Arsenal were pushed to the limit in an absolutely crazy game on Tuesday evening, eventually securing their place in the Carabao Cup semifinal by defeating Crystal Palace 8–7 in a penalty shootout. The game had earlier finished 1–1 after an extended 102 minutes of normal time.
Mikel Arteta’s side dominated for much of the tie and it appeared they had found a late match-winner through a Maxence Lacroix own goal. But Crystal Palace answered and a Marc Guéhi strike deep into stoppage time sent the game to a shootout.
Both teams combined to convert the first 15 attempts from the spot, until that man again, Lacroix, tied a bow on his nightmare performance. Kepa Arrizabalaga turned hero, saving the penalty that punched Arsenal’s ticket to the final four of the competition.
The resilient Gunners were the deserved winners on the day, but they’ll be upset to have made it harder on themselves than it needed to be. Now, Arsenal will face Chelsea in a mouthwatering London derby in the semifinals.
Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Crystal Palace (4-3-3)
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga—6.3: Arsenal’s backup goalkeeper didn’t even break a sweat during normal time, spending much of the game as another spectator at the Emirates Stadium. Still, he ends the night a hero with his clutch game-winning save in the penalty shootout.
RB: Jurriën Timber—7.3: A quiet yet solid showing from the Dutchman, who defended with poise but didn’t really impact the game when he crossed the halfway line.
CB: William Saliba—6.7: Not the greatest of showings from the Frenchman and he was fortunate that a couple of careless giveaways didn’t prove costly.
CB: Ricardo Calafiori—7.1: The Italian was flawless defensively and given the ventured forward with intent on a number of occasions, appearing by surprise to near devastating effect. Will be disappointed he was bested in the air for Crystal Palace’s equaliser though.
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly—7.5: A solid night for the home-grown talent, snuffing out opponents who dared venture down Arsenal’s left flank while also venturing upfield and ending the match as the most accurate passer.
CM: Mikel Merino—6.4: Back in his natural position, Merino had a handful of impressive line-breaking passes but failed to make a truly significant impact.
CM: Christian Nørgaard—7.3: In only his second Arsenal start in over a month, the Denmark international showed no signs of rust and was an absolute vacuum in midfield that nullified the visitors.
CM: Eberechi Eze—6.8: Covered ground on the left side of midfield, dropping deep to begin attacks and looking eager to make an impact going forward. However, he was rather erratic in the final third and remains far from the level he’s showed in the past.
RW: Noni Madueke—6.7: Constantly positioned himself perfectly to have a look on goal but was wasteful in the final action.
ST: Gabriel Jesus—6.9: A fairly unremarkable night fro the Brazilian, who disappeared from the game almost entirely after he was denied by a stunning same before the 25 minute mark.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli—7.4: Arsenal’s most dangerous player and it wasn’t particularly close. He toyed with Jaydee Canvot routinely and should’ve ended the match with at least a couple of assists. Unfortunately his night ended prematurely because what seemed like a knock on his knee.
| Substitute | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
| Leandro Trossard (59’ for Martinelli) | 5.9 |
| Martin Ødegaard (67’ for Eze) | 6.4 |
| Bukayo Saka (67’ for Madueke) | 6.5 |
| Declan Rice (86’ for Jesus) | N/A |
Subs not used: David Raya (GK), Marli Salmon, Ethan Nwaneri, Martín Zubimendi, Viktor Gyökeres.
Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1)
Starting XI: Walter Benítez; Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix, Marc Guéhi; Jaydee Canvot, Adam Wharton, Jefferson Lerma, Tyrick Mitchell; Eddie Nketiah, Yéremy Pino; Jean-Philippe Mateta
Subs used: Nathaniel Clyne, Justin Devenny, Will Hughes, Christantus Uche, Borna Sosa.
Arsenal Player of the Match: Gabriel Martinelli
Player of the Match: Walter Benítez (Crystal Palace)
Arsenal 1–1 Crystal Palace (8–7 Pens): How It Unfolded at the Emirates Stadium
Mikel Arteta made eight changes to the side that defeated Everton in the Premier League at the weekend. Gabriel Jesus was included from the start, aiming to celebrate his 100th appearance for Arsenal with a difference-making performance.
But Arteta’s alternate side failed to make a significant impression during the opening exchanges. Everything changed after 20 minutes, yet Crystal Palace goalkeeper Walter Benítez became a major factor.
Noni Madueke had a dream opportunity to score, only to be denied from close range by Benitez’s outstretched right arm. Then, the Argentine stopper made a sensational acrobatic stop from a Jesus header to keep the game level.
Arsenal’s attacking onslaught continued, drastically dominating the visitors but being alarmingly wasteful in front of goal. Incredibly, the game remained scoreless at the break.
The missed opportunities in the first half began to seem more and more costly as minutes ticked on and Crystal Palace grew into the game after the break. The hosts still dominated possession, but were no longer creating chances. In fact, a long distance strike from Adam Wharton was the most dangerous action from either side in the opening 15 minutes of the second half.
Nerves invaded the Emirates Stadium and Arteta turned to some of his Premier League regulars aiming to break the deadlock after the hour mark. Still, Benítez resumed his personal highlight reel with another flying save from yet another Jesus attempt.
When a penaltyshootout started to look like the most likely scenario, Arsenal finally found the breakthrough with a trademarke set piece in the 80th minute. Riccardo Calafiori won the aerial duel from a corner and, after a number of chaotic rebounds, the ball bounced off Lacroix into the net.
Still, Crystal Palace refused to give up and, with a set piece of their own, found the equaliser deep into stoppage time. Jefferson Lerma went up high and headed the ball back into the heart of the penalty area, where Guéhi arrived before Kepa to tuck in the equaliser under the legs of the Spaniard, sending the game to a penalty shootout.
Both teams were flawless from the spot in the opening 15 kicks of the shootout, until finally, on the first shot he guessed correctly, Kepa denied Lacroix—the doubly unlucky one of the night —to send Arsenal to the Carabao Cup semifinals.
Arteta’s side played with fire, but they’ll enter 2026 still in the hunt for four major trophies.
Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace Half Time Stats
| Statistic | Arsenal | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 79% | 21% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 1.60 | 0.06 |
| Total Shots | 12 | 2 |
| Shots on Target | 4 | 0 |
| Big Chances | 3 | 0 |
| Passing Accuracy | 86% | 61% |
| Fouls Committed | 4 | 6 |
| Corners | 4 | 0 |
Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace Full Time Stats
| Statistic | Arsenal | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 69% | 31% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 2.90 | 0.91 |
| Total Shots | 25 | 8 |
| Shots on Target | 7 | 1 |
| Big Chances | 4 | 1 |
| Passing Accuracy | 82% | 66% |
| Fouls Committed | 9 | 12 |
| Corners | 8 | 2 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Crystal Palace: Unexpected Hero Sends Gunners Through.