Jean-Philippe Mateta, Jordan Ayew and a penalty in the second half of Wilfried Zaha secured Patrick Vieira a major blow to his former team. Tottenham remain in the top four for now and it would also be May 12, the date of three games from the end of the season, when Antonio Conte’s team will now host a renewed north London derby, as a potentially decisive point. in the fight. Mateta’s first game came with an element of luck, but it was as much as Palace deserved for the kind of glamorous, fast-paced start usually associated with their opponents. When Conor Gallagher had a great free kick on the left, Joachim Andersen had a great chance to put his team up by another goal. It hit him in the back of the head and, while he no doubt intended to buy, he could hardly have expected it to fit into the six-yard box and fit perfectly into Mateta’s path. The center forward could not fail and Aaron Ramsdale, back after a short absence due to injury, had no hope of stopping his head within breathing distance. It was exactly the beginning that Arsenal did not want. Palace had kept Manchester City a short distance from here three weeks ago, on their most recent Premier League appearance, while still holding something like a fist. they started as if encouraged by this fact, they never let Arsenal settle down and set the tone within two minutes, when Gallagher was not far from removing Ramsdale. Overall so composed in the backcourt this season, Arsenal were nervous. Without pressure, Ramsdale and Ben White both aimed long side passes to Vicente Guaita. Palace had been disappointed by the news before the match that Michael Olise, who injured his leg with France under 21, would be missing. Wilfried Zaha had recovered from his own blow at the international break, however, and was behind many of their first left-wing raids. When the second goal came, it was through the striker who had started from the opposite side. Jordan Ayew doubles the lead of Crystal Palace with a good finish over Aaron Ramsdale. Photo: Andrew Boyers / Action Images / Reuters Arsenal’s amazing paleness was even more apparent when Alexandre Lacazette missed a 50/50 challenge very easily and, when the ball went back to Andersen, it would have been worse. A straight 40-yard pass from the middle of the road performed wonderfully, but Gabriel Magalhães, slipping, made a complete fragmented stop. Leave Ayew in the net. he confidently beat Ramsdale on his right and Palace, who just looked hungrier, had a level of reward they might not have imagined. Maybe Gabriel had been detached from Nuno Tavares, who might have been in a better position to cut Andersen’s delivery, but he hesitated. Tavares was playing because Kieran Tierney had fallen down with a knee injury. This was a blow to Arsenal, but their level could not be attributed to the absence of a first-choice left-back. At halftime all of their attacking efforts were a harmless header from Lacazette and it was not difficult to record the agitation on Arteta’s face as he talked to his assistant, Albert Stevenberg. A series of exhausted fouls could not hide their lack of aggression. Zaha set up Matetas for a shot that was blocked by Ramsdale and the Palace, which operated with wild speed, fully deserved the lead of both goals. It was no surprise to see Arteta recommend Gabriel Martinelli, who could at least be sure he would run, for the unfortunate Tavares. Granit Xaka fell behind the Brazilian, who took the left wing in what was now essentially a four-man front line. The other three, including Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, did not have a smell yet. Saka fell under the challenge of Cheikhou Kouyaté in the 50th minute, but the penalty was never taken. There was less doubt when Thomas Partey made his last clumsy tackle on a raider Jeffrey Schlupp just outside the box, but Ramsdale equalized for Andersen. So far, a strange shot by Saka was Arsenal’s only shine. When they achieved something important, Smith Rowe was able to step on the side of Guaita only after Lakazat had shown some persistence late. Eddie Nketiah replaces Cedric Soares in a move towards full attack for the final stages. Martin Ødegaard should have reduced the deficit quickly, but he pulled it off and for Arteta there were, at least, now signs of life. The Fiver: sign up and receive our daily football email. They went out when Ødegaard, when Zaha entered the box, took out his extreme legs. Zaha beat Ramsdale on the spot and there was no complaint from Arsenal about the award or, more specifically, the outcome of the match.
