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.
Not a happy bunny. Photograph: Ian Walton/AP
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.
Conor Gallagher smiles at the final whistle after Crystal Palace’s convincing victory. Photograph: Ashley Western/Colorsport/Shutterstock
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.
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka shoots. Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
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.
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!
Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha takes his penalty … Photograph: Ian Walton/AP
And Palace are three goals to the good. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/IK Images/AFP/Getty Images
YAY!!!! Photograph: Jed Leicester/Shutterstock
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.
Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace is fouled in the box by Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard. Photograph: Micah Crook/PPAUK/Shutterstock
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.
Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe reacts after his shot was saved by Crystal Palace’s keeper Vicente Guaita. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/IK Images/AFP/Getty Images
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.
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.
Jordan Ayew of Crystal Palace surrounded by Arsenal defenders as he surges forewards. Photograph: Jed Leicester/Shutterstock
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.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta gestures on the touchline. Photograph: John Walton/PA
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