait until Charles sees the new Juventus kit, eh readers.
5 min: Both teams continue to ping the ball around at top speed. Constructive passing sequences are at a premium as a result.
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3 min: Lacazette very nearly finds Smith Rowe with a cute roll down the inside-left channel. Had Smith Rowe been able to control, he’d have waltzed clear on goal. A fine, fast, fun start to this match.
2 min: Gallagher puts Ramsdale under all sorts of pressure, closing him down and causing a panicked clearance. Arsenal eventually clear, but Palace come again, Mitchell zipping in a low cross from the left. The ball doesn’t break for Mateta on the penalty spot. Arsenal clear again. What a start by Palace, though.
30 sec: Mateta battles his way down the inside-left channel and into the Arsenal box. The visitors don’t look prepared to defend this. But the flag goes up for offside.
Palace get the ball rolling ... but only after everyone takes the knee. The gesture is well received by the crowd. There’s no room for racism.
The teams are out! Palace wear their red and blue stripes, forcing Arsenal into second-choice lemon curd. There is, as ever, a fine noise emanating from Selhurst Park, surely the most atmospheric ground in the Premier League. Certainly on a Monday evening, when everyone’s in karaoke mood after a few post-work looseners. They’re glad all over. We’ll be off in a minute or three!
A reminder of what happened at the Emirates back in October. Palace foiled at the death!
Patrick Vieira speaks to Sky ... “Both teams are in a better place than we were in October. We have better confidence and belief, and I believe Arsenal are playing with more confidence. We are playing better football as a team, both in and out of possession. We have to perform. We know how well they have been playing lately. We will be ready for it.”
... as does Mikel Arteta: “We know what to expect. They have been really difficult to beat at home. We are expecting a tough game. They are difficult to break down and control. They have big players who know how to unlock a game. We can only perform to our best. We have to do our job and play to our highest level, and we’ll see where it will take us.”
Another matter pertaining to the chase for a place in next season’s Champions League is Arsenal’s visit to Tottenham Hotspur, postponed in January to some Covid-releated controversy. It’s been rescheduled for Thursday 12 May. That fixture now comes ten days before the end of the season, and the way things are going, could well become a winner-takes-all rumble for a precious top-four place.
At the time of the postponement, Spurs were “extremely surprised” by the decision to allow Arsenal’s request. The Gunners cited Covid-19, African Nations Cup absentees, and injuries as reasons for their plea, leading to Spurs demanding more “clarity and consistency” in the Premier League’s decision-making processes. In other words, expect this one to get tasty, even by the normal standards of the north-London derby. Can’t wait!
Wilfried Zaha has recovered from an injury picked up while away on international duty, but Michael Olise has not. Olise is the only change for Crystal Palace from the 0-0 draw with Manchester City; he’s replaced by Jordan Ayew.
Arsenal make two changes to the team selected for the 1-0 win at Aston Villa. One is enforced: Nuno Tavares replaces Kieran Tierney, who has injured his foot. Aaron Ramsdale meanwhile reclaims his place in goal having recovered from a hip injury, with Bernd Leno dropping to the bench.
The teams
Crystal Palace: Guaita, Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell, Gallagher, Kouyate, Schlupp, Ayew, Mateta, Zaha.
Subs: Butland, Ward, Milivojevic, Tomkins, Eze, Hughes, McArthur, Benteke, Edouard.
Arsenal: Ramsdale, Cedric, White, Gabriel, Tavares, Partey, Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe, Lacazette.
Subs: Leno, Holding, Sambi Lokonga, Elneny, Nketiah, Martinelli, Swanson, Ogungbo, Flores.
Referee: Paul Tierney (Lancashire).
Preamble
The top of the Premier League table looks like this ...
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 30 | 52 | 73 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 30 | 57 | 72 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 29 | 35 | 59 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 30 | 15 | 54 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 28 | 13 | 54 |
... which means Arsenal are currently favourites to grab the last Champions League place. But nothing’s certain, and with Spurs and West Ham both winning at the weekend, the Gunners could do with three points of their own tonight to consolidate their status as fourth-spot front runners.
How easy that will be is moot. Crystal Palace are getting good notices right now, having recently held Manchester City here at Selhurst, and made it to the semi-finals of the FA Cup. But the good press masks the fact they haven’t won at home in the league since the turn of the year, while their record against Arsenal doesn’t inspire too much confidence: one win in the last nine meetings, and a 3-1 loss here last year. Arsenal have also won their last five Premier League away games on the bounce. Can they make it six in a row, and maintain their push for Champions League qualification? Or will Palace, comfortable in mid table with a cigar on, frustrate them as they did champions City a few weeks back? Kick off is at 8pm BST. It’s on!
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