Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta apologised for his side’s performance in their surprise defeat at Crystal Palace and accepted it was not good enough for the north London club.
The visitors had gone into the game looking to move back into the top four and strengthen their hopes of Champions League football.
But they were second-best throughout at Selhurst Park as former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira, now in charge of the Eagles, got one over his former side in some style.
“It is time to accept the criticism, put your hand up and apologise because this performance was not good enough for this club, but then react,” Arteta said.
“From the beginning we were not at the races. When you come here you have to compete, you have to win duels and second balls and be aggressive and we were none of those.”
The Gunners would have moved above rivals Tottenham with victory or even a draw but fell behind early on through Jean-Philippe Mateta’s header following a free-kick.
Things got worse for the visitors a few minutes later when Jordan Ayew got away from two Arsenal defenders and bent a shot beyond Aaron Ramsdale.
Arsenal showed some improvement after the break and should have at least got one back as Martin Odegaard shot wide when unmarked inside the box, while Eddie Nketiah hit the woodwork.
Palace made sure of a hugely impressive win when Wilfried Zaha was brought down inside the box late on and the forward stepped up to convert the penalty.
The victory, Palace’s first at home in the league in 2022, moves them up to ninth while Arsenal remain fifth and outside the top four on goal difference, albeit with a game in hand.
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An opportunity missed by Arsenal
A dreadful start to the season had seen the Gunners briefly flirting with the relegation places but they have been transformed as the campaign has gone on.
They went into this game knowing they had a huge opportunity to put themselves in the driving seat for Champions League football next season with a win and they had every right to feel confident of getting it on the back of six wins in their last seven games.
But they never got going against a tenacious Palace side as they lacked the same level of aggression as their hosts.
Arsenal have that game in a hand over Tottenham, so still have the opportunity to make amends for this poor performance and recent form suggests this display was an outlier.
However, Arteta knows they will need to show significant improvement in the coming games to ensure they end the season in the top four, particularly after Spurs thrashed Newcastle 5-1 on Sunday.
To make matters worse, Arsenal could be without full-back Kieran Tierney for a period of time as he missed the game with a knee injury, while midfielder Thomas Partey went off injured in the second half.
Vieira gets one over his old team in some style
Palace boss Vieira is a club legend at Arsenal following many years of dominating the middle of the park for the Gunners, and he came within seconds of a famous win at the home of his former side in October.
Back then, an injury-time equaliser by Alexandre Lacazette broke Palace fans’ hearts but there was nothing to spoil the party this time as Palace produced a stunning display.
They were more aggressive than Arsenal and showed more desire, with every single member of the Palace team playing their part in what is undoubtedly one of the standout results of Vieira’s impressive reign at Selhurst Park.
“It was a really good team performance,” said Vieria. “There have been games where we performed well but didn’t take our chances but in this game we performed well from the start and we managed to win the game and not concede.
“I don’t think it is the best performance, it is the performance we want and expect. At the beginning of the season we had some highs and lows. This time we played well from the first minute and I am really proud of the players.
“Our objective now is to try and perform like that and that is the challenge for us.”
Player of the match
GallagherConor Gallagher
with an average of 8.41
Crystal Palace
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Squad number23Player nameGallagher
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Squad number14Player nameMateta
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Squad number11Player nameZaha
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Squad number16Player nameAndersen
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Squad number9Player nameJ Ayew
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Squad number3Player nameMitchell
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Squad number6Player nameGuéhi
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Squad number8Player nameKouyaté
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Squad number15Player nameSchlupp
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Squad number17Player nameClyne
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Squad number18Player nameMcArthur
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Squad number13Player nameGuaita
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Squad number22Player nameÉdouard
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Squad number4Player nameMilivojevic
Arsenal
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Squad number35Player nameGabriel Martinelli -
Squad number32Player nameRamsdale
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Squad number7Player nameSaka
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Squad number30Player nameNketiah
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Squad number10Player nameSmith Rowe
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Squad number17Player nameCédric Soares
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Squad number4Player nameWhite
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Squad number34Player nameXhaka -
Squad number23Player nameSambi Lokonga
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Squad number8Player nameØdegaard
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Squad number6Player nameGabriel Magalhães
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Squad number5Player namePartey
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Squad number9Player nameLacazette -
Squad number20Player nameNuno Tavares
Line-ups
Crystal Palace
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 13Guaita
- 17Clyne
- 16Andersen
- 6Guéhi
- 3Mitchell
- 8KouyatéSubstituted forMilivojevicat 80′minutes
- 15Schlupp
- 9J AyewSubstituted forÉdouardat 76′minutes
- 23Gallagher
- 11Zaha
- 14MatetaSubstituted forMcArthurat 69′minutes
Substitutes
- 1Butland
- 2Ward
- 4Milivojevic
- 5Tomkins
- 10Eze
- 12Hughes
- 18McArthur
- 20Benteke
- 22Édouard
Arsenal
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 32Ramsdale
- 17Cédric SoaresSubstituted forNketiahat 66′minutes
- 4White
- 6Gabriel
- 20TavaresSubstituted forMartinelliat 45′minutes
- 5ParteyBooked at 53minsSubstituted forSambi Lokongaat 74′minutes
- 34XhakaBooked at 77mins
- 7Saka
- 8Ødegaard
- 10Smith Rowe
- 9Lacazette
Substitutes
- 1Leno
- 16Holding
- 23Sambi Lokonga
- 25Elneny
- 30Nketiah
- 35Martinelli
- 61Ogungbo
- 69Swanson
- 78Flores
- Referee:
- Paul Tierney
- Attendance:
- 25,149
Live Text
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Match ends, Crystal Palace 3, Arsenal 0.
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Second Half ends, Crystal Palace 3, Arsenal 0.
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Attempt missed. Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Albert Sambi Lokonga.
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Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Foul by Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace).
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Attempt missed. Granit Xhaka (Arsenal) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Gabriel Magalhães.
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Attempt missed. Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
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Foul by Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal).
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Luka Milivojevic (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by Tyrick Mitchell.
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Attempt saved. Granit Xhaka (Arsenal) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Emile Smith Rowe.
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Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal) hits the bar with a right footed shot from outside the box. Assisted by Bukayo Saka.
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Offside, Arsenal. Gabriel Martinelli tries a through ball, but Alexandre Lacazette is caught offside.
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Substitution, Crystal Palace. Luka Milivojevic replaces Cheikhou Kouyaté.
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Offside, Arsenal. Albert Sambi Lokonga tries a through ball, but Bukayo Saka is caught offside.
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Granit Xhaka (Arsenal) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Foul by Granit Xhaka (Arsenal).
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Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Substitution, Crystal Palace. Odsonne Édouard replaces Jordan Ayew.
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Goal! Crystal Palace 3, Arsenal 0. Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner.
- Our coverage of your Premier League club is bigger and better than ever before – here’s everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment
Jean-Philippe Mateta hit his fourth goal of the season to open the scoringArsenal boss Mikel Arteta apologised for his side’s performance in their surprise defeat at Crystal Palace and accepted it was not good enough for the north London club.The visitors had gone into the game looking to move back into the top four and strengthen their hopes of Champions League football.But they were second-best throughout at Selhurst Park as former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira, now in charge of the Eagles, got one over his former side in some style.”It is time to accept the criticism, put your hand up and apologise because this performance was not good enough for this club, but then react,” Arteta said.”From the beginning we were not at the races. When you come here you have to compete, you have to win duels and second balls and be aggressive and we were none of those.”The Gunners would have moved above rivals Tottenham with victory or even a draw but fell behind early on through Jean-Philippe Mateta’s header following a free-kick.Things got worse for the visitors a few minutes later when Jordan Ayew got away from two Arsenal defenders and bent a shot beyond Aaron Ramsdale.Arsenal showed some improvement after the break and should have at least got one back as Martin Odegaard shot wide when unmarked inside the box, while Eddie Nketiah hit the woodwork.Palace made sure of a hugely impressive win when Wilfried Zaha was brought down inside the box late on and the forward stepped up to convert the penalty.The victory, Palace’s first at home in the league in 2022, moves them up to ninth while Arsenal remain fifth and outside the top four on goal difference, albeit with a game in hand.Tierney injury does not look good – ArtetaRead reaction to Crystal Palace’s game with ArsenalGo straight to all the best Crystal Palace contentVisit our Arsenal pageAn opportunity missed by ArsenalA dreadful start to the season had seen the Gunners briefly flirting with the relegation places but they have been transformed as the campaign has gone on.They went into this game knowing they had a huge opportunity to put themselves in the driving seat for Champions League football next season with a win and they had every right to feel confident of getting it on the back of six wins in their last seven games.But they never got going against a tenacious Palace side as they lacked the same level of aggression as their hosts.Listen: Football Daily podcast – reaction as Palace thrash ArsenalArsenal have that game in a hand over Tottenham, so still have the opportunity to make amends for this poor performance and recent form suggests this display was an outlier.However, Arteta knows they will need to show significant improvement in the coming games to ensure they end the season in the top four, particularly after Spurs thrashed Newcastle 5-1 on Sunday.To make matters worse, Arsenal could be without full-back Kieran Tierney for a period of time as he missed the game with a knee injury, while midfielder Thomas Partey went off injured in the second half.Vieira gets one over his old team in some stylePatrick Vieira’s side have lost only one of their past 11 matches in all competitionsPalace boss Vieira is a club legend at Arsenal following many years of dominating the middle of the park for the Gunners, and he came within seconds of a famous win at the home of his former side in October.Back then, an injury-time equaliser by Alexandre Lacazette broke Palace fans’ hearts but there was nothing to spoil the party this time as Palace produced a stunning display.They were more aggressive than Arsenal and showed more desire, with every single member of the Palace team playing their part in what is undoubtedly one of the standout results of Vieira’s impressive reign at Selhurst Park.”It was a really good team performance,” said Vieria. “There have been games where we performed well but didn’t take our chances but in this game we performed well from the start and we managed to win the game and not concede.”I don’t think it is the best performance, it is the performance we want and expect. At the beginning of the season we had some highs and lows. This time we played well from the first minute and I am really proud of the players.”Our objective now is to try and perform like that and that is the challenge for us.”Player of the matchGallagherConor Gallagherwith an average of 8.41Crystal PalaceSquad number23Player nameGallagherSquad number14Player nameMatetaSquad number11Player nameZahaSquad number16Player nameAndersenSquad number9Player nameJ AyewSquad number3Player nameMitchellSquad number6Player nameGuéhiSquad number8Player nameKouyatéSquad number15Player nameSchluppSquad number17Player nameClyneSquad number18Player nameMcArthurSquad number13Player nameGuaitaSquad number22Player nameÉdouardSquad number4Player nameMilivojevicArsenalSquad number35Player nameGabriel MartinelliSquad number32Player nameRamsdaleSquad number7Player nameSakaSquad number30Player nameNketiahSquad number10Player nameSmith RoweSquad number17Player nameCédric SoaresSquad number4Player nameWhiteSquad number34Player nameXhakaSquad number23Player nameSambi LokongaSquad number8Player nameØdegaardSquad number6Player nameGabriel MagalhãesSquad number5Player nameParteySquad number9Player nameLacazetteSquad number20Player nameNuno TavaresLine-upsCrystal PalaceFormation 4-2-3-113Guaita17Clyne16Andersen6Guéhi3Mitchell8Kouyaté15Schlupp9J Ayew23Gallagher11Zaha14Mateta13Guaita17Clyne16Andersen6Guéhi3Mitchell8KouyatéSubstituted forMilivojevicat 80’minutes15Schlupp9J AyewSubstituted forÉdouardat 76’minutes23Gallagher11Zaha14MatetaSubstituted forMcArthurat 69’minutesSubstitutes1Butland2Ward4Milivojevic5Tomkins10Eze12Hughes18McArthur20Benteke22ÉdouardArsenalFormation 4-2-3-132Ramsdale17Cédric Soares4White6Gabriel20Tavares5Partey34Xhaka7Saka8Ødegaard10Smith Rowe9Lacazette32Ramsdale17Cédric SoaresSubstituted forNketiahat 66’minutes4White6Gabriel20TavaresSubstituted forMartinelliat 45’minutes5ParteyBooked at 53minsSubstituted forSambi Lokongaat 74’minutes34XhakaBooked at 77mins7Saka8Ødegaard10Smith Rowe9LacazetteSubstitutes1Leno16Holding23Sambi Lokonga25Elneny30Nketiah35Martinelli61Ogungbo69Swanson78FloresReferee:Paul TierneyAttendance:25,149Live TextMatch ends, Crystal Palace 3, Arsenal 0.Second Half ends, Crystal Palace 3, Arsenal 0.Attempt missed. Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Albert Sambi Lokonga.Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the attacking half.Foul by Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace).Attempt missed. Granit Xhaka (Arsenal) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Gabriel Magalhães.Attempt missed. Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.Foul by Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal).Luka Milivojevic (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick in the defensive half.Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by Tyrick Mitchell.Attempt saved. Granit Xhaka (Arsenal) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Emile Smith Rowe.Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal) hits the bar with a right footed shot from outside the box. Assisted by Bukayo Saka.Offside, Arsenal. Gabriel Martinelli tries a through ball, but Alexandre Lacazette is caught offside.Substitution, Crystal Palace. Luka Milivojevic replaces Cheikhou Kouyaté.Offside, Arsenal. Albert Sambi Lokonga tries a through ball, but Bukayo Saka is caught offside.Granit Xhaka (Arsenal) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.Foul by Granit Xhaka (Arsenal).Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick in the defensive half.Substitution, Crystal Palace. Odsonne Édouard replaces Jordan Ayew.Goal! Crystal Palace 3, Arsenal 0. Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner.Our coverage of your Premier League club is bigger and better than ever before – here’s everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment