Arsenal v Crystal Palace LIVE: Gunners held to attract however delay Liverpool title celebrations
Arsenal kept Liverpool‘s Premier League title-winning champagne on ice but only just as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Crystal Palace.
First-half goals by Jakub Kiwior and Leandro Trossard looked like being enough for a lacklustre Arsenal against a lively Palace side who equalised with an Eberechi Eze volley.
But there was a late twist as Palace substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta produced a superb chipped finish over Arsenal keeper David Raya in the 83rd minute.
The draw left second-placed Arsenal on 67 points from 34 games with Liverpool on 79 from 33. Had Arsenal lost, Liverpool would have won the title on Wednesday but they can now seal it with one point against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Follow all the action from the Emirates below:
Arsenal held to disappointing Crystal Palace draw but Liverpool title celebrations still on ice
Eberechi Eze’s superb volley from a corner hauled Palace level before Leandro Trossard scored his third goal in two matches to restore Arsenal’s advantage.
Match facts
That was Arsenal’s ninth Premier League draw in a match they were leading in this season, two more than any other side.
It is the most by a team in a season since Tottenham in 2007/08.
Arteta reacts
Speaking to BBC Sport, Mikel Arteta says that Arsenal “dropped our standards today and credit to Crystal Palace”.
“We struggled to find consistency in the game. We gave the ball away in simply ways and we were late in everything we did. I am disappointed,” he added.
On whether the schedule played a factor, Arteta said: “Yes, it does. And we have so many players out and not available and therefore you drop certain standards. But we have to do much better than we did today.
“We have spoke about avoiding our focus being elsewhere. We have enough time to prepare for PSG but today we didn’t deliver enough rights to win the game.
“It is nice to have long gap, we need it and we need players back to full strength.”
Trossard: “We just need to be better”
“The quality today wasn’t there compared to our last game. We were nowhere near that and we got punished. We need to raise the level with our big game coming up,” says Leandro Trossard.
“We want to win every game, in any competition. Especially after the last game, we had a good feeling. We just need to be better.”
“It was just the basics sometimes. Not passing on the right foot or taking a touch too much. It was myself as well, I just wasn’t good enough and we need to raise this in the next few days.
“It will be good to have six days now and prepare for this [PSG] game with 100 per cent focus. It will be a different performance,” he adds.
FULL-TIME! Arsenal 2-2 Crystal Palace
No reaction from any Arsenal personnel yet, but we’ll bring you it soon.
Glasner reacts
Speaking to Sky Sports, Palace boss Oliver Glasner called the game “excellent”.
“Credit to the players. The reaction [to recent results] was amazing today. I’m proud of what the players showed. We scored amazing goals. I watched many Arsenal games and I can’t remember a team with as many clear chances as we had.
“We want to show our identity and personality. It’s important to keep this energy and confidence for the semi-final on Saturday.
“It was not our goal to decide the title, it was our goal to win the game. I think a draw is a very good result. More important is the performance.
“We are back on the track. That’s what we need,” he added.
Mateta reacts
Goalscorer Jean-Philippe Mateta says that he noticed Raya “was very high up the pitch, so I knew if I won the ball I could try [the chip], so I did and scored”.
“It is one of the best goals of my career. I thought it hit the crossbar but thankfully it was in,” he adds.
“We have struggled for the last three games but we just listened to the gaffer and today was a good game for us.
On the FA Cup semi-final, he adds: “We can go in with confidence and hopefully we will win the semi-final. It is a very big game for the fans, for everybody and I can’t wait to play on Saturday.
“I am very happy. Hopefully I will score more goals. 14 goals is good but I hope for much more,” he says as he finishes.
Next up
Before we bring you some reaction, a reminder of each side’s next match…
Palace face a huge game as they take on Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday. That one kicks off at 5.15pm.
As for arsenal, they next play in just under a week and it’s an other huge game – the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against PSG.
That kicks off at 8pm on Tuesday, 29 April.
