Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace: Score, Reaction from 2016 Premier League Game
A late Yannick Bolasie strike from distance earned Crystal Palace a point with a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday—in a match largely dominated by the Gunners.
A first-half goal from Alexis Sanchez broke the deadlock for Arsenal after the Palace rearguard had frustrated the hosts, but Bolasie's 81st-minute thunderbolt embarrassed the north Londoners and left their top-four place in jeopardy.
It was a strange performance from Arsenal, who lacked energy and purpose, but they did more than enough to earn the points against a Palace side happy to absorb pressure.
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There were few surprises in manager Arsene Wenger's selection, but England striker Danny Welbeck was chosen ahead of Olivier Giroud in attack. Petr Cech was recalled to action in the hosts' goal after sitting out the 3-3 draw against West Ham United, as goalkeeper David Ospina made way.
Palace manager Alan Pardew picked Joe Ledley and Connor Wickham ahead of Wilfried Zaha and Dwight Gayle, respectively, with former Gunners striker Emmanual Adebayor on the bench for the Eagles.
The visitors dug in during the early stages as Wenger's men looked for the early breakthrough. Palace spent most of the first half-hour on the edge of their own box as Arsenal knocked on the door with little success.
Pundit Rodney Marsh was not impressed with the Gunners' early application as they chase the clubs above them:
The north London giants struggled to make their possession pay in the first 30 minutes as they became locked in a midfield tussle with Palace, per the club's official Twitter feed:
The match looked like it was developing into a typically dull end-of-season fixture, which was surprising considering league leaders Leicester had dropped points against West Ham.
The Telegraph provided stats as the first half drew to a close:
The hosts finally took the lead shortly before the half-time whistle as Welbeck retrieved the ball, chipping the perfect pass into Sanchez, who deftly nodded past Wayne Hennessey.
The Chilean superstar kept his cool to finish as a previously subdued home support applauded with relief after a lacklustre display that lacked potency. Arsenal shared an image of Sanchez's goal via their official Twitter account:
The Gunners also shared their team's attacking intent on social media:
Squawka Football gave additional insight into the significance of Sanchez's strike, along with prominent first-half stats:
Arsenal looked more menacing as the second half began, but they once again struggled to hurt the Palace defensive unit.
The Gunners nearly doubled their lead on the hour mark, but Mesut Ozil's curling effort rushed past the wrong side of the post.
Sanchez nearly made it two with 20 minutes of the game remaining, but the attacker's glancing header from a magnificent Ozil cross drifted wide of the target, as the crowd held its breath.
Adebayor made his way onto the pitch with the expected pantomime boos from the home support, but the player initially failed to inspire Palace as Arsenal dominated the ball.
The game appeared to be rolling to an inevitable Gunners victory, but with nine minutes to play, Bolasie fired low past Cech to score the most unlikely of equalisers when the visitors looked dead and buried.
The game epitomised Arsenal's season, and the disappointment continues for the Gunners fans who jeered their players from the pitch at the full-time whistle.
Post-Match Reaction
Wenger was clearly troubled after watching his side drop more points and looked toward the potential psychological damage caused by the result, per the club's official Twitter account:
Palace boss Pardew was delighted after his side battled for a draw at Arsenal, and he explained how his team earned an unlikely point, as quoted by the club's official Twitter feed:
Arsenal are back in action in the Premier League on Thursday, April 21, when they host West Bromwich Albion. Crystal Palace travel to Manchester United in the league on Wednesday, April 20.
