Arsenal faced Crystal Palace looking to further secure second place in the Premier League.
Arsenal headed into the clash at the Emirates Stadium knowing that defeat would hand Liverpool the Premier League title for the 19th time.
Mikel Merino and Ben White were absent from the matchday squad with Mikel Arteta explaining that fitness ‘issues’ prevented them from featuring.
The Gunners opened the scoring inside three minutes as Martin Odegaard’s free kick was headed home superbly by Jakub Kiwior.
Eberechi Eze equalised for the away side with an exquisite volley from an inventive corner kick routine that hit the post and went beyond David Raya.
Jurrien Timber’s burst into space and zipped pass into Leandro Trossard set up the Belgian to restore Arsenal’s lead before half time as his left footed strike deflected into the bottom corner.
William Saliba gave the ball away sloppily to allow substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta the opportunity to dink Raya from 30 yards as the Gunners threw yet more points away from a winning position.
READ MORE: Myles Lewis-Skelly sends PSG message as Arsenal star makes ‘excited’ Champions League statement
Arsenal player ratings v Crystal Palace
Arsenal will be frustrated at dropping more points at home in the Premier League, here’s how the Arsenal players rated in the clash with Crystal Palace.
David Raya- 4
A nervy evening for Arsenal’s number one, had no chance with Eze’s excellent strike but gave possession away in dangerous areas and was hesitant with his positioning the entire game.
Jurrien Timber- 7
A brilliant burst of pace and then the vision to pick out Trossard got Arsenal back on track following a subdued display. Solid in his defensive work as usual.
William Saliba- 6
Calm and composed as usual in his defending and barely put a foot wrong until a momentary lapse in concentration allowed Mateta to steal a point.
Jakub Kiwior- 9
Started the game with a bullet header to open the scoring and made some crucial defensive actions, including one block in the first half to prevent Nketiah from scoring. Excellent performance.
Myles Lewis-Skelly- 7
Energetic from left back once again and showed that he is becoming more and more composed at receiving the ball in the inverted role.
Thomas Partey- 8
Looked a little sluggish in the first half but showed his class in the second half with some exquisite touches and turns to escape danger. No surprise the Gunners want to extend his deal.
Declan Rice- 6
A quieter night for Rice compared to his recent heroics but still produced some driving runs from midfield and was efficient in possession.
Martin Odegaard- 7
Excellent delivery from the set piece for Kiwior’s goal and kept Arsenal ticking over in the middle of the park with some intelligent movement and distribution.
Raheem Sterling- 4
Anonymous once again in an Arsenal shirt on the right hand side, looked bereft of confidence and did not get the beating of his man once.
Gabriel Martinelli- 6
Direct with his running and looked sharp with his decision making and execution, disappeared a little in the second but showing signs of getting back to his very best.
Leandro Trossard- 8
Lively in the false nine role once again and capped off his display with a goal following an excellent piece of control to swivel on the ball and strike at goal.
Substitutes
Bukayo Saka- 6
Replaced Sterling with half hour to go, unlucky not to score with a volley that Henderson tipped over the bar instinctively.
Ethan Nwaneri – N/A
Replaced Odegaard but did not have time to impact the game.
Kieran Tierney – N/A
Replaced Lewis-Skelly but did not have time to impact the game.
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