...In fact, I normally write these articles just after a game, but the distaste from this match has been so profound that I’ve boycotted even thinking about anything Arsenal.
Being an extreme optimist, I’ve been conjuring scenarios of us overtaking Leicester on the last day of the season to win the title. Leicester dropped points and my mouth started to water. I wish the players performed with that kind of naïve optimism as they put in a stale performance with little fight.
Now the dream of a title has ended and I can merely hope we finish in the top four. Now to the game.
Arsenal played quite well in the first half as Palace were determined to defend in depth and to slow down the Gunners.
Arsenal didn’t create that many golden chances, but they scored just before halftime when Welbeck sent a teasing chip into the area and Alexis headed home past a stranded Hennessy.
The Gunners continued to dominate in the second half, but despite all the possession they failed to create quality chances and rarely tested the keeper.
Then came the equalizer. Bolassie cut inside and hammered a somewhat speculative shot at goal and it went in past a surprised Cech.
The most disconcerting aspect of the game came next as Arsenal were unable to respond. In fact, Palace looked more likely to win the match. The Gunners created no great chances at the end and meekly accepted the single point. Ugly!
Player Ratings:
Cech 5. Petr Cech was supposed to be worth an extra 6 points this season. On this day he cost us 3. He should have made the save, what more can one say. He was not particularly busy either, but it was disappointing to see the ball go in.
Bellerin 5. I won’t blame him for the goal, although he gave Bolassie too much space. What I wasn’t happy to see was his poor crossing of the ball. He had numerous chances to play the ball in and nothing he delivered was received.
Gabriel 6. One of his better games, although he was outmuscled by Wickham on one occasion. Wenger has obviously chosen him over Per, but I’m not convinced.
Koscielny 7. He had a pretty good game and made no mistakes.
Monreal 5. Defensively he was sound, but like Bellerin his crossing was poor.
Coquelin 6. Defensively he played well, but he lacks the offensive touch. A couple of times he overhit the ball.
Elneny 6. He is energetic and works hard, but he lacks creativity. We need something more, something like Santi.
Ozil 6. He had some great moments in the game. The free-kick, the through pass to Welbeck, but his set pieces near the end were disappointing. He was not sharp, making four or five sloppy passes during the match. Mentally, he may have checked out and be thinking about summer. I’d be tempted to play Ramsey in this spot down the stretch.
Sanchez 8. Our most dangerous player, the one who played with the most energy, and the one who scored. Where was he in February?
Welbeck 6. Not as effective as Giroud in holding the ball up. He had a great chance to score early in the match, but couldn’t collect the Ozil pass. Set up the goal with a delicate chip. In the second half, he smashed the ball against Hennessy, but from an acute angle.
Iwobi 6. Played well, but he lacked end product.
Substitutes.
Giroud 5. He made no difference to the game. Struggles to make an impact from the bench.
Ramsey 5. Struggled to make an impact.
Walcott 4. He also struggled to make a difference.