Arsenal 1–1 Crystal Palace (Arsenal win 8–7 on penalties)
All square it ended after normal 90+ minutes, but the Gunners scaled through 8–7 on penalties. The penalties were, you know, kind of top notch but did we really need all that drama? The game should have been a no contest after the first four minutes. Such was the dominance in ball possession and chances created. Noni and Jesus were hitting the target time and again but just couldn’t get past Benítez in the Palace goal. In the end, an own goal by Lecriox in the second half got our noses in front, only for us to get pegged back to 1–1 in the 94th minute. I know a lot happened in between this summary I just gave, but I won’t bore you with what you’ve probably already heard from other Gooner podcasts.
We have now played two games in a row at the Emirates, pressuring the opposition into an own goal while not needing to score ourselves. Is that sustainable? Probably not even though I’ll take the win right now. Like I said, let’s not bore ourselves by going over a game to forget. (How did it even get to pens for Christ’s sake?)
Positives… Because There Were Some
Yeah, lets spin some positives.
We won the shootout as Palace blinked first after both teams played and scored 5/5 penalties. Lecriox again was the culprit, although credit to Kepa for diving the right way and keeping his spot kick out with the save. Arsenal have now earned back-to-back Carabao Cup semi-finals, where they’ll face Chelsea over two legs. The Gunners lost a final to José Mourinho’s Chelsea back in the 2006/07 season, I think — 2–1 to the Blues. I hope we can repay the favour by knocking them out in this contest. Yes, I know we denied Conte’s Chelsea the double in 2017/18 by winning the FA Cup, but that’s another competition. That conversation is for another day, sometime in January but for now....
The Concerns: Goals, Defence, and Déjà Vu
To balance perspectives with a little negativity…
Why is there a seeming struggle to find open-play goals? Since the return from the international break, Arsenal have played six domestic games, kept two clean sheets, and scored two goals in just two of them. Four of those games have been decided by a single goal. Is this a trend, or am I just over-analysing things? Then there’s the defence. While I recognise the shuffling and juggling Mikel Arteta has had to do following our rotten luck with defensive injuries, I still feel we should be doing much better. We seem to be conceding late goals far too often:
Sunderland. Villa. Wolves. Palace.
Whatever happened to our defensive solidity… huh? And why isn’t Ethan Nwaneri playing? I thought maybe someone might be able to enlighten me as to why he isn't getting game time in the comments.
Brighton Preview: Another Must-Win (Aren’t They All?)
Enough of the questions with no answers.
Arsenal welcome Brighton to the Emirates in a 3pm kickoff this Saturday. Needless to say, it’s another must-win game — (every game is, aye). City have Foden and Haaland putting pedals to the metal, and Arsenal always have to respond. So far, we have. Let’s have the Gunners continue. Brighton have been a tricky customer in seasons past, although we did knock them out of the Carabao Cup in the fourth round. Revenge on the mind of the Seagulls? I hope not.
Their recent form has been inconsistent: 2W, 2D, 2L in six which, to be fair, leans closer to poor than good. They’ve also been hit with injuries, especially up front, with Welbeck their only fit recognised striker. Star player Baleba is away on AFCON duty with the Indomitable Lions, so maybe that’s one in our favour. The Gunners, on the other hand, are very much bolstered even with the injuries at the back. We look more stacked.
Welbeck has been in a rich vein of form this season, rolling back the years. Yankuba Minteh is another player to be wary of — a bit of flair and burst of pace. MLS or Calafiori will need to watch it. By the way, shout-out to Calafiori and Myles for their performances against Palace. I kind of prefer Calafiori at left centre-back, and Miles recaptured his form from last season with a really solid, calm display.
Martinelli completes the applause for the left-side triumvirate. Absolutely Scintillating (even though we should have scored way more). Anyway, I expect the team to approach this game with disciplined focus and professionalism. We have a job to do. Ugly or pretty we just get it done. That’s the mentality we need if we’re serious about stopping Villa, Chelsea, or City. Brighton are there for the taking. We need the three points and to chip away at City’s goal-difference advantage. #COYG — it’s in our hands.
Team Selection Thoughts
My team selection would likely include a few changes from the side that knocked out Palace. Timber needs a breather. Can Nørgaard do a job at right-back, or does Mikel trust another youngster like Marley Simmons or better yet Josh Nichols? If Hincapié isn’t 100%, I’d keep the Saliba/Calafiori partnership, Miles at left-back, and give Simmons a debut at right-back. Why no Nørgaard at right-back? Because I want him in midfield. Give Zubimendi another day off. Nørgaard’s performances against Brugge and Palace tell me he can do a good job there. Mikel, trust your squad!
Gyökeres starts over Jesus, not because Jesus missed chances against Palace, but to avoid pushing him too hard too fast. Just look at Benny Blanco. My full team selection would be as shown below:
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| Lineup: #ARSBHA |
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