Arsenal took on Crystal Palace at the Emirates in this Thursday night’s Premier League clash. We have the player ratings.
The Gunners missed the chance to bag their fourth victory in a row as the match against Crystal Palace ended in a goalless tie. On the other hand, Palace managed to extend their short three-match unbeaten run.
Although Arteta’s team has been delivering some good performances, it was a tough game for Arsenal. In fact, the Gunners hadn’t been able to overcome Crystal Palace since January 2018. Tonight, they failed once again.
Arsenal struggled quite a lot in the first half and Crystal Palace definitely out-performed them. Moreover, Roy Hodgson’s squad were the ones causing more danger in the first 45 minutes. The Gunners were once again saved by Bernd Leno who pulled off a brilliant save to stop Benteke’s header.
In the second half, Arsenal’s performance improved a bit but it couldn’t have been enough to please Mikel Arteta. The Gunners failed to bring much danger to Guaita’s goal and were rarely able to break through Palace’s defense. In fact, if it hadn’t been for Xhaka’s incredible tackle the result could have been very different. Although fans often complain about the midfielder, Xhaka was one of the best players out on the pitch this Thursday.
Crystal Palace will now take on the difficult task of securing another clean sheet against Manchester City next Sunday. On the other hand, Arsenal will face an easier challenge as they take on Newcastle in another home game.
Player ratings
Arsenal: Leno (7), Bellerin (6), Holding (6), Luiz (6), Maitland-Niles (5), Ceballos (6), Xhaka (8), Saka (7), Smith Rowe (6), Aubameyang (6), Lacazette (5).
Bench: Pepe (6), Partey (5), Nketiah (5).
Crystal Palace: Guaita (7), Ward (6), Tomkins (6), Kouyate (6), Mitchell (6), Townsend (5), McArthur (7), Milvojevic (6), Eze (6), Benteke (6), Zaha (7).
Bench: Ayew (5), McCarthy (4).
Feel free to make your pick on the player’s ratings and performances using the widget below.