Milivojevic takes the free-kick to the far post looking for Tomkins who gets on the end of it, but play is blown dead as the centre-back is offside.
90' +4
M. Guendouzi gets yellow.
Guendouzi takes down Meyer in midfield which stops a final Crystal Palace attack. The Arsenal player is booked, and the home side have one more chance!
90' +2
Xhaka stands over a free-kick from a central position but well outside of the penalty area. The left-back takes a short run up and fires his effort over the crossbar and out for a Hennessey goal-kick as the Palace fans collectively breath a sigh of relief from inside Selhurst Park.
90'
The fourth official indicates an additional four minutes at the end of the 90 for stoppages.
88'
J. Puncheon enters the game and replaces C. Kouyaté.
Puncheon is on for the final two minutes, with Kouyate making way.
85'
Arsenal have less than 10 minutes to wrestle back the lead, though it’s Palace who are on the attack. It has been a fantastic match, and either side are more than capable of stealing the three points late on!
83'
Penalty goal scored by L. Milivojević for Crystal Palace!
MILIVOJEVIC HAS A DOUBLE FROM THE SPOT! 2-2 after the midfielder hammers home his penalty, blasting it over the outstretched hand of Leno and into the top-left corner!
81'
Tomkins sends a long free-kick towards Kouyate on the edge of the penalty area who nods it back unconvincingly. The ball falls to Meyer who attempts an audacious overhead kick which fails – allowing Guendouzi to carry it to safety.
79'
S. Lichtsteiner gets yellow.
One too many challenges for Lichtsteiner who finally enters the referee’s notebook after a sliding tackle on Zaha on the Palace left wing.
Minute
Description
78'
A. Ramsey enters the game and replaces P. Aubameyang.
Aubameyang goes off to a loud applause from the visiting support, as the striker is removed for Aaron Ramsey.
77'
Lichtsteiner once again involved as he puts a tough challenge in on Meyer outside the Palace penalty area. Known for his tenacity, the former Juventus full-back has shown his trademark attributes since coming on at the interval.
76'
Zaha wriggles in between two Arsenal midfielders and wins a free-kick just inside the Arsenal half, which is taken short very quickly.
74'
Welbeck gets away from Wan-Bissaka as he looks to enter the penalty area, but Tomkins puts in a fantastic sliding challenge to knock the forward off the ball. That’s a potentially goal-saving tackle!
72'
Townsend gets into the penalty area but the combination of Xhaka and Guendouzi squeeze the winger out of the box and towards the touchline, where a fantastic tackle by the former wins Arsenal a throw.
68'
D. Welbeck enters the game and replaces M. Özil.
Ozil is called to the bench as Emery looks to change things up, with Welbeck chosen as his replacement. The exiting player seems furious with that decision as he walks past the manager on his way to his seat.
64'
A. Sørloth enters the game and replaces J. Ayew.
Ayew has rarely been involved in the attack and he is the next to be withdrawn for Crystal Palace. Sorloth is his replacement.
63'
Zaha is furious with Lichtsteiner and the full-back is apologetic to both the player and the referee after the Switzerland international put a tackle through the back of Zaha after the ball had gone.
61'
M. Meyer enters the game and replaces J. McArthur.
Hodgson makes his first change of the match, with Max Meyer entering the midfield in place of James McArthur.
60'
In direct contrast, very little has been seen from both Ayew and Townsend from a creative sense. Most of Palace’s threat is coming through Zaha on the left-hand side, and there is no doubt that Emery’s half-time substitution at right-back is due to the Ivory Coast international’s constant attacking threat.
58'
Arsenal in the second-half of matches are a completely different animal. In both of their 2-0 wins against Everton and Watford respectively, they went into the interval without a goal, and immediately began finishing any and every chance they got after the restart. It seems the same has happened at Selhurst Park, where the Gunners have once again come alive.
56'
P. Aubameyang has scored a goal for Arsenal!
AUBAMEYANG GIVES ARSENAL THE 2-1 LEAD! There is a bit of controversy in the build-up to the goal, as it looks as though Lacazette’s near-post flick for Aubameyang came off his arm. The goal is allowed to stand after the Gabon international stabs the ball narrowly over the line, beating Hennessey who has his body in the way. What a turnaround!
54'
Lichtsteiner wins a corner-kick as Arsenal turn up the intensity as they look for the goal which will give them the lead.
53'
Zaha looks to restore the lead as he dances into the penalty area and attempts to curl a shot past Leno – but it misses the target completely. A bit over-eager from the forward who has been Palace’s only real threat.
51'
G. Xhaka has scored a goal for Arsenal!
OH MY WORD WHAT AN ABSOLUTELY SENSATIONAL FREE-KICK! 1-1 after an unbelievable strike by Xhaka from just outside the right-hand corner of the penalty area beats Hennessey from the free-kick. Ozil stands back, allowing the left-back to run up and curl a peach into the far corner – though the goalkeeper gets fingertips to it before it flies past him. The visitors have clawed back and are now level once again!
50'
Milivojevic gives away the ball outside the penalty area and steps in front of Torreira to block his path – sending the Arsenal player to the floor. They now have a free-kick with Ozil standing over it on the edge of the penalty area on the right-hand side.
48'
Palace now have a lead to protect, which aids in their philosophy of defending deep and hitting on the counter-attack. They now are not forced to come forward and expose gaps, which will make Arsenal’s passing style a bit more difficult.
46'
S. Lichtsteiner enters the game and replaces Héctor Bellerín.
Arsenal get the second half underway from the kick-off!
Bellerin is removed at the half, with Emery sending on the experienced Lichtsteiner.
45' +2
HALF-TIME: CRYSTAL PALACE 1-0 ARSENAL.
45' +1
Penalty goal scored by L. Milivojević for Crystal Palace!
MILIVOJEVIC GIVES PALACE THE 1-0 LEAD! The central-midfielder rolls his penalty coolly into the corner of the net and sends Leno the wrong way to make Mustafi pay for his error!
42'
With less than five minutes left to play in the first half, it doesn’t look like either side will take command of the game before the half-time whistle. The match deserves a goal for its quality, however, the score will ensure the second half is perfectly poised.
40'
Ayew gets into the penalty area and goes down under the weight of a Mustafi challenge, but the referee is having none of it as he instructs play to continue. There was a slight tangle of legs after viewing the replay, but perhaps not enough to award a penalty.
36'
Torreira’s out-swinging corner is floated high and hopeful for Mustafi, but Lacazette gets tangled up at the near post with Ayew, and Palace are awarded a free-kick inside their penalty area before the ball hits the floor.
34'
Ozil looks for Mustafi at the back post as he takes a free-kick from just outside the penalty area on the right, but Hennessey steps off his line and rises highest, claiming the ball in his hands.
32'
Xhaka gives away a free-kick just inside the Arsenal half after Torreira loses the ball to Townsend. The set-piece is taken long by Tomkins who puts the ball to the top of the penalty area looking for Kouyate, but the visiting midfielders swarm to win back possession.
30'
Kouyate charges into the penalty area but Xhaka shields the ball out for a goal-kick. The two give each other a tug and a push and have some private words before the referee comes across to sort it out. There is a bit of needle in this match now after both sides have had quite a number of opportunities to break the deadlock.
29'
Zaha wins another corner from Mustafi after a flurry of step-overs gets him inside the area. The set-piece is taken by Milivojevic but Leno once again punches with conviction.
27'
Milivojevic takes an in-swinging corner towards the penalty spot but Leno comes through the crowd to make a strong one-handed punch which easily clears the 18-yard box. That is good, confident goalkeeping from the one-time understudy to Cech.
23'
Milivojevic gives away the ball near his own penalty area and Iwobi squares it for Lacazette, but his off-balance strike goes well-wide of Hennessey’s post. Palace almost orchestrating their own downfall with that sloppy play.
21'
Milivojevic takes a free-kick quickly down the wing for Zaha who gets the better of the full-back, but the referee calls play back as he is not ready for the set-piece. The re-taken kick is curled into the box for the head of Kouyate who is yards offside.
14'
Iwobi plays a one-two pass with Lacazette around the penalty area but the Nigeria international’s side-foot shot is sent high over the bar, failing to trouble Hennessey.
12'
Despite their poor form and their relatively lacklustre showing in the early stages of this match, the home support are in full voice, pushing their team on.
10'
Arsenal are circulating possession, switching it from left to right and from midfield to defence, looking for an opening with which to expose Palace. So far it isn’t working, but Emery’s side are quite patient, and will not be fazed in the early stages.
8'
J. Ayew gets yellow.
Townsend whips in the corner-kick but it’s straight into the hands of Leno who rolls the ball out quickly to start a counter-attack.
Lacazette is taken down from behind by Ayew who receives the match’s first yellow card.
7'
Every ball played forward by Palace is in search of Zaha. He is the focal point of everything the home side do, as he dribbles into the box with some nifty footwork and wins a corner thanks to a Mustafi slide.
5'
Zaha holds off a minimum of four pressing Arsenal midfielders as he shields the ball looking for an outlet. He is unable to pass in time, but referee Martin Atkinson blows his whistle for a free-kick just inside the Gunners half.
3'
Emery is showing his value as an innovator, using Xhaka again in an unfamiliar role at left-back, after the Switzerland international played very well in that position midweek against Sporting Lisbon. The Gunners earned their second Europa League clean sheet on Thursday, with Xhaka contributing greatly.
1'
The home side get the match started from the kick-off, looking to arrest a three-match losing run.
Hello and welcome to our LIVE commentary of the Premier League fixture between Crystal Palace and Arsenal!
The worrying trend of results continued for Crystal Palace following the international break, with Everton condemning Roy Hodgson to his third consecutive defeat in the league. Sitting in 15th position, the Eagles have not won since Wilfried Zaha’s lone goal was enough to beat struggling Huddersfield Town more than one month ago.
The overreliance on the Ivory Coast forward is quite apparent, as Palace are the Premier League’s second-lowest scorers, finding the net only five times in nine matches. Defenders Jeffrey Schlupp and Patrick van Aanholt are the only two players in the squad – other than Zaha – to have beat an opposing goalkeeper, with forwards: Jordan Ayew, Christian Benteke, Connor Wickham and Alexander Sorloth playing a combined 801 minutes without a goal.
Quite the opposite is true of Arsenal, whose clinical finishing and wonderful passing moves have brought Unai Emery’s side to 11 matches in all competitions unbeaten since their 3-2 loss to Chelsea in the second fixture of the season. It has been an incredible start for the Gunners under the former Sevilla manager, who seems to have found a way to play both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette at the same time – to great effect.
Fourth place thanks to a superior goal differential compared to rivals Tottenham, Arsenal are firmly in the mix for a place in next season’s Champions League. The manager's insistence on the importance of the Europa League has also come with positive ramifications, as Arsenal have won both of their continental matches this year – thrashing Qarabag before last Thursday’s 1-0 victory over Sporting Lisbon. The Gunners are in red-hot form at the minute, and it will take quite the defensive showing from their hosts to contain their attacking potency.
With just over 10 minutes to go before kick-off, the team news has been confirmed! Let's start with the hosts!
CRYSTAL PALACE (4-3-3): Wayne Hennessey; Patrick van Aanholt, Mamadou Sakho, James Tomkins, Aaron Wan-Bissaka; Cheikhou Kouyate, Luka Milivojevic, James McArthur; Wilfried Zaha, Jordan Ayew, Andros Townsend.
SUBS: Martin Kelly, Jairo Riedewald, Jeffrey Schlupp, Alexander Sorloth, Vicente Guaita, Jason Puncheon, Max Meyer.
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Bernd Leno; Hector Bellerin, Shkodran Mustafi, Rob Holding, Granit Xhaka; Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi; Alex Iwobi, Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang; Alexandre Lacazette.
SUBS: Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Petr Cech, Aaron Ramsey, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Danny Welbeck, Emile Smith-Rowe.
Crystal Palace go into the interval a goal up thanks to a last-gasp penalty, converted by Milivojevic after Kouyate was taken down in the penalty area by Mustafi following a corner. The home side had a few wonderful opportunities to score before the penalty, with Zaha and Townsend missing their chances in quick succession. It has been a relatively even match, with both teams playing their part, but Arsenal’s frailties in defending set-pieces come back yet again to haunt them.
Arsenal have shown quality in the first half as well and should feel relatively frustrated that they must overcome a deficit following the break. Bellerin and Lacazette had chances from inside the penalty area to give their side the lead, but the right-back took too much time in lining up a shot, and the striker pulled his shot wide-left as he struck it from off-balance. Emery’s side have dominated possession in the match, and usually become more clinical in the second half, meaning there is still all to play for.
That concludes our commentary of the Premier League fixture between Crystal Palace and Arsenal! We hope you enjoyed it!
Next up for both sides are matches in the League Cup on Wednesday, as Crystal Palace travel to Middlesbrough and Arsenal host Blackpool!
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