Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace: Winners and Losers from Premier League
Arsenal missed the chance to move back into third place in the Premier League after Crystal Palace held them to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
The Gunners broke the deadlock in first-half injury time when Alexis Sanchez scored his third goal in as many league games.
But, despite dominating possession and territory, the hosts failed to find a way to score more than once.
The Eagles got back on level terms in the 81st minute when former Arsenal player Emmanuel Adebayor set up the opportunity for Yannick Bolasie to fire in a shot from outside the area.
The point means Arsenal remain behind third-place Manchester City, who had leapfrogged them courtesy of a 3-0 win over Chelsea on Saturday, on goal difference.
Here, Bleacher Report picks out the winners and losers from the London derby.
Winner: Alexis Sanchez
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Alexis Sanchez was the one shining light for Arsenal on a dismal afternoon.
According to WhoScored.com, he took five shots and made three key passes. Had the rest of the home side been as proactive and positive, the outcome might have been different.
Picked out by Danny Welbeck's floated pass, Sanchez steered a header over onrushing goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey to put the home side ahead late in the first half.
Per OptaJoe on Twitter, the in-form Chile forward has now scored or assisted seven goals in his last six Premier League games (four goals, three assists).
Loser: Petr Cech
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Having sat on the bench for the 3-3 draw with West Ham United last time out, Petr Cech returned to Arsenal's starting lineup for the clash with Crystal Palace.
The goalkeeper—now fully recovered from a calf injury—had little to do during the match.
Perhaps it was a lack of activity that led to the former Chelsea player being caught out by Yannick Bolasie. The winger's shot was well struck, but a keeper of Cech's quality would expect to keep it out.
Cutting in from the left wing, Bolasie seemed to be lining up a curling attempt with his right foot. Instead, he fired in an effort toward the near post that Cech could only palm into the net.
Despite their dominance, Arsenal had been hit by a sucker punch. For the second straight outing, they surrendered a lead and had to settle for a point.
Cech told the Premier League's official Twitter feed: "We should have seen the game out. This is obviously two dropped points and it's disappointing."
Winner: Emmanuel Adebayor
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The boos from Arsenal fans don't seem to bother Emmanuel Adebayor too much.
The striker assisted on Crystal Palace's equaliser at the Emirates. After stretching his legs with a long run down the left wing, he held the ball up while waiting for support.
Yannick Bolasie arrived on the scene, accepting a pass from the Eagles substitute before going on to rifle a low drive beyond Petr Cech.
Arsenal can hardly say they weren't warned about Adebayor. Their manager, Arsene Wenger, had written in his programme notes (h/t Joe Short of the Sunday Express): "He is quite quick with the balls over the top which means on counter attacks he can be dangerous as well."
According to OptaJoe on Twitter, Adebayor has now had a hand in four goals in his last four Premier League appearances at Arsenal's ground.
Loser: Arsene Wenger
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Arsene Wenger must now focus on making sure he steers the Gunners to a top-four finish.
The 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace leaves them 13 points behind Premier League leaders Leicester City with just five games remaining in the season.
In other words, forget about Arsenal making a late charge for the title.
Instead, they should be looking over their shoulder as the race to qualify for next season's Champions League heats up down the stretch.
Fifth-placed Manchester United's win over Aston Villa on Saturday means the gap to Arsenal now sits at three points (although the London club do have a superior goal difference).
There's no time to sulk, however. Wenger must quickly get his players ready for Thursday's clash with West Bromwich Albion.
The Frenchman said in his post-match press conference, per Arsenal's official Twitter feed: "We need to repair the mental damage and focus on the next game."
Winner: Alan Pardew
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The outlook suddenly looks much brighter for Crystal Palace and their manager, Alan Pardew.
Sure, the Eagles have only managed one Premier League victory in 2016. However, they're now unbeaten in three outings, picking up five points in that run to create some breathing room at the bottom of the table.
The point at the Emirates was a smash-and-grab special.
The central-defensive pairing of Scott Dann and Damien Delaney was excellent, while goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey made a crucial block in the second half.
Having soaked up so much pressure, the visitors then caught their opponents on the break.
The result is a real boost ahead of a big week. There is a Premier League trip to Manchester United in midweek to come and then an FA Cup semi-final next Sunday against Watford.
With a nine-point cushion over 18th-placed Sunderland, Pardew can now afford to rest some of his key players for the fixture at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
