ARSENAL 1-1 CRYSTAL PALACE: An own-goal from Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi’s late strike forced penalties at the Emirates as the Gunners set up a tie with Chelsea
Arsenal booked their place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals against Chelsea after a dramatic penalty shootout win over Crystal Palace at the Emirates. The Gunners were perfect from the spot as Maxence Lacroix missed Palace’s eighth penalty.
Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli were unable to capitalise on early opportunities as Arsenal dominated possession but struggled to find a way through. The Brazilian winger proved a menace for Palace’s left flank with persistent mazy dribbling as the Gunners could only knock on the door in the opening half.
The Eagles found their footing in the second period and went close through Adam Wharton’s shot from outside the box. Oliver Glasner’s message at the break certainly seemed to have an impact.
Arsenal were forced to call on Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka in their search for a goal. But it wasn’t the slick quality of the north London side that broke through, but confusion from a set-piece.
Saka’s 80th-minute corner bounced around the six-yard area before slotting in via Eagles ace Maxence Lacroix. That should have been that but Marc Guehi had other ideas.
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The England defender slotted in from close range after 95 minutes to force the tie to penalties. And a shootout masterclass followed before Kepa Arrizabalaga’s save sealed a nightmare night for Lacroix.
Mirror Football takes a look at the talking points to arise from the match
Arsenal’s depth still needs to prove itself
Mikel Arteta made eight changes to his Arsenal XI and still fielded a side you would believe should be near the top of the Premier League. Kepa Arrizabalaga returned for his cup role but must have felt like he was having a night off, such was the lack of pressure Palace put on.
Myles Lewis-Skelly, Mikel Merino, Eberechi Eze, Christian Norgaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Jesus all took to the field as Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice lined up on the bench.
In contrast, Palace made few changes, but Daniel Munoz’s injury meant they did have a makeshift right side. Central defender Jaydee Canvot and forward Eddie Nketiah required coaching through the game from Oliver Glasner before they were hooked at halftime.
Arsenal were still required to call on their superstars and pushed to penalties; however, work remains to be done.
Versatility useful
Piero Hincapie joined Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhaes on the sidelines on Tuesday night, and Mikel Arteta will be relieved that Arsenal have a preference for versatile full-backs. On this occasion, Riccardo Calafiori slotted in alongside William Saliba, with Jurrien Timber able to stay out wide.
In truth, it was fairly comfortable for the Italian, with Jean Philippe Mateta left isolated for much of the game. Calafiori was still happy to head up the pitch to provide new angles of attack as the Gunners searched for a goal.
Gabriel Jesus returns
Making his first start since getting injured 11 months ago, Gabriel Jesus returned to make his 100th Arsenal appearance. The ex-Manchester City ace would have been licking his lips after scoring a hat-trick against Palace in the exact fixture a year ago.
“You can see now, not only in games, every day in training, how much he wants it,” said Arteta in his press conference. “He’s going to deserve a chance soon.”
“I think that’s probably the biggest quality of Gabi, bringing people together, connecting with people and generating a lot of uncertainty in the opponent,” Arteta added. “When you see him today, the amount of spaces that he was involved in, that’s his biggest quality. So we need to exploit that.”
Martinelli benefitted from those skills, with Viktor Gyokeres on the bench. Jesus did offer something different, but did not deliver a clinical masterclass that may have cemented his spot.
An 85-minute outing, though. Good effort.
Bravo Benitez
Take a bow Walter Benitez. The back-up goalkeeper was put under relentless pressure in the opening 45 minutes and quickly found his timing as shots and crosses came his way.
The Argentina national put in an impressive effort as he deputised for Dean Henderson and allowed Palace to stay in the game when it didn’t feel they had any right to. The manner of the goal that eventually beat Benitez was particularly cruel as he was left helpless.
His heroics continued to deny Declan Rice at the death, ensuring penalties came at the Emirates. The goalkeeper couldn’t find one last save to secure a perfect night.
Nwaneri predicament
When you’re 18 and in the Arsenal squad, perhaps you can’t have too many complaints. Ethan Nwaneri may be hoping for more playing time after truly breaking out in Bukayo Saka’s absence last season.
The Premier League’s youngest ever player is now seen as a figure for the centre of the field, however, and faces competition from Eberechi Eze, Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino. That means even with eight changes that a start remains elusive.
Nwaneri has started three games all season and that may prick the ears of clubs looking to get busy in the transfer market next month. The teen star scored nine goals in 37 appearances last term.
There’s no rush, of course, and development needs to be nurtured, but maybe he’ll be knocking on Arteta’s door.
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