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Poor Defensive Show and Partey Injury Put the Gunners’ Season in Danger | How Arsenal Players Fared Against Crystal Palace

by Kunal Chawda -
Crystal Palace v Arsenal

The Arsenal player ratings against Crystal Palace do not look good. Then again, they did get outplayed for the whole 90 minutes. As far as the team line-ups were concerned, Wilfred Zaha and Aaron Ramsdale were welcome signs on the field for both sides, but Tierney’s absence hurt the visitors dearly.

Crystal Palace vs Arsenal
Image Obtained via Arsenal

It was an important match-up, especially for the Gunners as they were looking to get back to the 4th spot. They needed at least one point from the game to topple Spurs and move back into the top-4. But an excellent performance from Zaha, Connor Gallagher, and Joachim Anderson gave the hosts all 3 points and the Arsenal team seemed to be in the “early season” phase once again.

Nuno Tavarez and Emile Smith Rowe had chances to shine in what was supposed to be a crucial fixture for the Gunners. Crystal Palace, under Patrick Vieira’s coaching, has improved a lot and was certainly a tough opponent to beat at home. But neither Tavarez nor ESR provided a spark in the game.

Nevertheless, Arsenal regulars were also struggling in the game and the Eagles took full advantage of the situation. 1st half goals from Jean-Phillipe Mateta and Jordan Ayew were hard to counter by the struggling Arsenal team. Then a well-taken penalty in the 74th minute by Palace’s star man Zaha made it 3-0 and ended any hopes of snatching points from the game.  

Arteta did make some offensive substitutes in the game, but it was too little too late for the Spaniard. It was just the 9th game where Arsenal have failed to score against Crystal Palace. Injury to Thomas Partey added more misery as Arsenal will now have a huge task ahead of them to regain the momentum and challenge for the Champions League spot in the upcoming matches.

Next up, 5th placed Arsenal will play Brighton and Southampton, before going into the toughest testing phase of games against Chelsea, Manchester United, West Ham United, and Tottenham Hotspur.

Arsenal Player Ratings Against Crystal Palace

Starting XI:

Aaron Ramsdale (GK) – 5.0: He couldn’t do much in the game as the defensive line sold him out with poor positioning and decisions. Returning to action after the Liverpool game was not a pleasant outing for him.

Cedric Soares (RB) – 5.5: Given the fact that he had to keep the talented Zaha in check, Soares did pretty well in the Gunners jersey. He was one of the better defenders for Arsenal. Cedric couldn’t handle the physical play from Zaha but tried his best to stop him in every possible way.

Ben White (CB) – 4.5: Dependable Ben White had the worst night of the season. He looked clueless sometimes and failed to communicate with the other Arsenal defenders, resulting in havoc among the defensive line.

Gabriel Magalhaes (CB) – 4.5: The Brazilian was poor at reading the opponent’s passes the whole game. His poor chemistry and understanding with Tavarez on the left side of the field were a plus point for the opposition. This was uncharacteristic of him, especially when Arsenal were thinking of offering him a contract extension with improved salary.

Nuno Tavarez (LB) – 4.0: The Portuguese got his last start in January. He couldn’t capitalize on this one. Rather he was a weak link that was exposed on numerous occasions.

Thomas Partey (CM) – 5.5: After great performances in recent games, including the international games also, Partey was expected to control the game. But what he delivered on the field just disappointed the Gunners supporters. He was replaced due to injury, which is more concerning news for the team.

Granit Xhaka (CM) – 6.0: Xhaka looked better in the 2nd half when he was covering as LB. His overall display was above average, but the performance didn’t have the quality deliveries or the services expected from him.

Martin Odegaard (CM) – 3.5: Ever so creative and accurate, the Norway star looked a bit shackled at times against Palace. His heavy touches and misdirected passes gave away possession on many occasions. The built-up frustration eventually led to him fouling Zaha which resulted in the penalty, which ended Arsenal’s hopes of getting any point from the game.

Emile Smith Rowe (LAM) – 5.0: ESR connected well with Lacazette in the game and they caused some problems to the opposition goal. He had 2 glorious chances to get on the scoresheet but the shots went wide.

Bukayo Saka (RAM) – 7.0: The top goal-scorer for Arsenal this season was the only productive and effective player on the field. The young Englishman’s movements were silky and the passes were commendable. The Eagles’ defence was more focused on him rather than any other Gunner.

Alexandre Lacazette (ST) – 5.5: A missed header and some connection plays with the wingers earn him above-average ratings. Arteta must think about different formations or plays to cover up the “lack of striker” condition. Arteta also needs to start thinking about Lacazette’s future.

Alexandre Lacazette
Image obtained via the Telegraph

Substitutes:

Gabriel Martinelli (6.5): Replaced Tavarez, and played with usual energy. He brought in some direct plays and caused problems for the Palace defence.

Read More:

Eddie Nketiah (5.0): An attacking substitution that nearly paid off for the Gunners. His long-range effort hit the woodwork, which could have boosted the Arsenal team to go for an equalizer.

Albert Sambi Lokonga (5.5): He replaced the injured Partey in the last 15 mins of the game. Palace already had a 3-0 lead, before he even touched the ball. Still, he looked confident and more decisive in his plays.

Do you agree with the given player ratings for the Arsenal vs Crystal Palace game? Let us know your opinions in the comments section below.

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Kunal Chawda

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