Crystal Palace scored two goals against Arsenal with four shots on goal.
Even though they ultimately missed out on a Carabao Cup semi-final, their clinical finishing was more proof that their offense is getting back to its peak at the end of the previous season.
Oliver Glasner’s selection of a lineup that included just one forced change from the team that so convincingly defeated Brighton on Sunday demonstrated how seriously he was taking Wednesday’s match at Emirates Stadium.
That, along with the fact that they led until 53 minutes thanks to Jean-Philippe Mateta’s early strike, made their final 3-2 loss to a heavily-rotated Arsenal all the more painful.
Glasner found solace in Mateta’s performance after four minutes after Dean Henderson’s hoofed ball forward, even though they were unable to secure their first semi-final berth in the competition since 2012. And how flawless Eddie Nketiah’s headed finish against his old team was with five minutes remaining.
Glasner, who was dissatisfied with other elements of his team’s performance, stated, “One of the positive things about today is that we were very efficient.”
They “lost the ball too easily, played too slowly, didn’t demand the ball,” in his opinion, but their finishing was flawless once they found the perfect positions.
With just two losses in their previous ten games, Palace is suddenly improving after spending a large portion of the season in the relegation zone.
Although Mateta isn’t having as successful of a season as he did last year—he probably missed Michael Olise’s incredible deliveries into the box—the victory at Ipswich and the early goal at Arsenal will have given him a lot of confidence back.
Nketiah’s late header is no different. Although he has struggled to acquire playing time lately, he ascended to the top so forcefully that he managed to pass David Raya and surpass William Saliba and Jakub Kiwior. Three months and one day after his first goal, he scored his second with the Eagles.
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