“Some freshness and some quality in the final third. We generated a lot of entries into the final third but without big, big chances ... We had to generate more to win that game ... But I cannot fault the spirit or the fight they put in ... but it wasn’t enough today.”
Asked whether Tierney will be back for the next match, he says: “I don’t know. He’s going to have a MRI scan tomorrow and we’ll see how he is.”
“It was good. I’m more than satisfied with everything. Our defending was good throughout. There was a particularly good spell in the first half when we created a few opportunities but in the second half I thought we wasted a few. But I’m very proud of the way they went about their work today.”
He also praises Eze’s performance, though says he was surprised he didn’t do better with a freekick from just outside the area in the first half. Then he adds: “But what we really need him practising are the corner kicks and wide freekicks because they’re more common. If you’ve got someone who can deliver those very well, they’re worth their weight in gold, as Southampton have proved over the yards with James Ward-Prowse.”
“They did defend really well with loads of players. We tried to break down their low block. I feel that little spark, that bit of creativity was missing today. We can’t fault the team for the effort. We tried really hard defensively and offensively but we didn’t have that little bit of luck you need sometimes. But credit to [Palace]... When you play against team that defend with so many players, it’s hard to play balls in behind of make space.”
A low-brow mid-table skirmish finishes the way it started. Arsenal lacked creativity, and Palace made the better chances, with Tomkins hitting the bar in the first half and Benteke forcing an excellent save from Leno. So Arsenal’s winning streak trickles to an end. But there is no need for them to despair, they were not terrible, just a bit boring. They missed Tierney. Palace deserved their point.
90+4 min: David Luiz heads away Eze’s corner at the near post.
90+3 min: Corner to Palace, after a promising counter-attack petered out, with Ayew shooting weakly against Bellerin and wide.
90+2 min: Another freekick to Arsenal in a useful crossing position on the left, after Saka is taken down by McArthur. The big boys come up from the back. Saka’s delivery is lovely, but so too is the defending.
90 min: There will be at least four more minutes, and that’s not by popular demand.
90 min: Palace substitution: McCarthy on, Milivojevic off.
89 min: Freekick to Arsenal wide on the left, five yards outside the box. Saka floats it towards the edge of the six-yard box. Guaita punches it away.
87 min: David Luiz attempts to unpick the Palace defence from half-way. Not happening.
85 min: Zaha lopes down the left and into the box, shoulder to shoulder with Holding. The winger goes down in the box, and the ref wavs play on. A Var check finds nothing awry.
83 min: After a corner is half-cleared, Smith Rowe lets fly from 25 yards. But it’s blocked by Kouyaté.
81 min: Palace substitution: Ayew on, Benteke off. The Belgian had a decent game and would have scored if not for an excellent save in the fist half by Leno.
Arsenal substitution: Nketiah on, Lacazette off. The Frenchman made little impact.
78 min: Palace are looking the more likely winners at the moment, albeit in a game in which 0-0 has long looked by far the most probable outcome. Arsenal don’t seem to have any ideas, while Palace’s wingers continue to hint at breakthroughs.
76 min: Dainty work by Xhaka and Saka, but Tomkins slides in to clear the winger’s low cross at the near post.
74 min: Kouyaté heads a cross by Bellerin out for a corner. Saka’s inswinger finds Holding, who is coming down as he meet it. His header glances wide.
72 min: A propos of nothing-nothing, what do you think about suspending the Premier League for a while?
70 min: Arsenal substitution: Parety on, Ceballos off.
69 min: Palace launch a counter-attack, with Benteke collecting the ball on half-way and then sending Zaha scampering down the right. The winger carries it forward and then tries to pick out Benteke in the middle. but Xhaka gets back to make a critical intervention, diverting it out for a corner.
67 min: David Luiz booked for sweeping Zaha’s legs fro under him.
65 min: Arsenal substitution: Pepe on, Maitland-Niles off. A chance to see what difference can be made by the man Arsenal signed instead of Zaha.
62 min: Good! Holding steps in to intercept a pass in midfield and then feeds Maitland-Niles, who dances between two defenders and then tries to curl a shot from the edge of the area into the bottom corner. It’s nimble play, but the shot is too close to the keeper.
61 min: The real winner from the action so far has been the people who don’t want to see footballers hugging so much.
58 min: Arsenal take up residence in the Palace half, circulating the ball carefully but without much pizzazz. They don’t look like piercing this Palace defence.
56 min: Zaha can’t complain about a lack of protection today. The referee is awarding freekicks nearly every time he is tugged or shoved, which has been often.
54 min: Xhaka has played some sharp passes today and has just produced another one to pick out Maitland-Niles, who had made a clever run down the left. That led to a chance for Aubameyang, who was quickly closed down but managed to feed Lacazette, who slashed a shot into the sidenetting from a tight angle. None of which matters, because it turns out Maitland-Nles was offside. Oh well.
52 min: Zaha tricks his way past Ceballos mid-way inside the Arsenal half. But the attack peters out.
50 min: It’s a strong spell from Arsenal. They’re probing from all angles. But Palace have repelled all their crosses so far and haven’t yielded any openings through the middle.
48 min: Saka delivers a corner to the penalty spot.Holding meets it but sends his downward header wide.
46 min: Arteta clearly revved up his troops at half-time, if their perky resumption is anything to go by. Guaita has to charge off his line to punch away a dangerous cross from the let. It falls to Bellerin near the edge of the box. His powerful shot swerves just wide.
46 min: Arsenal get the second half going. Neither team made any personnel changes during the break.
It’s not going to plan for Mikel Arteta, whose side have not really sparked going forward and have escaped with two serous scares at the other end. Tomkins headed against the bar for Palace before Leno pulled off a superb save to turn away a fine header by Benteke. After a sluggish start, Palace were by far the more threatening team. Most of their menace has come down the left, as they have not really tested Maitland-Niles on the other flank. Arsenal have certainly missed Kieran Tierney as an attacking force, however.
45 min: Another corner for Arsenal, after Kouyaté diverts a cross by Bellerin behind. Saka is taking them from both sides. This one is delivered with plenty of fizz, but Palace cope with it well.
44 min: Smith Rowe wins a corner after Arsenal make an increasingly rare venture forward. Saka’s delivery is substandard this time, allowing Benteke to clear at the near post.
42 min: Mitchell gallops down the left and hoists over a fine cross. Benteke leaps above David Luiz to send an excellent header towards the corner of the goal from 10 yards. Leno flings himself across goal to make an even better save, pawing it away and then springing to his feet to collect Zaha’s follow-up from a tight angle.
38 min: Xhaka treads on Zaha’s toe, fooled into a foul by the winger’s trickery. Palace have a freekick about 25 yards out, to the left of the box. Eze floats in a teaser ... Tomkins outjumps Holding ... and heads against the bar! A let-off for Arsenal!
