Arsenal advanced to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace at the Emirates. Here’s how the players fared:
David Raya – 6
Beaten twice but wasn’t heavily tested beyond those moments. A steady, if unremarkable, display.
Thomas Partey – 5.5
Struggled to make an impact as a right-back, offering little going forward. This position does not seem to suit him, especially against decent opponents.
Jurrien Timber – 7.0
Looked far more comfortable when moved to right-back in the second half. A solid and adaptable performance.
Jakub Kiwior – 5.0
A tough outing for Kiwior, who struggled against Mateta. His role in Palace’s opening goal underlines the defensive lapses that remain in his game.
Kieran Tierney – 7.0
An unexpected inclusion in the lineup, Tierney impressed with his energetic display. He could have added an assist to his name with better finishing from his teammates.
Ethan Nwaneri – 6.0
Showed glimpses of promise but appeared out of his depth in this game. Martin Odegaard’s introduction in his place turned the match around.
Jorginho – 7.0
The experienced midfielder kept things ticking in midfield with calm distribution and control. A composed performance.
Mikel Merino – 5.5
Struggled to impose himself but improved once Odegaard entered the fray. Still needs to prove why Mikel Arteta brought him in.
Raheem Sterling – 6.5
A lively performance, causing Palace problems throughout. However, he’ll be kicking himself for not converting Tierney’s perfect cross.
Gabriel Jesus – 9.5
Possibly silenced some critics with a stunning hat-trick. His movement, finishing, and work rate were outstanding. A match-winning display.
Leandro Trossard – 7.0
Always looked dangerous and justified his starting spot with an energetic and creative performance.
Substitutes
Martin Odegaard – 8.0
Changed the game with his creativity and vision. His pinpoint pass for Jesus’ equaliser was a thing of beauty. Only Jesus’ hat-trick kept him from being Man of the Match.
William Saliba – 7.0
Brought much-needed composure to the backline, allowing Arsenal to dominate the latter stages.
Myles Lewis-Skelly – 6.0
A confident cameo from the youngster, continuing to show maturity beyond his years.
Bukayo Saka – 7.0
Made an immediate impact by assisting one of Jesus’ goals. Proved once again why he’s Arsenal’s most dangerous player.
Gabriel Magalhães – N/A
Had too little time on the pitch to make a meaningful impact.
Hot take,
Ramsdale would have faced both goals.
It’s just too easy to beat Raya
Saved*
hot take, have you watch not watched the Southampton Tottenham highlights?
Great hat trick from Jesus but VAR would have chalked one of his goals off for offside if it had been used in this game. Hopefully his confidence is back now that he’s needed more for the run in to the seasons end with Havertz having a quiet spell.
Didn’t think nwaneri looked out of his depth at all? From what I saw he was one of our better players in the first half. Showed brilliant skill at times. Jorginho was also excellent in this game, as he has been every time I’ve seen him this season.
I missed chunks of the game, especially in the first half, and didn’t see much from Tierney, but the consensus seems to be he had a very good game – that’s great to hear, I hope he can build on that. I do think arteta will give him chances, so long as he can stay fit.
Jesus’ goals were brilliant (against a fairly strong set of defenders) – long time coming, but hopefully that will give him confidence to carry forward.