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The updated Premier League table
Liverpool need a point at home to Spurs on Sunday to get the job done.
Jean-Philippe Mateta’s reaction
I watched the game from the bench and I saw that David Raya was very high [up the pitch] so I knew if we won the ball in that area he wouldn’t be in his goal.
[Is this one of the best goals of your career?] Yeah I think so. [Laughs] Yes. Yeah!
I was scared it would hit the crossbar so I was just waiting to see if it went in.
Today was a good game for us. I think we have confidence [going into the weekend]. It’s a very good game for the fans, for us, for everybody. I can’t wait.
Fourteen goals [this season] is good but I hope I will score a lot more. I’m very happy, thank you!
Ed Aarons was at the Emirates for us – here’s his report.
Liverpool must wait until Sunday to become champions. But my word, Crystal Palace came so close to a mighty victory at the Emirates. They were supposed to phone this game in, with the FA Cup semi-final less than three days away, but they were outstanding and probably should have won.
Arsenal led twice through Jakub Kiwior and Leandro Trossard; Palace equalised through a brilliant goal from Ebere Eze and an even better one from the substitution Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Arsenal’s William Saliba (left) and Jakub Kiwior look dejected after the final whistle. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images/Reuters
90+7 min Time’s running out for Arsenal/Palace/Liverpool.
90+5 min Palace send almost everyone forward for a long throw from Lerma. He undercuts it and the ball goes behind for a goalkick.
90+2 min Jean-Philippe Mateta has been rampant since coming off the bench. Right now Palace are the likelier winners.
90+1 min: Another chance for Palace! Mateta gets to the byline on the right and cuts the ball back to Sarr, whose shot on the run is crucially blocked by Saliba. I think that was going in. Arsenal go down the other end and Martinelli drags a shot wide of the near post.
Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli fires off a left foot shot which goes wide of the Crystal Palace goal. Photograph: Ian Walton/AP
90 min There will be eight minutes of added time.
89 min Oliver Glasner is bouncing round the touchline, urging his team to keep pushing. Whatever happens from here, this performance will give them a big morale boost ahead of the FA Cup semi-final.
88 min This would be Arsenal’s 13th and Palace’s 12th draws of the league season. Only Everton (14) have more.
87 min A reminder, just in case you need it, that Liverpool will be crowned champions if Palace win this game.
86 min: Double substitution for Arsenal Ethan Nwaneri and Kieran Tierney replace Martin Odegaard, who is starting for form, and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Saliba played a lazy square pass to Odegaard 25 yards from his own goal. Mateta nipped in, held off Odegaard and stunned a beautiful chip on the turn that beat Raya and went into the net off the underside of the bar.
Raya was a long way to the left of centre, offering himself for a pass, but he was getting back and would have made the save but for the precision and imagination of Mateta’s finish.
Arsenal keeper David Raya watches as Jean-Philippe Mateta’s shot creeps into the top corner to put Crystal Palace back on level terms. Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Mateta celebrates. Photograph: Tony O’Brien/Reuters
Jean-Philippe Mateta scores a magnificent equaliser!
Which pleases the Crystal Palace fans. Photograph: Tony O’Brien/Reuters
82 min Sarr sweeps over from 15 yards at the other end. This has been such a fun game.
81 min Rice’s deep corner is headed down and into the side netting by Trossard. That was a chance.
81 min: Double substitution for Palace Jean-Philippe Mateta and Romain Esse replace Eddie Nketiah, who gets a great hand from the home crowd, and Justin Devenny.
80 min: Fine save by Henderson! Martinelli runs Munoz and clips a cross towards Saka, whose instinctive volley from six yards is punched over the bar by Henderson. That’s a superb reaction save.
Crystal Palace’s keeper Dean Henderson saves from Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka. Photograph: Tony O’Brien/Reuters
79 min After a good spell of Arsenal possession, Odegaard belts a low shot from distance that is blocked by Kamada.
76 min Sarr finds the indefatigable Mitchell on the overlap, but his cross is too close to Raya.
73 min: No goal! Ah, there was angle that showed the ball was out of play before Timber crossed. So the goal was disallowed correctly, but for the wrong reason (an offside that wasn’t).
72 min The scoreboard at the Emirates says the check is for offside against Timber rather than whether the ball was still in play.
71 min This goal might be given. It’s hard to be certain but it looks to the naked eye that it was still in play when Timber crossed.
70 min Odegaard’s first-time shot from the edge of the area is accidentally blocked by Rice. Moments later Martinelli scores from Timber’s cross but the assistant rules the ball had gone out before Timber lobbed it over the head of Henderson. It looks close.
68 min Palace really should be level – at least.
67 min: How did that stay out! Another Palace corner is swung deep and headed back across the goalline by Lacroix. It goes through the hands of Raya, who has had a really bad night, and brushed the head of the unsighted Sarr before bouncing just wide of the far post.
Arsenal keeper David Raya (third left) does just enough flapping to put off Ismaila Sarr of Crystal Palace (second right) . Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA
65 min The resulting corner is taken by Kamada and headed towards goal by Guehi (I think) at the near post. Raya dives to his right to make a smart reaction save.
65 min: Chance for Palace! Sarr’s cross finds Devenny unmarked eight yards out. He stoops for a header but mistimes it and shoulders the ball up in the air. Raya takes no chances and tips it over the bar.
63 min: Crystal Palace substitutions Will Hughes and Ismaila Sarr replace Adam Wharton and Ebere Eze, who added to an already outstanding showreel with a nonchalant first-half volley.
60 min: Arsenal substitution Bukayo Saka replaces Raheem Sterling, who struggled to make much of an impact.
58 min Mitchell’s very deep cross is clawed away desperately but crucially by Raya, with Devenny and Munoz waiting behind him.
Arsenal’s David Raya claws the ball away as Crystal Palace’s Justin Devenny looks on. Photograph: Tony O’Brien/Reuters
57 min Arsenal have had a lot of the ball since half-time but it still doesn’t feel like they have the game under their control. There’s a breezy menace to Palace whenever they attack.
55 min “As an Arsenal fan, I have somewhat opposing goals for the rest of the league season,” writes Zach Neeley. “Get Liverpool crowned as soon as possible so that the party has passed and Arsenal’s trip to Anfield in a few weeks feels less like being walked in front of a Roman triumph, and make sure we still finish above City. 2nd vs 3rd is fairly meaningless except to not finish ahead of them in their worst season in a decade would hurt.”
54 min Timber is still on the field and has just made a good tackle on Mitchell, so you’d assume he’s okay.
52 min “Ok,” says Matt Dony. “I’ve finally (grudgingly) just about overcome the natural inclination towards pessimism. I’ll accept that Liverpool will almost certainly win the league. (I mean, if they can’t beat this Spurs team at home, they don’t deserve it anyway!) So, I’d rather see Liverpool go out and win it on Sunday than see Arsenal lose it today. Don’t get me wrong, however it happens, it will be magnificent. But there’s a romance to sealing the deal at Anfield. I suppose what I’m saying is (and this is a rare thing), Come on, Arsenal!”
51 min Timber is limping a little after getting his foot stuck as he tried to turn. That’s a concern, especially as Ben White is unavailable through injury tonight.
50 min Henderson hurt his shoulder when he ran into Nketiah but he’s okay to continue.
48 min A dodgy punch from Henderson leads to a scramble in the six-yard box. The ball is eventually cleared off the line by Lacroix, though I think a foul had been given (wrongly because he jumped into his own player) for a foul on Henderson.
Crystal Palace’s keeper Dean Henderson collies with teammate Eddie Nketiah as they both attempt to clear the ball at Arsenal. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images/Reuters
47 min Devenny is booked for a foul on Lewis-Skelly.
46 min Peep peep! The second half is under way.
For an apparently meaningless game, that was loads of fun. Jakub Kiwior put Arsenal ahead with a mighty header, Ebere Eze equalised deservedly with a superb volley and Leandro Trossard squeezed Arsenal back in front just before half-time.
Liverpool will probably have to wait another three days before they are crowned champions. But it’s not a done deal, not after that Palace performance in the first half.
45+2 min Rice is booked for a foul on Nketiah.
45+2 min Both keepers get in a tangle in the space of about 10 seconds. Martinelli had a chance that he poked straight at Henderson, though he may have been offside.
Raya has been unusually jittery in Arsenal’s goal.
45+1 min Two minutes of added fun.
45 min Another good move from Palace ends with Guehi – on the edge of the box in open play – having a shot blocked by Kiwior.
Timber moved forward and cracked a fast pass into Trossard on the edge of the area. He turned smartly to make just enough room for a shot that took a nick off Lacroix and beat Henderson in the corner. A bit of luck with the finish but he was really sharp in the way he made the space.
Leandro Trossard of Arsenal scores their second goal to regain the lead against Crystal Palace Photograph: Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Trossard celebrates. Photograph: David Price/Arsenal FC/Getty Images
Leandro Trossard restores Arsenal’s lead with another smart finish.
Which pleases his manager Mikel Arteta. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images/Reuters
41 min Sterling’s fine.
40 min Eze kicks the ball out of play with Sterling on the ground after a challenge from Guehi.
38 min The Emirates has gone pretty quiet. I think everyone is a bit surprised by the quality and urgency of Palace’s performance given the proximity to their FA Cup semi-final.
35 min A quiet few minutes since Eze’s equaliser.
32 min The xG as per Sky Sports: Arsenal 0.13-1.05 Palace.
32 min “I’m assuming that Mikel Merino’s nickname is ‘Dan’,” says Mac Millings. “But, more importantly, please tell me that Nwaneri’s is ‘Claudio’.”
Surely Merino’s is San?
31 min The result corner is punched away unconvincingly by Raya to Eze, whose floated shot from 20 yards drifts over the bar.
30 min: Vital block by Kiwior! It’s all Palace now. Eze runs onto a crossfield pass and cushions it infield to Nketiah, six yards out but with his goal. He hits a shot on the turn that Kiwior blocks crucially with his trailing leg; I don’t think Raya would have saved it.
Wharton drove the corner towards the unmarked Eze on the edge of the area. He ran round the ball, twisted his body to ensure he could get over it and slammed a volley into the ground. It kicked up through the crowd, beat the diving Raya and went into the net via the inside of the post. Outstanding goal.
Eberechi Eze of Crystal Palace fires his shot goalwards, via the turf … Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
The bounce takes the ball awary from Arsenal keeper David Raya (right) and Palace are back on level terms. Photograph: Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images
Eze (left) celebrates with Daniel Munoz. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images/Reuters
Ebere Eze in utterly brilliant goal shocker.
26 min Munoz finds the underlapping Kamada, who wins a corner off Rice. Sounds weird to say, given the score, but I’d give Palace more chance of victory now than I did at the start of the game; they’ve been excellent.
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