Arsenal vs Crystal Palace: 4 Things We Learned From Stalemate

Crystal Palace Deserve Credit

Arsenal are an ordinary side. Palace succeeded in making Arsenal look exceedingly ordinary.

Undeniably there was lethargy for large periods from the home side. Spells of dominance followed by overindulgence in possession. However, credit where credit is due, Palace put in a superb shift.

Their shape was faultless, their reading of danger outstanding. On numerous occasions there will be sides who sit in their low block and are forced to call upon clutch individual interventions or the occasional stroke of luck. On Thursday Palace didn’t even allow Arsenal to get into zones where such instances could occur.

On the ball Xhaka was poor, but equally, the gaps between the midfield four and the defensive line were so compact any pass into Emile Smith Rowe would’ve been eye of the needle levels of precision.

The 20-year-old found some joy linking with Saka in the right channels, and while his movement was good all evening, he was marked out of the game by an organised Eagles outfit. Cheikhou Kouyate had Alexandre Lacazette in his pocket all evening, and when the chance arose to break out from the back, Eberechi Eze showed why he’s so highly-thought of across the division.

Not enough from Arsenal. More than enough from Palace.