Mikel Arteta said that Arsenal’s “unacceptable” performance in a 3-0 loss at Crystal Palace was terrible for their chances of getting into the top four of the Premier League. Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jordan Ayew scored first-half goals for Arteta’s team at Selhurst Park on Monday, and they were wiped out.
There was a lot of pressure on Arsenal after Tottenham’s 5-1 win over Newcastle on Sunday. The Gunners’ response could not have been any less impressive. When Wilfried Zaha scored a late penalty, Arsenal lost for the second time in three league games. They couldn’t come back after the break.
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The fight to get into next season’s Champions League through a top-four finish is heating, and Arsenal is on the verge of letting its guard down.
Because they have played a game less than their rivals in the north London area, they are in fifth place.
They will also be optimistic about their chances now that the top four race is wide open. West Ham and Manchester United are both three points behind Arsenal.
“We made it impossible for ourselves to win because of how we fought. You have to be strong and run before you can play. We were all over the place on the ball, and that is not OK, “Arteta said, and I agreed with her.
“During the first half, we didn’t have a lot. I’m sorry to our fans. We didn’t have the strength or the poise to be in charge of the situation. That’s what I’m most angry about.”
It was even more painful for Arsenal fans because Patrick Vieira, the manager of Crystal Palace, is a Gunners legend because he won a lot of trophies as a player for the club.
How they could have done better with the kind of hard work that Vieira was known for in the middle of the field during Arsenal’s glory days.
Vieira easily beat Arteta, the manager of the month in the Premier League for March, who led his team to a top-four finish.
Those Champions League dreams don’t seem so real now.
“Put your hands up and get the flak you deserve. Accept it, look in the mirror, and look forward to the next game. In this case, it didn’t go well enough “Arteta said that, and I agree with her.
Arsenal is in a mess.
Ben White should not have fouled Zaha in the 16th minute, but he did. Palace went on to win the game.
When Conor Gallagher took a free-kick, he sent it toward the far post. Joachim Andersen headed it back across for Mateta to head home from six yards for his sixth goal this season.
If that was a bad goal for Arteta to give up, he had even more bad news eight minutes later.
Aaron Ayew scored a goal with a well-timed finish from the edge of the area after Andersen’s long pass was intercepted by Gabriel. As Ayew evaded a napping Nuno Tavares, Gabriel missed the ball and scored.
Arteta was shocked when Ghana forward scored his second goal this season.
There was no Scotland left-back Kieran Tierney because of a knee injury, so the Arsenal defence was in chaos. Zaha ran through to set up Mateta, but Aaron Ramsdale was able to save it at full stretch.
After the break, Arsenal needed to come back quickly. Bukayo Saka’s penalty appeal was turned down after he was bundled over by Cheikhou Kouyate, but the referee didn’t give him a free-kick.
Arsenal had more urgency in the second half, but they still didn’t have enough of a cutting edge to win the game.
Emile Smith Rowe shot straight at Vicente Guaita with the goal in his own hands. Martin Odegaard then missed the target from Saka’s cross, making the score even worse for the team.
Zaha’s run in the 74th minute caused Odegaard to give away a penalty because he hit the forward’s ankle. Punished Arsenal for their indifference at this point in the game.
