EPL – Crystal Palace vs Arsenal: It was a London Derby on Monday at Selhurst Park between Palace and Arsenal. A win for the hosts could have taken them to the top half of the Premier League. As for Arsenal, a win would have taken them clear of Spurs, troubling Chelsea in the process.
As expected it was the Gunners who dominated possession and they were effective in stealing possession in crucial positions, to create chances. However, the club failed to convert any of those.
Furthermore, they were aggressive throughout the fixture and ended up conceding dangerous set-pieces. The hosts were effective in making the most of those chances and were menacing when they had the ball.
Mateta and Ayew gave the Eagles a two-goal lead within the first 25 minutes. Zaha won and converted a penalty in the 74th to seal a 3-0 result.
EPL – Crystal Palace vs Arsenal: Player ratings
Crystal Palace: Guaita (7), Clyne (7), Andersen (8), Guehi (7), Mitchell (7), Kouyate (7), Gallagher (8), Schlupp (7), Mateta (8), Zaha (8), Ayew (8)
Subs: McArthur (7), Milivojevic (7), Edouard (7)
Arsenal: Ramsdale (6), Cedric (6), White (6), Gabriel (5), Tavares (4), Odegaard (6), Partey (5), Xhaka (5), Saka (6), Lacazette (5), Smith Rowe (6)
Subs: Martinelli (6), Nketiah (6), Lokonga (6)
Man of the match: Mateta
Manager’s reaction
Crystal Palace manager, Patrick Vieira: “We played a really good game of football. We defended well and took our chances. We scored in important moments of the game and needed a big team performance and we did it so we’re really pleased.
Patrick Vieira said he was proud of Crystal Palace’s performance as they beat Arsenal comfortably 3-0 at Selhurst Park and gave a special mention to the fans for their impact.
“We wanted to put pressure on and the atmosphere in the stadium allowed us to take that kind of risk. We were really smart with the way we defended from the front and took the chances to score goals.
“This football club is all about supporting the team and when we are at home we really feel that. The players were tired but the big difference is the atmosphere and the fans behind the players.”
Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta: “Congratulations to Palace for the game they played but we made it impossible for ourselves with the way we competed.
“You have to be physical and run and then you earn the right to play. We were really inconsistent on the ball and that is unacceptable.
“We were poor, especially in the first half. I apologise to our supporters. We didn’t have the presence today or the composure to dominate the situation so that is what I’m most annoyed with. Some days you are not there and you are late all the time. They got on top of it and had a good atmosphere and we could not get out.
“When we had the big chances we didn’t score to give ourselves the best chance to get back in the game. First of all we need to put our hands up and get the criticism we deserve. Then we accept it, look ourselves in the mirror and look to the next game. This was not good enough.”
