Crystal Palace 3 Arsenal 0
Mikel Arteta will wonder where on earth this came from. Arsenal’s apparent procession to the Champions League met a shuddering halt here and the concern will be that Crystal Palace deserved everything that came their way. The visitors turned in a thoroughly miserable display and were outplayed by opponents who simply performed better in every department.
Jean-Philippe Mateta, Jordan Ayew and a second-half Wilfried Zaha penalty ensured Patrick Vieira dealt his former club a significant blow; Tottenham remain in the top-four box seat for now and it would be as well to mark May 12th, the date three games from the end of the season when Antonio Conte’s side will now host a rearranged north London derby, as a potentially decisive point in the race.
Mateta’s opener came with an element of luck but it was as much as Palace deserved for the kind of bright, high-tempo start usually associated with their opponents.
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- April 5, 2022
