What went wrong against Crystal Palace

What went wrong against Crystal Palace

By Jonny Bray
On Monday evening, Arsenal fell to a disappointing 3-0 loss against Patrick Vieira's Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
It was the most underwhelming performance Gunners fans have witnessed since the 2-1 loss against Everton back in December.
Mikel Arteta's team selection and squad management have both come under scrutiny, while several players have been criticised by fans and pundits alike.
So, what went wrong against Crystal Palace?

Where did it go wrong?

Arsenal's biggest issues against Palace came at left-back and central midfield.
Nuno Tavares probably received more criticism than any other player following his performance, and while it is harsh, it is easy to see why.
He was drafted in as a late replacement for Kieran Tierney after the Scotland international suffered a season-ending injury pre-match.
And this is his first season of Premier League football, still with plenty of time to improve at just 22 years old.
However, Wilfried Zaha and, at times, Jordan Ayew had him on toast for much of the game.
And his mistakes cost Arsenal dearly, letting the ball run to Joachim Andersen for Palace's first before completely losing Ayew for their second.
Ayew is a brilliant professional and reliable operator for Palace. Still, you cannot let a striker who has scored three league goals since the start of last season do that to you and expect to start for Arsenal.
In midfield, Thomas Partey had his worst performance of the season.
He may have suffered a thigh injury in the 3-0 defeat, but even before then, he was run off the park by Conor Gallagher and outclassed by the criminally underrated Cheikhou Kouyaté.
Granit Xhaka was in and out of the game, and Martin Ødegaard was utterly anonymous.
It is difficult not to sound overly critical, particularly when all three players have been superb for much of this season.
But a big reason for the defeat was the lack of a fully functional midfield.
And Arteta will now come under more scrutiny as injuries and suspensions begin to take effect on the team.
Many fans questioned why he slimmed down the squad in January, and that decision will be tested once again over the coming weeks.

What did Palace do right?

First thing's first, Jean-Philippe Mateta took Monday Night Football viewers completely by surprise.
The French striker has undergone a transformation this season, turning from a bit of a comedy figure at Selhurst Park to a proven Premier League forward.
He got on the scoresheet, but it was his all-round physicality and work rate that really got people talking.
Palace fans on Twitter were comparing the former Mainz 05 man to prime Didier Drogba as he left his mark on Ben White and Gabriel.
As a result of his hard work, Palace regularly got Zaha into the game in dangerous positions.
And the winger took full advantage of this, putting on one of his best displays for Palace all season.

Conclusion

When Palace last beat Arsenal 3-0 at Selhurst Park, it felt like it was due to a disparity in work rate.
This time it felt like Arsenal lost because Palace had more quality than the Gunners.
Of course, on paper, Arsenal are the better side.
But Palace adapted better to missing personnel and, as a result, looked much the better side from start to finish.
Arsenal will need to bounce back quickly if they want to hold off challenges from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in the race for a top-four spot.
Photo Credit: Getty Images 

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