(Football news) A late 90 + 5 minute goal by Alexandre Lacazette denied Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace all three points at the Emirates Stadium as both teams shared the spoils of the fixture. Arsenal got an early lead in the match through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who tapped a rebound from a tight angle after Crystal Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita denied Nicholas Pepe’s curling effort.
Palace responded positively to the early setback by denying Arsenal any momentum to double their lead and looked for an equalizer with Aaron Ramsdale forced to make good saves from Christian Benteke and Conor Gallagher. A controversial moment in the match was when James McArthur saw a yellow card for his dangerous challenge on Bukayo Saka's calf, resulting in the 20 year old being forced off at halftime.
After the break, Patrick Vieira’s team grew more confident in the final third and soon grabbed an equalizer through Christian Benteke, who scored his fourth goal at the Emirates Stadium. Crystal Palace continued with their momentum as Ghanian footballer Jordan Ayew’s attempt from the edge of the box was barely saved by Ramsdale’s fingertips. Mikel Arteta introduced Lacazette in the 67th minute and the effect was instantaneous with the Frenchman combining well with Aubameyang to shift the momentum to the hosts and inject some much needed urgency.
However, it was the other Frenchman with the name of Odsonne Édouard who scored Crystal Palace’s second goal of the night after Arsenal midfielder Sambi Lokonga was robbed off possession with the 23 year old fully capitalizing on the opportunity. What followed was an onslaught of Arsenal pressure which nearly paid dividends when Kieran Tierney’s effort hit the underside of the bar. With the last kick of the game, Crystal Palace failed to clear the ball as it fell to Lacazette who drove home the equalizer and celebrations erupted at the Emirates Stadium. With this result, Arsenal are 12th in the Premier League table while Crystal Palace are 14th, three points behind the Gunners.
