THE NO-HUG ZONE
Blank night as misfiring Gunners are held by Palace
YOU cannot celebrate if you do not score. Perhaps Arsenal and Crystal Palace are on to something. In a week when footballers have been pilloried for breaching Covid protocols by continuing to embrace each other, these two teams found an effective way of avoiding any controversy.
Here’s hoping it does not catch on. In fairness, as goalless draws go, this was relatively entertaining — and by the end neither manager, Mikel Arteta or Roy Hodgson, would have been too disappointed with a point.
But Palace striker Christian Benteke, who missed a series of glorious chances, may feel differently.
Victory would not have flattered Palace, either. But a point at the Emirates is not to be sniffed at — even if Hodgson’s side have now won just once in eight games.
‘We had to work very hard for that point, but we had some good chances and we could have won the game,’ said Hodgson. ‘I’d like to think that will do a lot for us. We know we are capable. Every point is a valuable one.’
Following four consecutive wins, this draw will bring a semblance of realism to anyone at Arsenal in danger of getting ahead of themselves, though Arteta believes the players’ hectic schedule had an influence on his team’s performance.
‘I wanted to see a win and to score a few goals, but we were fatigued,’ said the Spaniard. ‘I cannot fault the spirit but it wasn’t enough. We are playing a lot of games and you can see fatigue is paying a price, many players aren’t fresh.’
Palace started the match much the brighter, Eberechi Eze and Wilfried Zaha causing the Gunners problems. Arsenal, on the other hand, were lethargic and passive, with no urgency or invention.
Benteke squandered the first of a trio of excellent chances, misfiring from seven yards out when he should have put Palace ahead early in the game.
All Arsenal had to show in the first half was a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang strike that stung the hands of Vicente Guaita and David Luiz’s back-post header that the Palace goalkeeper comfortably claimed. And they should have been behind at the break, James Tomkins giving them a real fright six minutes before the break when glancing a delicate header from Eze’s pinpoint free-kick on to Bernd Leno’s bar before James McArthur’s follow-up was blocked.
Arteta’s side were let off the hook again before half-time, Leno at full stretch to claw out Benteke’s towering header from Tyrick Mitchell’s cross, before the Gunners goalkeeper stopped Zaha’s rebound.
Arteta could not get his team in quickly enough after Andre Marriner blew for half-time. In contrast, Hodgson would have been content with his side’s opening 45 minutes. The Palace boss only has six months left on his contract, but his players still appear to be fully behind the 73-year-old.
Arsenal came out for the second half a different side. Indeed, in the first 60 seconds they showed more ambition than they had during the entire first half. Hector Bellerin went within a whisker of opening the scoring almost directly from kick- off, before Guaita denied Bukayo Saka.
Suddenly there was a bounce in Arsenal’s step and Arteta sensed it as he egged his team on.
Alexandre Lacazette rippled the side netting in the 55th minute as Arsenal continued to venture forward, though the assistant had his flag up. Ainsley MaitlandNiles was next to test Guaita, firing a fierce shot from the edge of the box in the 63rd minute. It was the England man’s last meaningful contribution because soon after he was replaced by Nicolas Pepe. But with the pace of Zaha, Eze and Andros Townsend, Palace offered a threat on the counter attack and the anguish was etched all over Hodgson’s face when Benteke and Townsend wasted promising opportunities to break away with heavy touches.
Arteta rolled the dice again in the 69th minute, introducing marquee summer signing Thomas Partey, who was returning from injury, in place Dani Ceballos. But it was Palace who had the best late opportunity, Benteke wasting an excellent headed chance in the 70th minute before the game petered out.
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Leno 7; Bellerin 6.5, Holding 6.5, Luiz 6.5, Maitland-Niles 5.5 (Pepe 65min, 6); Ceballos 6.5 (Partey 69, 6), Xhaka 6.5; Saka 7, Smith Rowe 6.5, Aubameyang 6.5; Lacazette 5.5 (Nketiah 81).
Subs not used: Gabriel, Willian, Runarsson, Soares, Chambers, Willock. Booked: Luiz. Manager: Mikel Arteta 6. CRYSTAL PALACE (4-4-2): Guaita 6; Ward 6, TOMKINS 7.5, Kouyate 6.5, Mitchell 7; Townsend 6.5, McArthur 6.5, Milivojevic 6.5 (McCarthy 89), Eze 7; Benteke 6.5 (Ayew 81), Zaha 7. Subs not used: Butland, Van Aanholt, Dann, Clyne, Batshuayi, Cahill, Riedewald. Booked: Tomkins. Manager: Roy Hodgson 6.5. Referee: Andre Marriner 6.