Chris Richards has shared what he thinks of Arsenal after Crystal Palace’s defeat at the Emirates.
Richards played 90 minutes in a back three against Arsenal, coming up against the brilliance within Mikel Arteta’s attack.
Before the game, Oliver Glasner heavily praised Eberechi Eze, with the opposition arriving in North London knowing the threat their former player would pose.
Despite scoring, Eze wasn’t actually Arsenal’s best player against Palace, which gives a hint into just how tough the Gunners are to play against right now.
Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards shares his thoughts on Arsenal
Sitting four points clear at the top of the Premier League table, Arteta’s side are exactly where they want to be.
Arsenal don’t sit at the summit by chance, which is something Richards stressed at full-time when speaking to Sky Sports.
The Palace centre-back described the Gunners as ‘the best team in the league’, making his opinion on Arteta’s squad known.
“It was a close game in all aspects. Arsenal are a really good team and deserved the win,” Richards began.
“I think everybody knows how Arsenal are defensively, and we needed to take our chances.
“Set-pieces are probably their forte right now. But we went toe-to-toe with the best team in the league.”
The United States international quite rightly praised his side’s character in what was another incredibly strong performance from the Eagles, but in N5, it just wasn’t enough.
Mikel Arteta stressed the importance of beating Crystal Palace
Arsenal are considered to be the favourites to win the Premier League this season, but with 29 games yet to play, Arteta won’t want that kind of attention.
While Premier League title talk won’t be welcomed, the Arsenal manager did not hesitate to express his delight after the victory.
“I just told the boys that I value this victory more than any other victory this season,” Arteta said before explaining why.
“We knew the difficulty of it. You come after playing every three days, you have a big opportunity as well with the things that happened during this weekend.
“I knew we play against a team that, in my opinion, has been one of the best recently in terms of organisation, how difficult they made it, how frustrated they can make you and the moment that you lose that concentration, they will punish you for sure.”
Having already overcome bogey teams such as Fulham, Newcastle United, and now Palace this season, Arteta’s joy needs little explanation.
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