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Arsenal dropped points for the first time since the turn of the year, as the Gunners slumped to a disappointing goalless draw against Crystal Palace in a 2020-21 Premier League game.
There was very little of note in the first 20 minutes of the game, as both sides, looked bereft of ideas and struggled to create clear-cut chances. However, the game became much more livelier after this initial period, with Palace almost scoring a goal from a brilliant James Tomkins header that hit the post.
The Eagles came close again just moments later from a Christian Benteke header that was tipped away by an outstretching Bernd Leno in the Arsenal goal. Palace were certainly the better side throughout the first half but failed to score a goal.
Arsenal started the second half with energy and intent but failed to create significant goal-scoring opportunities. With the game ending goalless, Arsenal squandered an opportunity to move to the top half of the table.
On that note, here are the ratings of Arsenal players in the game:
Bernd Leno (8/10):
Bernd Leno was solid throughout the game. His save off Benteke's goalbound header midway in the second half was particularly a highlight of the game. The Arsenal goalkeeper distributed the ball well and kept his calm whenever Palace posed a threat to his goal.
Hector Bellerin (6/10)
Although Hector Bellerin did well defensively, especially coping with Wilfred Zaha's constant threat in the Palace left flank, he was ineffective in attack. The full-back made overlapping runs but had little to show for his efforts.
Rob Holding (7/10)
Rob Holding recovered from a below-par first-half showing and grew more and more comfortable as the match wore on. The Arsenal centre-back was solid at the back and kept the Burnley strikers quiet, especially in the second half, was hen he made some key blocks and clearances.
David Luiz (7/10)
Just like his centre-back partner, David Luiz also failed to make his presence felt in the first half, but the Brazilian got better as the match progressed. He did well for most of the game and was resilient at the back for his side.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles (5/10)
Ainsley Maitland-Niles made some good overlapping runs but had no end product during the game. His positioning down the left flank was terrible throughout, and he was lucky not to be punished by Crystal Palace on quite a few occasions.
Granit Xhaka (6/10)
Granit Xhaka enjoyed a mixed outing. The Swiss midfielder did brilliantly to deny Zaha a potential goal with a last-ditch tackle in the first half. But as usual, he displayed poor judgement and committed unnecessary fouls in dangerous areas during the game.
Dani Ceballos (6/10)
After getting a rare start, Dani Ceballos distributed the ball well and was at the heart of Arsenal's creative play. However, the Spaniard put his side in danger by giving the ball away cheaply on numerous occasions.
Emile Smith Rowe (5/10)
Emil Smith Rowe had a game to forget, as the English midfielder failed to create goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates. He was almost non-existent for most of the match except one good ball for an overlapping Maitland-Niles in the opening exchanges of the game.
Bukayo Saka (6.5/10)
Much like Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka also had a pretty quiet game. The youngster failed to impact the game, as he was sloppy in attack and gave the ball away cheaply at times, especially in the second half of the game.
Alexandre Lacazette (6/10)
Alexandre Lacazette endured a fairly quiet day at the office and was missing in the Arsenal attack throughout the game. He had the chance to score a goal in the first half but decided to lay the ball off for Smith-Rowe as the opportunity went begging.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (6.5/10)
Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had his best game in an Arsenal shirt for a while, as he was involved in almost every significant Arsenal attack. However, he became anonymous as the game progressed and hardly troubled the Crystal Palace backline during the second half of the game.
Ratings of Arsenal Substitutes
Nicolas Pepe (5/10)
Subbed in for Maitland-Niles in the 65th minute as Mikel Arteta tried to add some spark into the Arsenal attack, Nicolas Pepe failed to impact the game and was anonymous during the second period.
Thomas Partey (6/10)
Coming in as a 69th-minute substitute, Thomas Partey did well to add defensive solidity to Arsenal's play, but the midfielder hardly impacted the game in the attacking third.
Eddie Nketiah (5/10)
Eddie Nketiah replaced Alexandre Lacazette in the 81st minute but wasn't on for long enough to make an impact on the game.
