Arsenal Edge Past Crystal Palace on Penalties After Late Drama at the Emirates

Mikel Arteta admitted it was “emotionally tough” for Arsenal to concede a last-gasp equaliser against Crystal Palace before eventually booking their place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals with an 8–7 penalty shoot-out victory following a 1–1 draw at the Emirates Stadium.

The quarter-final tie could have been settled long before half-time, with Arsenal dominating proceedings but failing to convert their chances. Palace’s deputy goalkeeper, Walter Benítez, delivered an outstanding first-half display, denying a succession of opportunities to ensure the match remained scoreless at the interval.

Arsenal finally broke the deadlock 10 minutes from full time when Bukayo Saka’s corner caused chaos in the Palace area. Riccardo Calafiori nodded the ball down, William Saliba attacked it, and amid a frantic scramble, defender Maxence Lacroix inadvertently diverted the ball into his own net.

Just as the hosts appeared to have secured victory, Palace struck back deep into stoppage time. From a corner, Jefferson Lerma headed the ball into the danger area, allowing Marc Guéhi to react quickest and prod the equaliser through the legs of Kepa Arrizabalaga — Palace’s first shot on target of the evening.

The tie was ultimately decided from the penalty spot. After 15 flawless spot-kicks, Lacroix was again involved, with Kepa guessing correctly to his right to make the decisive save and send Arsenal through. Despite the triumph, Arteta was frustrated that his side had not finished the contest earlier.

“Considering the number of changes we made, the energy and quality we showed against a well-organised team that concedes very few chances was impressive,” Arteta said.
“The margin should have been much bigger. When you don’t take those chances, teams have the quality to hurt you from set-pieces.”

The Arsenal manager praised his side’s composure after the late setback.

“That moment was emotionally tough to accept, but we stayed calm and showed great quality in the shoot-out,” he added.
“I’m very happy for Kepa for making the final save.”

Benítez’s performance remained a key talking point, with the goalkeeper producing important saves to deny Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus and Eberechi Eze in the first half, before capping his display by keeping out substitute Declan Rice with virtually the final kick of normal time.

Arteta reiterated his belief that the contest should never have reached such a tense conclusion.

“It should have been three or four goals. When you want to win trophies, the margins are very small, and every detail matters,” he said.

The victory marked Arsenal’s fourth consecutive win in all competitions and their second in three days, following Saturday’s success at Everton which restored their two-point advantage at the top of the Premier League. The Gunners will now face Chelsea in the semi-finals in January.

“You have to win games in different contexts,” Arteta added.
“We’ve come through two very difficult matches, and the players deserve enormous credit for maintaining such a high level every three days.”

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner provided an update on defender Chris Richards, who was stretchered off after sustaining a deep cut to his foot.

“He took a knock and it had to be stitched,” Glasner said.
“I don’t know how many stitches, but it was a few. The doctor says it doesn’t look too bad.”

Glasner remains hopeful Richards could return soon, although his availability for Palace’s next fixture is uncertain.

“I don’t know if he will be ready for Tottenham on 28 December, but I’m still hoping he will be available for Fulham on 1 January.”