6 Points to note as Crystal Palace hold Arsenal to a 2-2 draw

A London derby took place this weekend, in which Arsenal secured a two-two draw in the Premier League at Selhurst Park, the home of Crystal Palace FC.

Arsenal were on the back of an 11 match winning run in all competitions, and most recently had beaten Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League.

Crystal Palace, however, were on a losing run, and until this game had not scored a goal at home as yet. This changed for them, and how, considering they put in a strong performance against top four challengers Arsenal.

Palace's game plan from the off was to be physical, frustrate Arsenal, and deny them space and ability to be creative. And it worked somewhat. They had some early chances via Zaha and Townsend, and overall in the first half, they were as good as Arsenal for effort and creativity.

Arsenal had chances via Bellerin and Lacazette, but Palace went in 1-0 via a goal from the penalty spot. Mustafi brought a Palace player down, and Milivojević scored their first home league goal this season.

Arsenal went 2-1 up in the second half, with a wondrous free kick from Granit Xhaka, and then a controversial goal from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The line computer determined it had crossed the line, though Lacazette appeared to handle it prior to him scoring.

Palace got a warranted draw via a late foul by Xhaka on Zaha, which Milivojević converted to secure a brace.

For Palace, this was a worthy performance against a top-six side, which could have on another day resulted in a win.

For Arsenal, this was a game where they were under the cosh for large parts but managed to secure a draw via being clinical in front of goal and matching Palace's physicality.

Roy Hodgson, the Palace manager, clearly held a game plan which was working for the most part. Arsenal's winning run ends for now, but it was a valuable point nonetheless. What does it mean though, and how can they build on this in coming games?

---

#1 Palace can stay up

Wilfried Zaha is undoubtedly Palace's best player

Crystal Palace is under natural relegation troubles, given their poor run of late.

Nonetheless, they are in the good shape if this game is anything to go by. Roy Hodgson, following his poor performances at Liverpool and the England national team, has been maligned in most quarters, but today he concocted a master tactical plan, which nearly disrupted Arsenal.

In fairness to Unai Emery, Arsenal were matching it, though if this were under Wenger, they may have lost. This isn't to knock Wenger, but the team of last season lacked the physical and mental capacity to handle these performances.

However, this performance should breed much confidence for them, and they can secure their place in the division after many years as a Premier League club. Palace with proper direction can be a mid-table team, and maybe for them, this draw could give them the confidence to progress.

#2 Ozil Muted

Ozil couldn't replicate his performance from Monday night and was largely kept quiet

After his five-star performance against Leicester last Monday, Ozil today was not in full flow. This adds to the narrative that he is not as consistent as he should be. Yes, everybody acknowledges his talent. In a raw technical sense, he's exceptional. But then today was an off day for all of the forwards, and not just him.

He did however not let the physical presence of Crystal Palace overly deter him. It was more of a case that the forward line didn't create as much as they could have. Maybe it was tiredness, or not just having an off day.

There was also talk of him being upset at him being substituted. It could just be a mountain from a molehill, and not symptomatic of anything larger or more worrisome. Nonetheless, this didn't help the narrative of him being lazy or disinterested, which is unfairly cited in many cases.

#3 Xhaka is capable in the left-back spot

Xhaka scored a wonderful free-kick against the Eagles

Despite conceding a penalty, Xhaka had an influential game in that he managed to handle Crystal Palace's attacks well. He seldom permitted both Zaha and Kouyate to beat him, and despite left-back not being his natural position, he was able to get up and attempt to support attacks capably.

This was added with a superb equalising free kick, which the keeper got a faint touch to, but could not prevent from going in. Xhaka is fast becoming a prized dead ball specialist at the club, given his free-kick at Newcastle earlier in the season.

The penalty he conceded was a definite foul on Zaha, and he left his leg in the challenge, but apart from this, his contribution was oddly mixed.

Xhaka overall has been an improvement over last season, and even when playing in his natural position as a deep-lying playmaker, he can be an asset for the team for seasons to come.

#4 Aubameyang has finally found his goalscoring form

Aubameyang has scored 7 goals already in the Premier League this season

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has now scored as many Premier League goals as Eden Hazard and more than Mo Salah.

He's been playing for much of the season as a left-winger, but drifting towards goal to provide Lacazette support. Despite this, he still is scoring goals and is in contention to win the Golden Boot award at the season's end.

Is he an heir to Arsenal and Premier League legends Ian Wright or Thierry Henry? He well could be, in this form. It boggles the mind if he was the main striker, his goal tally would be even higher.

Emery has a choice to make concerning the forward options, and neither Aubameyang or Lacazette can be dropped. Ozil cannot either, and there also are Iwobi and Mkhitaryan to be included when required.

For Aubameyang though, his ready adaptation to the Premier League is a testament to his quality, and his scoring record to date is phenomenal.

#5 Another story of two halves for Arsenal

Arsenal was so-so in the first half, as Palace were very combative and Arsenal matched them mostly. However, in the second half, Arsenal was more incisive and managed to get in front via Xhaka and Aubameyang. They looked more direct, and it paid off via the two quick goals.

Arsenal in recent games have played better in second halves, and it seems this is more than accidental. Is this a tactical ploy by Emery? Who knows? Maybe he realizes the team is still weak defensively, and he knows that the team can outscore any other team readily. Whatever the cause, whether intentional or not, it's an intriguing pattern unfolding.

This could be worrisome against other teams, such as Liverpool to come, who have world-class forwards like Salah, Firmino, and Mane. It could also be a boon, since Liverpool is not invulnerable, and Arsenal has top forwards to boot who can frighten any defence.

#6 Mustafi's error-committing antiques

Mustafi conceded a penalty in the dying embers of the first half

Shkodran Mustafi is an intriguing player.

He was part of the 2014 Germany World Cup winning squad but was not included in the 2018 squad (which his Arsenal teammate Mesut Ozil retired from in noted circumstances).

Overall, his performances haven't been that bad this season. In 17/18, he made numerous errors, possibly most notably against Manchester City in the League Cup final when conceding the first goal through Sergio "Kun" Aguero.

Versus Palace, he floored Cheikhou Kouyate, through a silly challenge which was needless. Other than this, he headed away clearances and managed to keep their forwards quiet for the most part.

But this error-making seems intrinsic to his game, and something that could be a major liability in games to come. He is a top-four defender at best, and not a title-winning nor challenging defender.

This isn't to be denigrating to him at all, but then persons such as Sokratis and Holding have done as much without serious clangers. Possibly in coming games, they need to be Arsenal's main centre-back pairing.