Crystal Palace Thwart Arsenal Victory, Pushing Liverpool to the Verge of Clinching Title
Arsenal managed to keep Liverpool's Premier League title-winning champagne on ice, albeit narrowly, as they were twice equalized against Crystal Palace at home in a 2-2 draw on Wednesday. Jean-Philippe Mateta netted a brilliant equalizer, ensuring...
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Arsenal managed to keep Liverpool's Premier League title-winning champagne on ice, albeit narrowly, as they were twice equalized against Crystal Palace at home in a 2-2 draw on Wednesday. Jean-Philippe Mateta netted a brilliant equalizer, ensuring a tense finish.
First-half goals from Jakub Kiwior and Leandro Trossard appeared to secure victory for an underwhelming Arsenal against a spirited Palace side, who leveled the match with an Eberechi Eze volley.
However, a dramatic turn took place late in the game when Palace substitute Mateta executed an audacious chip over Arsenal keeper David Raya to score.
The draw left Arsenal in second place with 67 points and four matches left, meaning they can only match Liverpool's 79 points, while Liverpool still have five games remaining.
If Arsenal had lost, Liverpool would have clinched the title on Wednesday, but they now have the chance to secure it with just one point needed against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Sunday.
"When I started on the bench I could see he was very high up the pitch," reflected Mateta, who earned the man-of-the-match title from Sky Sports despite coming off the bench in the 80th minute. "So I knew if I won the ball I could try, so I did and scored. It is one of the best goals of my career. I thought it hit the crossbar but thankfully it was in!"
Both Arsenal and Palace are facing major cup semifinal matches soon, with Arsenal preparing for a UEFA Champions League showdown at home against Paris Saint-Germain next Tuesday, and Palace set to face Aston Villa at Wembley in the FA Cup this Saturday.
Twelfth-placed Palace could have been forgiven for being distracted by their high-stakes upcoming game. Instead, it was Arsenal that fell short, recording their 13th league draw this season and the fifth in just eight matches—a trend that has allowed Liverpool to come close to mathematically securing a record-equaling 20th English title.
"We are disappointed with the result and performance," noted Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta. "We didn't find enough consistency in actions to dominate the game. It's part of football and cost us two points. In many aspects of the game we should have done better today. We have the most important game of the season in six days. We need to get our energy back."
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
First-half goals from Jakub Kiwior and Leandro Trossard appeared to secure victory for an underwhelming Arsenal against a spirited Palace side, who leveled the match with an Eberechi Eze volley.
However, a dramatic turn took place late in the game when Palace substitute Mateta executed an audacious chip over Arsenal keeper David Raya to score.
The draw left Arsenal in second place with 67 points and four matches left, meaning they can only match Liverpool's 79 points, while Liverpool still have five games remaining.
If Arsenal had lost, Liverpool would have clinched the title on Wednesday, but they now have the chance to secure it with just one point needed against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Sunday.
"When I started on the bench I could see he was very high up the pitch," reflected Mateta, who earned the man-of-the-match title from Sky Sports despite coming off the bench in the 80th minute. "So I knew if I won the ball I could try, so I did and scored. It is one of the best goals of my career. I thought it hit the crossbar but thankfully it was in!"
Both Arsenal and Palace are facing major cup semifinal matches soon, with Arsenal preparing for a UEFA Champions League showdown at home against Paris Saint-Germain next Tuesday, and Palace set to face Aston Villa at Wembley in the FA Cup this Saturday.
Twelfth-placed Palace could have been forgiven for being distracted by their high-stakes upcoming game. Instead, it was Arsenal that fell short, recording their 13th league draw this season and the fifth in just eight matches—a trend that has allowed Liverpool to come close to mathematically securing a record-equaling 20th English title.
"We are disappointed with the result and performance," noted Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta. "We didn't find enough consistency in actions to dominate the game. It's part of football and cost us two points. In many aspects of the game we should have done better today. We have the most important game of the season in six days. We need to get our energy back."
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
