Arsenal player ratings vs Crystal Palace: Who impressed and who did not?
Arsenal’s eleven-game winning run finally came to an end as Unai Emery’s men were held to a 2-2 draw by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
The Eagles were yet to score a goal at Selhurst Park this season prior to the game but they showed a lot of intent in the opening stages, Wilfried Zaha hitting the post from Andros Townsend’s pass.
Arsenal struggled to get into the game as Roy Hodgson’s men continued to create chances up front and they were rewarded with a penalty when Skhodran Mutafi lunged into Cheikhou Kouyate inside the box. Luka Milivojevic put the home side in the lead before Arsenal came back strongly in the second half to equalise through Granit Xhaka’s mesmerizing free-kick from a tight angle outside the box.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gave Arsenal the lead in the 56th minute and it looked like the Gunners were heading for their twelfth consecutive game until Xkaha’s moment of madness inside the box led to another penalty.
Luka Milivojevic once again stepped up to score from the spot and ensured that both the teams shared a point apiece.
Arsenal Player Ratings
Bernd Leno (6.5/10)
Had a good game overall; not at fault for either of the goals and showed good confidence to intercept the crosses with some excellent handling.
Hector Bellerin (5/10)
Looked threatening in the attacking third but struggled to cope with the pace and guile of Zaha as the Ivorian enjoyed a lot of free space to run down his flank; rightly subbed off at halftime.
Shkodran Mustafi (6/10)
Blew hot and cold in patches throughout the game. He was brilliant at times and looked absolutely off the pace on certain occasions; gave away a cheap penalty.
Rob Holding (6.5/10)
Conceded a corner with some sloppy defending which ultimately led to the penalty incident and Palace’s first goal; didn’t look too confident with his positioning.
Granit Xhaka (6.5/10)
A mixed game really for the Swiss international. Tried hard to adjust to his unfamiliar left-back role but was exposed at times and his rash challenge gifted the home team a rather cheap penalty. Made up for his flaws with a superb free-kick from a very tight angle.
Matteo Guendouzi (7/10)
Showed a lot of tenacity to press the opposition off the ball and made some good challenges to win back possession; carried the ball forward with pace and contributed to the build-up play.
Lucas Torreira (7.5/10)
Another impressive performance by the Uruguayan international in the heart of the midfield; solid in the tackle and made some sharp interceptions to break up the play.
Alex Iwobi (6.5/10)
Put in the hard yards down the flanks and asked a few questions of the defence with his pace. Always posed a threat but lacked that final spark at times.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (7/10)
Continued his fine goalscoring form as he got at the end of Xhaka’s corner to put Arsenal in the lead.
Mesut Ozil (5/10)
Couldn’t replicate his heroics of the previous game. Struggled to get into the game and lost possession far too easily; couldn’t make a significant impact and rightly subbed off at the hour mark.
Alexandre Lacazette (6/10)
Wasn’t anywhere near his best and lacked that sharpness in his shooting as he failed to hit the target from a rather straightforward effort in the first half.
Substitutes
Stephan Lichtsteiner (6/10)
Came on for Bellerin after 45 minutes and did a fair job both in terms of attack and the defence.
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Aaron Ramsey (N/A)
Came on very late and did not have enough time to make an impact.
Danny Welbeck (6/10)
Showed a lot of energy and tried to use his pace to make things happen by running at the defence.