Thanks for joining me today!
Hopefully someone else thought the second one was a penalty, otherwise I might have to end my career even sooner than I thought.
If you still need a further football fix, Simon Burnton is manning Manchester United v Everton:
Here is Dominic Fifield’s report from Selhurst Park.
He’s just a clever footballer ...
11 - Since the start of 2014-15, only Jamie Vardy (13) has won more penalties in the Premier League than Wilfried Zaha (11 - level with Raheem Sterling). Tripped. #CRYARS pic.twitter.com/mIx26YZ7Ph
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 28, 2018
He has earned an actual foul through intelligence, rather than “deceived” the ref. It might not be the most clear cut penalty but it was a legitimate foul.
@Will_Unwin re Zaha and doing what you can within the law: deceiving the ref isn't within the law, that's the point. I wish people would stop making excuses for him.
— Solaire \[T]/ 🎮🌹🍕 (@STrenery) October 28, 2018
Alex Scott explains that Xhaka is clumsy on the penalty, so I am being proven right on the pen. I am claiming it.
Milivojevic showed some bottle today.
“I think at least we deserved a point,” he told Sky Sports.
“I didn’t have doubts but you feel more pressure after last week when I missed.
“I think I decided good, I put good power through the ball. These two goals I dedicate to my teammates.”
Andrew also asks: “Will, but it is cheating, isn’t it? Let’s call it what it is.”
It’s professional football, you do what you can within the law.
Xhaka will get his plaudits for his free-kick, which was superbly struck. Hennessey didn’t seem to anticipate it coming his way as it flew into the top corner.
We are probably going to have to talk a lot about Zaha’s efforts in the box. Xhaka was static when Zaha went past him, fully knowledge that making contact with the makeshift left-back would give him the chance of a penalty. In the top level of the game, where small margins matter, I think it is pretty clever and was a penalty.
Full-time: Crystal Palace 2-2 Arsenal
Crystal Palace get their first goals at home to earn a point and Arsenal end their winning run in an entertaining game at Selhurst Park.
Milivojevic showed his courage to step up and score the opener from the spot after last week’s vital penalty miss at Everton. Arsenal only played in stages and did not deserve a win here, if we’re all being honest and the second penalty allowed Palace to collect a fully merited point.
Updated
Will asks about Zaha being “clever”: “Is it though Will? It’s cheating pure and simple - will he get a ban? Doubt it.”
There is a leg there to go over, he makes contact and a penalty can be argued. He won the penalty, so he has done it well.
90+2 min: Xhaka lines up a free-kick form 30 yards but he fires it well over the bar.
90+1 min: Emery gets the ball back into play as he urges his players forward. Torreira shows similar determination to get the ball back from Van Aanholt before being fouled by Puncheon.
90 min: Four minutes added on.
89 min: Xhaka decides to show his right foot works by cutting in from the left to curl in a lovely cross which an unmarked Ramsey dips under and the ball just calmly bounces into Hennessey’s waiting arms.
87 min: Van Aanholt lines up a shot from 25 yards, which he drags wide. I think it hit Mustafi but the referee does not think it did and does not award a corner.
Puncheon on for Kouyate here.
85 min: Zaha knows what he is doing in those positions, doesn’t he? He has had a tough day against a number of Arsenal defenders who have been pretty physical with him. He knows how to win a penalty and that was a prime example of seeing the leg stuck out and going over it. Clever, really.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 2-2 Arsenal (Milivojevic, pen, 83)
The Palace skipper smashes the ball just a few inches above Leno’s left hand as he dives to his right to level the scores.
Updated
82 min: Meyer attempts an overhead kick but misses the ball, allowing Arsenal to clear and instigate a counterattack, which breaks down in the Palace box.
The Palace run down the other end, with Zaha being taken down by Xhaka in the box for another penalty. He bought that one, I think.
80 min: Finally Lichtsteiner goes into the book. Naturally, it is for a late foul on Zaha. The Swiss defender was never going to catch Zaha there and just took him down around the ankles to make sure he didn’t get past him.
The free-kick comes to nothing after Van-Aanholt smashes a shot out for a throw-in. Arsenal try to claim it was a free-kick in a cheeky, time-wasting fashion. Nice try, lads.
78 min: Appeals for handball after Wan-Bissaka gets round the back and sends in a cross which hit Holding right in the hip. Good call from the officials.
Aubameyang exits the pitch, through the pouring rain, to be replaced by Ramsey.
76 min: Zaha is taken down by Torreira and then has a few verbals with Martin Atkinson who points out it merits nothing more than a foul.
Lichtsteiner is then called for a late challenge on Meyer but is once again not booked.
74 min: Sorloth puts Mustafi under pressure, which is a wise thing to do, forcing him to play it back to Leno, who clears up field.
Down the other end, Iwobi fires in a shot from 20 yards, which is deflected just wide of goal for a corner.
Duncan has been in touch: “I’d find it very frustrating to play with Zaha. He seems to have a need to stop every time he loses the ball, miskicks, or something else goes wrong, which is often.”
Being Jordan Ayew must be pretty frustrating in general.
72 min: Things are hotting up at Selhurst Park. The sun is out and the home fans are trying to will their team on for an equaliser.
70 min: Wan-Bissaka’s cross is cleared out to Milivojevic 25 yards out but his volley goes well over the bar.
Ben ponders: “Apart from the occasional banger from 25 yards, what exactly is it about Xhaka that gets him into the team every week? I feel like I’m missing a subtlety of his game that only a Wenger or an Emery could understand.”
To be fair, he is only playing today as no other left-footed players are available.
68 min: Zaha is once again the man causing trouble as he commits a number of defenders inside the box, but his shot is blocked by Lichtsteiner. He then retrieves the loose ball and tees up Meyer but he volleys over from close range.
Welbeck comes on for Ozil, who has been very quiet.
Updated
66 min: Arsenal are set to bring on their midweek matchwinner, Danny Welbeck, as they look to stretch the Palace defence for the remaining 25 minutes.
64 min: Zaha is unhappy with the treatment from Lichtsteiner, after the Swiss fouled the winger from behind. Zaha squared up to his opponent but things quickly calm down.
The resulting free-kick ends up with Meyer inside the box after Arsenal fail to clear but from an acute angle all he can do is hit the outside of the post.
Ayew is off, which is a relief.
62 min: A first change for Palace as Meyer comes on for McArthur who really has made no impact today. He should provide a bit more energy to the midfield. Sorloth is also readying himself.
60 min: Arsenal are now looking a bit more relaxed on the ball at Selhurst after manic five minutes or so.
58 min: Well ... this game has been turned on its head in a short space of time. Arsenal really do the love the second halfs.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal (Aubameyang, 56)
Xhaka swings in a free-kick which was flicked to the back post via Lacazette’s hand and Ayew head, before arriving at Aubameyang at the back post, from where he stabbed it home, which just made it over the line.
The Palace players are not happy with the involvement of Lacazette’s hand.
Updated
54 min: All a bit silly from Palace to bring that needless pressure on themselves and they were punished in the worst way possible.
Charles asks: “Whatever it is that Emery has been putting in their tea at half-times, he’d better double to dose this time to wake them up, and perhaps three extra spoons of sugar for Mesut Ozil.”
Xhaka certainly had some.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-1 Arsenal (Xhaka, 52)
What a hit! Xhaka smashes a free-kick from the left-hand edge of the area across Hennessey and into the top corner. He struck that very well!
The free-kick arrived after Palace tried to play their way out of danger and Milivojevic was beaten to the ball by Torreira on the edge of the area, resulting in the Palace midfielder gaining revenge by fouling the Uruguayan.
Updated
49 min: Bellerin was forced off with an injury at the break, which is no surprise. Nothing of note has happened in the half thus far.
47 min: A pretty quiet start to the half here. Arsenal have scored 10 goals in the second half of Premier League games this season, so they will be hoping for more of that.
Second-half
Here we go again!
Lichtsteiner is coming on for Arsenal. Bellerin is the one heading off. It must be an injury, no?
Matthew makes a good point: “Aubameyang’s lack of service. Having a makeshift left-back can’t help, but it also doesn’t help that both Guendouzi and Torreira are right-footers, and their natural instinct in possession appears to be to distribute the ball to the right-flank or right centre-back. Neither seem comfortable attempting to swing the ball to the left, leaving Aubameyang isolated.”
Will we see any Arsenal changes? I think Mkhitaryan might be on soon for either Aubameyang or Iwobi. But we shall see.
Something to celebrate for Palace ...
417 - Luka Milivojevic's penalty ended a run of 417 minutes (six hours, 57 mins) without a goal at Selhurst Park for Crystal Palace in the Premier League. Slotted. pic.twitter.com/PyhqkCpf2a
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 28, 2018
Not sure what Mustafi was hoping to achieve by blindly sliding into that challenge there. I am not sure he knows either.
Updated
Half-time: Crystal Palace 1-0 Arsenal
What a time to score! Milivojevic showed bottle to step up and place the penalty right into the corner. Utter stupidity from Mustafi, but you get that sometimes.
Palace were the better team for the majority of the half and should have been ahead earlier in truth. Hopefully this will mean that Arsenal will come out with more intent after the break.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-0 Arsenal (Milivojevic, pen, 45+1)
He may have missed one last week but there is no mistake on this occasion as the Palace skipper steps up and sends Leno to the right, while the ball slides just inside the opposite post to give Palace the lead.
Updated
45 min: There is a bit of pinball in the box and eventually Mustafi slides in to take Kouyate from behind to give away a pen.
44 min: I’ve never been much of a Jordan Ayew fan and today is proving why. A couple of silly fouls, an inability to hold up play and he doesn’t seem to have been in a dangerous position all day. Cue him scoring immediately ...
42 min: Arsenal still not going at their usual tempo here. They will be the happier when the half-time whistle goes.
40 min: The ball is sent through for Ayew to chase against Mustafi but the striker ends up going down quite easily when in the vicinity of the German inside the area. Martin Atkinson waves away the penalty claims.
38 min: The weather seems to have turned at Selhurst Park and it is making Emery look especially miserable on the sidelines. Not helped by Lacazette sending the ball straight out of play when in a dangerous position.
36 min: Wan-Bissaka is good, isn’t he? The full-back has stopped Iwobi and Aubameyang in their tracks, he has looked dangerous going forward and has even broken up a counterattack.
Updated
34 min: Hennessey comes 12 yards out of his goal to claim a long, straight free-kick from Ozil to ensure there is no danger. The Welshman has had nothing to do in the opening 30-odd minutes, so he is probably just a little bored.
32 min: Aubameyang has not really got into the game here so far. He is playing off the left and maybe due to Xhaka’s involvement, not much of the ball is coming his way.
30 min: Kouyate battles with Xhaka down the right but the makeshift full-back holds his own and sees the ball out of play. The Palace man is not happy with this and squares up to the Swiss international for some reason but it all ends amicably.
Elsewhere: Chelsea are winning 1-0 at Burnley thanks to a Morata goal.
Updated
28 min: Guendouzi thinks running through the Palace midfield is achievable but instead he takes an embarrassingly heavy touch, instigating a counter from Palace, only for Arsenal to clear the danger.
26 min: Milivojevic swings in a cross but Arsenal clear and break, only for Wan Bissaka to stretch and block a dangerous through ball.
24 min: Arsenal are now the better team here. Ozil does well down the right before picking out Bellerin in the box, but the Spaniard takes too many touches, allowing Wan Bissaka to recover and block the delayed shot on goal.
23 min: Lacazette makes the most of a couple mistakes from the Palace defence, as Milivojevic is first dispossessed by Iwobi and then the loose ball is only half cleared by Sakho into the path of his compatriot who sent his shot wide, when stretching.
Updated
21 min: “There’s a wall of mint green ahead of him”. It sounds like Andros Townsend has just tried to run through my great aunt’s house in the mid-90s.
19 min: Ayew is a touch late on Torreira on the halfway, clipping the Uruguayan. He quickly apologises, knowing full well he’s already in the book. It might have been a first yellow if it wasn’t for his previous indiscretion.
17 min: Arsenal are looking a touch slow today but they have the ability to switch things up at a moment’s notice, which must be something they’re relying on here.
15 min: A Townsend cross made it all the way to Zaha at the back post, but his low drive from 10 yards strikes the base of the post and bounces away.
Townsend has his own chance moments later when Zaha and Van Aanholt combine, allowing the Dutchman to cross for Townsend who diverts his shot wide from close range.
Updated
14 min: Xhaka thwacks one across the pitch to Bellerin, to show off his range of passing but things are a little slow from Arsenal. The visitors seem to be struggling to find gaps in the Palace defence. Arsenal take their first shot through Iwobi from the edge of the area but it goes well wide. To be honest, it might have been a cross.
12 min: Palace look the more intense in general but Torreira and Guendouzi are showing they are up for the fight in the middle of the park.
10 min: Milivojevic chips one over the top for Ayew to chase but Leno comes sprinting out of his goal to clear the danger a few yards outside of his area. Pretty tame stuff so far, really.
8 min: Two corners from Palace in the end came to nothing, with the second landing in Leno’s hands, allowing him to start a counterattack, which results in Ayew going into the book for taking down Lacazette from behind despite there being no danger.
6 min: Once again it is Zaha causing the danger for Palace, as he runs at Bellerin and Mustafi, with the latter eventually blocking the cross out for a corner.
4 min: Zaha got the better of Iwobi and Guendouzi before being fouled midway inside the Arsenal half, which might be a sign of things to come. Arsenal look a touch more worried when the ball is at Zaha’s feet.
Updated
2 min: Arsenal are easing themselves into the game by knocking the ball around the back without much pressure being put on them. Mustafi is the first man to foul Zaha today.
Supposedly the Arsenal kit is mint green. I would not eat a herb which looked like that.
Kick-off: Crystal Palace v Arsenal
Let’s get ready to rumble!
Updated
Adam has been in touch: “Despite being captain, Mesut Özil was the last player to appear in the queue of Arsenal players. Insert joke here about him going missing at important moments...”
I had to watch the misery of the Fulham defence yesterday, I am just hoping neither side at Selhurst can be that bad at the back, otherwise I will be getting quite angry.
Souness fancies Palace today just because it’s Arsenal. Will he be right?
The players are in the tunnel at Selhurst Park with Milivojevic’s beard looking mighty impressive.
Arsenal’s away kit seems to be turquoise, which is novel. Not sure it does it for me as a kit, I prefer a more aggressive colour.
Kings of the Big Smoke ...
1 - Arsenal have won more points (437) and averaged more points per game (1.81) in Premier League London derbies than any other team. Capital. #CRYARS
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 28, 2018
The Arsenal skipper ...
Öur captain 〽️#CRYARS pic.twitter.com/pByVI9SgCz
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) October 28, 2018
Louis Allen asks: “When you say ‘better than Manchester United once again’ do you mean like in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 when Arsenal finished above United?”
Exactly.
The weather in that there London today has been a pretty mixed, one assumes in protest at the clocks changing. We’ve had bright sunshine and some nasty showers but Selhurst Park seems to be enjoying the former at the moment, which might make it a better game.
Alexandre Lacazette shows off his tattoos.
Mesut Ozil laughs when people say he is a lazy player. He must have done a lot of chuckling in his time. I am a huge Ozil fan and accept he is not always active in proceedings but he can be the man who makes the difference thanks to his intelligence on the pitch.
Roy Hodgson knows it only takes a win to kickstart a season.
“It’s important to get points and we know the games coming up, starting with today, will be difficult,” Hodgson told Sky Sports.
“We understand all you need sometimes is a good result, even if it doesn’t come after a good performance.”
An update on Glenn Hoddle.
I worked with Glenn at ITV for a number of years and he was always open and good to interview before England games. I wish him all the best.
Guendouzi and Torreira are the central midfield pairing for Emery today. Both impressed since arriving over the summer and they were needed at the Emirates. Guendouzi certainly has the quality to become a Premier League stalwart while Torreira is the tough guy that has been missing, the sort of player who can set the tone from midfield.
Arsenal are changing their contract policy ...
Hodgson has suffered a few selection headaches, mainly just trying to work out who might be able to score them a goal. Jordan Ayew is down the middle today, but he is yet to score for the club since joining during the summer. Sorloth is on the bench but Wickham does not make the matchday squad having recently returned to fitness.
The other major selection decision for Emery today was who to play in goal, as Cech has returned to the squad but the head coach has backed Leno.
“I’ve been happy with both in their performances for us,” Emery told Sky Sports.
“Today, I think it is good to continue with Leno because he has put in good performances.”
It looks like Granit Xhaka will be at left-back today due to a lack of Monreal, Kolasinac and Maitland-Niles. He did a job there in the Europa League, so he will be looking to build on that but really is not a long-term option in that role.
The new regime at Arsenal is aiming high. Amy Lawrence spoke to Raúl Sanllehí and Vinai Venkatesham about the future plans for the club.
Teams: Crystal Palace v Arsenal
Crystal Palace: Hennessey, Wan-Bissaka, Tomkins, Sakho, Van Aanholt, Milivojevic, McArthur, Kouyate, Townsend, Zaha, Ayew.
Subs: Guaita, Meyer, Sorloth, Riedwald, Kelly, Puncheon, Schlupp.
Arsenal: Leno, Bellerin, Mustafi, Holding, Guendouzi, Torreira, Xhaka, Ozil, Iwobi, Lacazette, Aubameyang.
Subs: Cech, Ramsey, Sokratis, Welbeck, Mkhitaryan, Lichtsteiner, Smith-Rowe.
Preamble
Good afternoon!
It is a sombre day in the world of football, as we are all aware so the distraction of a match is welcome at this stage, for me at least.
Arsenal are going for 12 wins in a row here! Few at the start of the season will have envisioned that Unai Emery would have such an instant impact after years of stagnation under Arsene Wenger. The Spaniard has imparted a philosophy, reignited the dormant players left by the previous regime and those he’s brought in have made an impact. They might not be genuine title contenders yet but being better than Manchester United once again is a good start. It might have even aided Arsenal that they started with two difficult games so they knew they level they would have to reach, if they had lost to lesser teams than Manchester City and Chelsea while adapting to Emery, the damage might have been longer lasting.
Whereas poor old Crystal Palace have left behind the impetus Roy Hodgson brought last season. They have picked up just a single point from their last four matches, a sign of their struggles, summed up by the fact they are yet to score a single home at goal this season and ending such a run today is not a simple task. Wilfred Zaha is, as usual, the focal point due to the fact no one else is performing for the Eagles. They are keeping their heads above water because they are some poor teams below them but they really to find some form sooner rather than later, otherwise they might as well re-hire Frank De Boer. On the upside, Arsenal might not kick Zaha up in the air every couple of minutes. He might even be treated to playing against the club’s fourth choice left-back, Granit Xhaka.
