Crystal Palace held Arsenal to a 2–2 draw this evening, a result that was just enough to prevent Liverpool from celebrating the Premier League title win.
Although Arsenal were basically out of the title race before kick-off, they remained determined not to assist Liverpool in any way.
This meant they needed to get a result from the match, and most of their players were expected to perform at a high level and push for a win.
Palace, with an FA Cup semi-final on the horizon, would have drawn significant confidence from a win at the Emirates.
The Gunners began brightly and had the ball in the net within three minutes, courtesy of Jakub Kiwior.
As expected, Arsenal dominated possession early on, while Palace looked to hit on the counter.
However, the visitors struck back against the run of play through Eberechi Eze, demonstrating that they too possess real quality.
Arsenal returned to controlling the game following Palace’s equaliser and managed to regain the lead before half-time.
At 2–1, Palace believed an equaliser was possible and remained resolute at the back before introducing Jean-Philippe Mateta, who netted the leveller after a costly error from William Saliba.
Palace had already begun to grow in confidence before their second goal and continued to pose a threat, but neither side was able to find a winner
Bit disappointing, that’s the 9th time we have drawn a game after being in the lead this season.
Delaying title celebrations isn’t what it’s been about for quite a while.
It’s been a case of ensuring CL qualification and trying to stay 2nd.
With the last 4 games being Bournemouth, Liverpool, Newcastle before finally playing a Southampton side who will have nothing to lose – and might still be trying to avoid being the joint-worst PL team ever on 11 points… that just got harder.
And with £3.5m for each PL place, it’s good to finish as high as possible if you want to be busy in the summer market.
Just a clownshow from Saliba there. But why on Earth was David Raya that far outside of his own goal? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. 13 draws this year. Not championship caliber.
David Raya positioning has cost us to lose some points this season. His positioning was the reason for Saliba and Skelly sending off, which cost us dropping points
We were in possession and he can’t possibly be in front of goal to receive a pass. He had to stay wide to be safe from errors.
2nd place not a given at this point. Foot off the gas FC, now we gonna suffer high pressure games in both PL and UCL.
Not a given at all. I fear it’s already given away looking at the easy fixtures of top 4 rivals.
Not exactly buzzing after that. Palace were better side on the night 😟
I think 2nd is worth playing for. I would rather be Prem runners up than 3rd 4th or 5th. The problem is, City, Forest and Newcastle have so very easy run of fixtures to finish the season – after awful recent slip ups against Brentford, Everton, Crystal Palace and Man Utd, the damage may already have been done to Arsenals runner up chances. Man City’s easy fixtures get them to 72 points, forest get to 71, and Newcastle to 70 meaning finishing ahead of us if get another win at the emirates this season. For second Arsenal need to be beat both Bournemouth and Southampton, 73 points, avoid defeat to Newcastle, 74 points. Dropping so many points recently against teams other clubs are thrashing, has set up a very low finish for Arsenal, perhaps even 5th is on the cards.
So Liverpool go 15 points clear of us if they win on Sunday
Real Madrid 4 points behind Barcelona with the two due to play
Yet the Prem title race has been more competitive ?
Oh look, Real and Barca occupying the top two positions in La Liga yet again! That never happens!
Mote completive then our title race in England
No it’s actually still more boring. Same situation every season in Spain, nothing new at all!
At least we have a team winning only their second title in over 30 years, and so many teams fighting for the CL spots.
A 2 horse race is more exciting then a 1 horse race ?
Firstly, I am talking about the whole league, not one facet.
Secondly, it may be a 2 horse race, but when it’s the same two horses. decade, after decade, after decade, it’s still boring.
It must be so amazing and exciting for Liverpool fans winning, whereas it won’t be as exciting for Real and Barca fans because they win it all the time, and they’ll be the only two teams competing for it for all of eternity in Spain.
Nope
According to Dan, La Liga is more competitive. I’ve written reams and reams on the subject, fact checking how many times Barcelona and Real have won or been second but I think he likes to play little games.
His original post made no mention of the match last night, but drew you in as he previously did to me. You’ve got to hand it to him 😊
I think Dan must be trolling, because if you know your football, you know La Liga is not competitive in the slightest.
I have noticed that some on here just fancy an argument I think, because I cannot think of any other logical reason as to why they say certain things. Next, he’ll be telling us how competitive the Bundesliga is!
That’s why I didn’t mention the whole league but the title race
If you know football you will know that in 8 years Liverpool would have won 2 titles , Man City 6
The majority one sided
Whereas in La Liga it can be Real or Barcelona, even A Madrid one a league during that time
In La Liga you don’t get a team winning 6 out of 7 titles
Not an opinion just factual
There has been zero title race in England this season compared to La Liga
I have clearly debunked you if scroll down, using a larger data set than 8 years.
As you will be able to see, it’s not even up for debate. EPL is far more competitive than La Liga.
Not my opinion, I am just relaying facts.
🤙 Spot on Lucy.
I don’t think the question “which league is more competitive” has an objective answer (neither case is like France with PSG over the past decade) – a better question is “which league has the better teams”. For all any/most of us know, the Maltese league is far more “competitive” than either the English or Spanish leagues (for example if their top five teams were consistently extremely close together), but there’s no doubt the overall quality of the teams is far lower, so what does it really matter? Imo it’s close but the English League does have tougher sides than Spain overall, so you could say it’s harder to be consistent and stand out as the top side in England, but it’s not clear cut. There are plenty of very, very good sides in Spain below the top 2 (and I watch far less of la liga so maybe I’m wrong).
No mate
Two teams 4 points is part is more competitive then two teams 12 points apart
Then you had A Madrid challenging most of season whereas we had zero title challenge
A team winning 6 out of 7 titles is not as competitive as it shared out between 2
It’s factual
This is simply you wanting to decide the parameters for determining competitiveness.
I agree with Davi, there is no single definition and it depends on the parameters one chooses to use. You have chosen to use those that suit your own particular views. In terms of winning the title the PL has not been competitive this season. However, that is just one way to assess a league competitiveness.
@Davi
You make a really good point!
The data says that the EPL is clearly far more competitive, with Spanish clubs having won far more European titles.
This could mean Spanish clubs are better from a technical perspective, although one has to factor in how much tougher the EPL is, and with an additional domestic cup (League Cup) as well, which would have some sort of impact on European success.
You also have to factor in how much money those Spanish clubs get for being in the CL every single year. About £80-90m.
That’s money that can actually be spent on their teams under FFP regs. Makes a big difference over time.
Dan, you will have same results debating with a tree just as you have been trying unsuccessfully to point out the obvious to the usual Arteta fans.
What a coincidence the point you are making is always challenged by the same pro Arteta at any cost brigade.
It’s not like for years it was only Arsenal and Man utd race, then it became Chelsea and Man utd race and lastly Man City A and Man City B race with Liverpool here and there.
But hey what’s the use of truth if we can just make up our own reality?
Clearly you agree with Dan.
Please explain how La Liga is competitive then? I am intrigued.
Because in their title race as things stand two teams can win it , at Jan Feb it was 3 horse race
In England title been over
If Liverpool win on Sunday they are 15 points clear
How is that competitive ?
This wasn’t the original argument was it Dan?
I said la liga is a 2 horse race and nothing to do with this season or just a few seasons. Over the course of history of both leagues, it’s been a two horse race in Spain. Don’t tell me it’s not as I gave you all the statistics. Hardly any other teams have had a look in whereas others have in England
Just as Celtic and Rangers have historically been – until Rangers had to start again a few years back
It’s not much of a competition if realistically only 2 teams win.
It’s a known fact in Spain that even if you support your local club you will also support one of the big 2
You mean like in the Prem with City 7 times and Liverpool twice ?
Dan moving the goalposts mid-discussion? That never happened before 🤣
People have started to notice all that wriggling and squirming – it’s just gumming up the pages, wasting space.
He even tries to make the recent City success compare to Rangers/Celtic – repeatedly ignoring the fact that people are talking about all-time, not only what’s happened in recent years.
Because mate its carrying on a debate from other day that Real Madrid are cemmentery of talents and dreams can’t come true there
So when I pointed out that the likes of Bellingham have been more successful then say a Saka I was told La Liga is easy to win as it’s not competitive
Hence why I pointed out the Prem this season has not been competitive
@Dan
Let’s take opinion out of this, and talk about facts. As you can clearly see below, the EPL is FAR more competitive than La Liga. In fact, it’s not even close!
24 different EPL winners in it’s entire history.
9 different La Liga winners in it’s entire history.
6 different EPL winners in last 25 years, with both Manchester clubs sharing 16 of them.
5 different La Liga winners in last 25 years, with Barca and Real sharing 20 of them.
SueP and Lucy78, you are both posting to a brick wall when discussing this topic about one or two league teams. You both know that La Liga is, and always has been, ruled by Real Madrid and Barcelona, with AM very occasionally winning it.
This, of course, is largely true regarding La Liga. Over the course of the history of La Liga other teams have occasionally popped up, but the majority of titles have gone to either RM or Barcelona. Dan, is however using some cunning debating tricks here. Since they were no set ground rules or definitions the basic question (i.e. is La Liga or the PL more competitive?) is rather ambiguous. So he can claim that La liga is more competitive because Liverpool are running away with the PL this season (whilst there is still a title race in Spain) or that the PL is less competitive because MC have won the most titles in the last few years.
These arguments are crafted to make certain negative points and also to catch people out.
No peeps
The comparison used is under Arteta
This follows on from other day where it was implied only reason Real Madrid players win things and Arsenal don’t is la liga less competitive
If you look since Arteta arrived that’s simply not true hence this season
And since Arteta mate is it not normally Man City who win occasionally Liverpool lol ?
How’s that any different to La Liga
David
You have put it very well
That is why I posted to Lucy that Dan is playing games or as you have put it, using cunning debating tactics
He knows that La Liga is ruled by 2 teams, and I know that in the short term it’s been close between 3 teams with Arsenal in 3rd with 2 second places.
That’s not to deny that frequently (and recently)the league has been won by only a handful of clubs, over the last 50 years many more English clubs have either won or come second compared to Spanish teams
No Sue that’s simply made up
Last season maybe is the only time since Arteta has arrived at Arsenal where it was a 3 horse race
Fact remains in last 7 years anyone from Real , Barca can win while A Madrid challenge
In England it’s mostly been Man City
Don’t get how anyone can look at England title race to Spain this season and not see that what has been more competitive
I agree with you on this tiny data set of only looking at this season, and only looking at one aspect of the league.
But one could easily make anything look bad or good using tiny data sets.
I am just pointing out, that throughout the entire history of these two leagues, it’s not even close.
@Dan
Where did I say La Liga is competitive? I agree with him that the EPL is not the most competitive league in the world.
We have Man City winning it 6 times in 7 seasons and 4 times in a row where is the competition there?
Show me where?
You want to find competition find a the league that have a different champion every season.
For example no one can predict who will win serie A recently because they have a new champion every season. And it’s so competitive that a defending champion losing out on top 4 is a norm.
A tree !
😆
I will take a tree than a purposefully, willfully and agenda ridden ignorance.
You would get more sense out of a 🌲 TBF
Dan am getting the feeling neither you believe this nonsense on LA lega competitiveness
Th e result and performance don’t mean a lot now. The seasons in the prem is over bar the placing. The match was a hard watch but understandable. The big worry is the continuous bad form of Odergaard, the errors creaping into Salibas game and Rayas Positioning. Who is telling Raya to play like a sweeper? The game was another games in the prem, we have took the lead and failed to win. 9 times and I believe 18 points dropped from winning positions. Lets hope (and it hasn’t so far) it doesn’t affect our CL form. For a top team, we are very naive at times. CL our hope now.
I think Saliba’s head has been turned. He looks checked out mentally and thinking of Madrid
Well they won’t fancy him on tonight’s cock up then
Or the gift against them. Or the ones earlier in the season.
Yes hopefully that puts them off a little, and helps us with his contract talks during the summer.
I hope, he stops doing it, more to the point.
I know, and we all thought Kiwior was going to be the weak link.
Emcc,
I think your wrong on Saliba’s head being turned. Because if it was turned he would have seen the Madrid player coming.😂🤣👍😉
🤣🤣🤣
On point 👌@Grandad
Sorry 20 points dropped from winning positions this season.
A very disappointing, unprofessional performance.Raya had a nightmare and sloppy mistakes have become a feature of Saliba’s game recently.Let’s hope our players can fully recharge their batteries for the PSG confrontation next week.Virtually every Arsenal player was below par this evening but I was impressed with Sarr and Mateta who both caused us problems when they were introduced.They have been excellent for Palace this season and have the pace,physicality and running power which we lack up front.
Raya was off ordering fish and chips on the goal. Ugly stuff
On point 👌@Grandad
I’m torn tbh
The league was over a while ago
The CL is still live
A silly yellow card – the only one I think – by Rice was the only blot on what wasn’t ever likely to be a ripper of a game, so it shows how much the players on both sides were not as committed as usual. It’s not a match that should have nearly slipped through our fingers, but I’m hoping our normally strong defence reverses its dodgy play tonight to play a blinder on Tuesday
Perhaps we were trying to lull PSG into a false sense of security.
Palace were playing their hearts out playing for everything, we were playing like we didn’t care, sloppy, uninterested, giving the ball away in every dangerous situation, it was just unacceptable and we should be refunded for that performance.
It is hard to bounce back against top notch competition after a performance like this.
I hope this does not carry over to the PSG game.
I am sure players will get up for it mentally but the
errors sometimes can still be there and take a while to raise the level. I would have rather seen a full squad put Palace away with a 50-60 minute great performance and then rest the key players.
BTW Odegaard is getting on my nerves. He needs to touch the ball 4 times before he makes the same pass he would have made first time. He shuld watch prive Ozil videos.
I know we have got a really big game ahead, but this felt like our season is fizzling out.
Has been for a while mate
It’s win CL or a poor season
Rightly or wrongly, that’s exactly how it feels.
Win the CL and it is ground breaking and a great achievement and season. Don’t win it and it is close to being a disaster. Our league has never got going, our domestic cup form remains embarrassing and the CL means not a lot, unless we actually win the thing. Which we should have under Wenger but failed.
Am just not a big fan putting out a strong team with your best players playing a game that had absolutely nothing riding on it,
It makes absolutely no sense.
For one it should be more difficult to motivate players with one eyes on the big one.
The team looks toothless and like they were out of ideas.
A young team would be brave and more energized and ready to go.
No doubt it has taken some of the shine off the ball.
I don’t like the fact that both our wingers are instructed to constantly stay wide and hug the touchline. You can not score when you are always putside the box with at least two markers on you immediately you receive the ball. Saka needs to start playing as an inside-foward marauding the box, otherwise scoring goals will forever remain a problem.
Ironically that’s what PSG don’t like to play against, these wide attacking players that uses the entire pitch.
They have very able wide attacking players themselves, but get uncomfortable when team gives them a dose of their own medicine.
I hope you are right @Gunsmoke coz our wingers have been looking so neutralized of late. With Saliba now experiencing regular brainfarts, we must hope to outscore PSG 4-2, then draw 2-2 in away.
I was only half listening to the radio afterwards but did Arteta mention Merino and White regarding concerns over fitness for next Tuesday? That’s a worry if they’re in doubt
SueP, there’s a story doing the rounds that Ben missed the game due to his wife Milly giving birth.
Herr Drier,
If she was giving birth, how inconsiderate of her.🤣😂👍😉
It was insult to Neto not to play in this dead rubber game. I commented before the game he should play. Raya howler was the outcome. Maybe 20 points gap with Liverpool at last will be historic shame leaving unforgettable scar. Whatever is peoples’ argument Arsenal ought to finish 2nd but it has now become too precarious. Between 2nd and 3rd positions there is much financial reward nearly 4m pounds. In the remaining 4 fixtures 2 are tougher to even get a point with Newcastle and Liverpool. Maybe the rest 2 with Southampton and Bournemouth are winnables. I’m too disappointed with the result against a team that rested key players for their decisive Saturday FA Cup ties. I rather expected a continuation of the Ipswich episode. Concentration!
Did you not watch the game?
It was a Saliba howler, not Raya.
They were both culpable.Raya was completely out of position.
Might wanna go rewatch the highlights cause you definitely did t see the game either .
Raya was totally day dreaming and out of town.
I think all of you haven’t been watching Arsenal for a while!
Raya is instructed by Arteta to be well off his line, especially in position of the ball. Maybe he was a little too far, given the proximity of his CB’s, but how could he expect Saliba under no real pressure to pass it straight to a Palace player?
So Saliba, Raya and Arteta are all culpable to varying degrees, but it all stems from a shocking error from Saliba.
I’m not surely what Raya is trying to do ub the last two games
Is he starting to believe he’s a PL ball player?
His ridiculous positioning, calling for the ball and then passing it back to the player he got it from was utterly pointless and the goal HE conceded was there for Palace all evening!!
Saliba was at fault, but if Raya wasn’t clowning about, thinking he was the next Ozil, he wouldn’t have been lobbed so easily.
Get a grip man – your our goalkeeper not our assist king!!
Still a top keeper, but cut out the theatrics!!
Ken
Thank you my friend! How many times is Raya going to get caught out or punished for his poor positioning?
Not sure if he is following Arteta’s instructions, or if he believes he is faster and better than he really is. When he joined Arsenal he was punished numerous times being out of position; beaten near post, beaten on set pieces, lobbed when being too far away from goal.
He needs to be challenged for that spot; it seems he repeats mistakes and the defense has bailed him out numerous times for being out of position.
👍👍
Far to many draws this season. How many times have they given away leads. I think someone mentioned 9.
That being the case we don’t deserve the League, plain and simple.
As for the Saliba and Raya show, well although it cost us a goal v Madrid it didn’t cost us the game. Unfortunately last night it cost us 2 points.
I blame Saliba and Raya in equal measure on there recent mistakes. The Madrid one Raya could see the bigger picture but still threw Saliba the ball, and although Saliba should have been more aware of what was around him, Raya certainly didn’t help him any.
As for last nights comedy sketch, what Raya was doing so far to his right is anyone’s guess. And Saliba giving it away cheaply didn’t help any either.
With me there’s two schools of thought regarding Raya’s positioning when it comes to playing out from the back. How he can go so far to the left of his goal when passing out is beyond me. He’s a lob waiting to happen, and that’s been the case for most of the season.
My first thought, is Raya being told to persist in this by Arteta, or my second thought, is he just plain stupid and can’t work out that moving to the left so far is at risk of causing us a problem.
Just a thought with 4 games to go, City are just 6 points behind us now. While I understand that the Champions League is the first priority, they can’t afford to take there eyes off that second spot.
I’m not sure if teams finishing below the top two will have to still play qualifiers to play in the group stages of the Champions League, as has been the case in the recent past.
Is there anyone out there who could confirm
this one way or another.😉👍
9 draws from taking the lead, 20 points dropped (at least) and I believe twice losing the the lead, teice during the same game.
Not tiece, twice.
Fans and armchair managers alike keep saying Raya is to be blame, not at all.
It seems we haven’t properly understood Arteta ball.
You will never see the gaffer crucified Raya for that as a mistake, it’s something similar you will see happen in a Man City game if the defender should crock up,
The keeper is expected be a part of the passing game and not a passenger.
There’s too many “so called fans” on here that barely watch Arsenal, or understand Arteta’s tactics.
Couldn’t agree more with what you said.
Ok boomer .
Maybe miss top manager could give us her coaching skills to us mortals .
I’ve got feeling Thirdman as become 5th man
So enlighten me Lucy78 – I attend and / or watch as many Arsenal games as I possibly can and cannot fathom out why Raya has been told to go 20 / 30 yards out of his goal, call for the ball and then pass it straight back to the player who gave it to him?
Palace just waited for the opportunity to lob Raya and the rest is history!!
Have you ever seen another goalkeeper playing in such outrageous positions?
I believe I know what MA’s playing style is and part of it is possession of the ball at all times…. but the nonsense I saw with my own eyes (as I sit at the clock end and watched the fiasco unfold) is most definitely not part of his tactics!!
If they were, he should be sacked immediately for allowing such incompetence!!
Gunsmoke,
Arteta may want Raya to to be involved with the passing game.
But don’t tell me that Raya wasn’t at fault for the goal as well as Saliba.
His first job is to keep the ball out of our goal, the fact he can pass the ball is an added bonus.
But it all comes down to positioning, and he needs to be better at anticipating a possible error by the back line. Which means standing in the middle of the goal, and not to the left or right of it as he constantly does.
He’s a lob waiting to happen and has been all season. And last night he got his just deserts.
Whoever it is that’s telling him to do that whether it’s Arteta or Raya doing it himself, it’s ridiculous to keep repeating the same mistake time and again. The fact he’s not been caught out more this season, is more by luck than judgement.
A goalkeepers first job is to save the ball, something he can’t do if he goes walkabout.🙄🤦♂️🤷♂️
There was no need for Raya to be where he was when we were so close to our own 18 yard box. Raya wasn’t at fault for the mistake but he was for his position.
Reggie,
Absolutely agree. 👍👍👍👍👍👏
Well that sums it up perfectly
Raya’s aggressive positioning is by no means unusual when we are in possession of the ball. Yet certain people on this site are now suddenly up in arms.
There is always a risk that opponents will take advantage of errors in such situations given the way we play. Most of the time the team is able to play out of the press which is why it is only occasionally an issue over the course of a season.
David, I don’t know if you attended the game, watched it on TV or just saw the highlights, but I can only assume it’s the latter.
Raya’s positioning wasn’t “aggressive” it was unnecessary and completely unnecessary as he didn’t gain any ground, but kept passing it back to the defender he received it from!!
That’s not being aggressive, it’s just mind numbing, pointless keep the ball attitude that created zilch except, of course, a goal for Palace.
He was up near the halfway line at times, still sideways passing for no reason whatsoever.
I’ve watched him going out of his area all season, but the Palace game was a complete and utter joke – MA should have called Odegaard over and told him to cut it out… it was an accident waiting to happen and it did!!
I’m up in arms, because it was so unnecessary, stupid, amateurish, avoidable and lost us two valuable points.
Ken1945,
I’m afraid where David is concerned, he seems to try to defend anything that is negative said against either Arsenal or Arteta.
While it’s okay to be positive, to be positive for positives sake is just plain daft.
If something needs to be called out, example: Raya’s bad positioning, you can bet your bottom dollar, that David will be on here putting his positive spin on it.
It happens countless times.