Arsenal's Top 4 Hopes Take Major Blow After Shock 3-2 Loss to Crystal Palace

Arsenal's hopes for a top-four finish in the Premier League suffered a surprising setback when Crystal Palace left the Emirates Stadium with a 3-2 win on Sunday.  

Goals from Christian Benteke, Wilfried Zaha and James McArthur were enough for the Eagles to win, even though Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang found the net for the Gunners.

Arsenal stay fourth despite the defeat, but the initiative has been handed to Chelsea in the race to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League. The Blues can move three points above the Gunners with a win over Burnley on Monday, although Arsenal will have played a game less.

Samuel Umtiti has to be Arsenal's Summer Priority

Head coach Unai Emery should use highlights of this game to convince Arsenal's decision-makers to invest all of this summer's transfer budget on Barcelona centre-back Samuel Umtiti.

Specifically, Emery can use the lowlights of Shkodran Mustafi's disasterclass at the back as definitive proof for why the Gunners can't pinch the pennies when it comes to finally fixing a woeful defence.

Watching Mustafi be chiefly responsible for the three goals the hosts shipped has to be enough to finally force major investment in genuine quality at the centre-back position. Mustfi was missing in action as Benteke headed in the opener and was beaten too easily by McArthur for the third.

In between, he dozed off to allow Zaha to beat him to a ball he should simply have rolled back to goalkeeper Bernd Leno. The lively winger gleefully accepted the gift, just the latest present Mustafi has handed out to opposing forward lines.

Instead of trying to find gems or even paying a little extra for second-tier defenders, Arsenal need a proven commodity to fortify a leaky unit. Umtiti fits the bill, having already been linked with a move to north London recently.

Emery even talked up the idea during an interview with RMC Sport earlier this month (h/t Marca): "He (Umtiti) is a good player, France has some very good players and the French market is quite attractive for many clubs. I always had French players at my clubs, Valencia, Sevilla, PSG and now, here at Arsenal. I could always count on those players."

ANDER GILLENEA/Getty Images

Arsenal need an infusion of pace, greater athleticism and aggression at the back. Pace is in short supply while 33-year-old Laurent Koscielny and Sokratis Papastathopoulos, 30, are asked to play.

At least the veteran pair can mask the deficiency with sound decision-making, something which has eluded Mustafi since he joined the club back in 2016. Yet the problems aren't just limited to Mustafi in an area where Arsenal must get younger and more talented in a hurry.

Splashing the cash on a gifted World Cup winner represents the best way to do it.

What's Next?

Arsenal are away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday, while Palace don't return to action until Saturday, 27 April for a home game against Everton.