Despite all the understandable excitement as to their progress towards the last four of the Champions League, the collapse of the interior form of Arsenal was striking. After another disappointment against the Emirates, the title of Premier League is almost that of Liverpool.
The Arne Slot team now needs a point at home against Tottenham on Sunday. If they get it, they will be above the line with four games to lose. Not so much a title race as a spring walk through Stanley Park. Perhaps, given their recent generosity, the team of Mikel Arteta will send flowers.
Crystal Palace, energized and ambitious under the coach Oliver Glasner, could have won this match. They came from behind twice, had the best chances and pushed hard at the end.
That they should not spare Artta and his players of reality that, when they play at the national level a week on Saturday, they will have won four times in the league in three months. This has been a collapse since they demolished Manchester City 5-1 in the middle of the scenes of such an exaltation here in early February.
It is therefore Europe or the bust for Arsenal now. The Champions League or nothing. They will not seek inspiration not from this, but from their recent dismantling of Real Madrid and it will be a different game, atmosphere and ball game when PSG arrives from France next Tuesday.
As for Palace, they will face Aston Villa in Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday in exactly the good frame of mind.
Jean-Philippe Mateta scored a brilliant lob on David Raya to do it 2-2 in the night
Raya could only look with dismay while the ball cut the underside of the bar and entered
Mikel Arteta’s men suffered at the national level and all eggs are in the Champions League basket
Mateta and Co celebrate a hard point and the palace is even likely to win it
Arsenal started perfectly here while Jakub Kiwior returned home in the third minute. But Palace, despite the key players at rest, was a force and even if Leandro Trossard scored just before half-time to erase the memories of a superb Ebelechi Eze equalizer, they could not put the club of southern London.
And he was left to the irresistible central palace attacker, Jean-Philippe Mateta, to leave his own impression in the night just two minutes after his late arrival. The mixture in the defense of Arsenal is not just a Arteta wishes to review, but the chipped finish of Mateta out of the bar from 30 meters was magnificent.
For the Arteta team, this night concerned less the title race and more on momentum and physical form. The 4-0 Sunday dismantling of Ipswich in Suffolk had helped the first and the Arsenal manager had clearly in mind when he chose to leave Bukayo Saka on the bench. Saka had, of course, took a frightening blow to his Achilles in the match at Portman Road.
The palace was not at full power either. As Arsenal Eye PSG, Oliver Glasner’s team thinks of Wembley. It was a strange mixture and which may have contributed to an open first half, engaging but often rather reckless.
Arsenal was ahead after only two and a half minutes and the palace had only blamed. The home team can be smart during sets, but it was as simple as possible. Martin Odegaard crossed the left, Eddie Nketiah neglected to challenge Kiwior and the defender of Arsenal directed the ball from 12 meters without stories.
Glasner had said before the match that Nketiah, once arsenal, could use this game to ignite his slow career in Burning in Palace. It was not the way to do it.
Palace has improved collectively, however, and Nketiah was often at the net end of a few rapid deep breaks, even if he had trouble finding the appropriate touch, pass or finish. At least, the young attacker was visible.
Arsenal was dangerous when they advanced and that Declan Rice traveled 20 meters after a bright Raheem Sterling. Palace had the best chance, however, and after a 20 -minute spell of almost and almost, they leveled the game.
Leandro Trossard had previously given Arsenal the advance for the second time in the match
The volley of Ebelechi Eze struck the post and entered to equalize in the first half for Crystal Palace
The local team celebrates the powerful powerful head of Jakub Kiwior which highlights them early
Kiwior was in a way marked and directed his head in front of Dean Henderson
Nketiah had seen a few half-time coming and coming while on two other occasions, the palace would have benefited from a more nice ball race.
But when Adam Wharton dropped a corner on the right foot of Eze on the edge of the repair surface in the 27th minute, the player from England voted the ball calmly and perfectly in the lawn and against the left post of David Raya and a movement of the training ground, he will never be better executed.
Arsenal should not have been surprised. They had been a little sloppy. And when Eze ran on another pass from Deep and Fed Nketiah on his interior, Palace had perhaps been in advance if Kiwior had not blocked his shooting of six meters.
Palace had to assign this call close short shortly after while Trossard expertly controlled a pass of the right, turned inside Maxence Lacroix and Jefferson Lerma and led a low blow in the corner to the nearby post with its left foot.
Arsenal checked the game for a while afterwards and could have scored at the start of the second half while William Saliba and Trossard most scrambled the ball. But then, after a period of calm in the game, Palace rushed to worry again about their opponents.
Raya in the aim of the Arsenal was to spend an uncertain evening both with his hands and his feet. He came for a cross and missed and then, shortly after, played a cross pass directly out of the game.
The Spaniard should probably have been beaten in the 65th minute while the substitute for the Ismaila Sarr Palace crossed for Justin Devenny who was in space. A simple head was necessary, but Devenny only contacted his shoulder and Raya touched the ball in a loop.
Bukayo Saka came out of the bench but could not help his team avoid dropping two points
Mikel Arteta’s side falling points make life of Liverpool this weekend
Declan Rice put his hands on his head, frustrated to be torn off by the Eagles
From the corner, Marc Guehi reacted first so that Raya did not withdraw his efforts. Then, in the 67th minute, another corner, this time deep, found Daniel Munoz at the rear post and in a way his head through the goal was hosted his head for a meter by Sarr. Guehi, standing behind him, would probably have marked.
So, with about twenty minutes, Arsenal had been warned. At this stage of the game, Palace was once again the best team.
And they finally leveled the game for the second time with seven minutes of regulatory time remaining. The mixture between Saliba and Martin Odegaard was extraordinary. What was Odegaard there even there so close to the goal?
But the way Mateta claimed the ball and then cried Raya 30 meters was something. All of a sudden, on this strange football night, the palace was one more goal to put the title in Liverpool.
There was an observation party on the Merseyside and although few Liverpool players expected a victory for Palace, their work this weekend is at least easier.
With Tottenham coming to Anfield, Arne Slot’s men now need a point to confirm what has been known for weeks, that they will note the title of the Premier League.
