JUST IN: ARSENAL BEAT PALACE ON PENALTIES TO SET UP CHELSEA SEMI-FINAL CLASH NOW
Kepa Arrizabalaga becomes the hero as Arsenal overcome a Lacroix own goal to win an epic shootout.
After another crazy night—own goal, goalkeeping brilliance, and penalty drama—Arsenal squeezed into the Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea.
Kepa Arrizabalaga’s save against Maxence Lacroix sealed the deal after 15 successful penalties, adding insult to injury for the Palace defender.
Arsenal thought they’d won it late when Lacroix accidentally turned the ball into his own net while trying to defend a chaotic corner.
That's the third straight own goal by Arteta’s team at home, after two from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Prem.
Palace's goalie, Walter Benitez, was amazing, so it felt like it would take something wild or a total fluke to beat him.
It turned out to be a fluke in the 80th minute, but Oliver Glanser’s team doesn't quit. They showed some real grit to grab an equalizer in the fifth minute of added time.
The Gunners celebrated after a nail-biting shootout came down to one miss. Arsenal advanced on their home field but had to fight hard against Oliver Glasner's team.
Marc Guehi poked the ball past Kepa after Jefferson Lerma headed down Adam Wharton’s free kick. Even though Palace dug in, they still lost.
Arsenal last won this trophy in 1993. Since then, this competition has mostly been a way to give backup players some playtime. But Arteta’s current squad is so deep that even those fringe players are looking sharp.
Noni Madueke started on the right wing instead of Bukayo Saka. He was in on goal within three minutes, after winning the ball from a Palace throw and bursting forward.
His shot went straight at Benitez, who was the only starter in Oliver Glasner’s lineup.
Benitez then denied Madueke before a brilliant save, another great save from Gabriel Jesus's header, smothering the rebound to boot. All that in the first 25!
It's been a tough week for Glasner's team, and it showed. This was their fourth game in 10 days, and they were struggling with injuries; as a result, their performance suffered. Apart from the keeper switch, they fielded their strongest possible lineup.
Lacroix’s own goal put Arsenal ahead, and his night got worse at the end.
They sat back and looked for counterattacking chances. They almost caught Arsenal’s shaky defence early when Tyrick Mitchell dashed down the left and fired a shot, but it flew over the bar.
Arsenal controlled the first half. They didn’t get Eberechi Eze involved as much as they would have liked, but he caused problems out wide.
Madueke looked sharp on the right. Gabriel Martinelli gave Jaydee Canvot a hard time. Canvot, a 19-year-old centre half by trade, looked lost trying to contain Martinelli.
Benitez made another save from Madueke before halftime, and Jurrien Timber sent a free header over the bar from 10 yards. Despite Arsenal's pressure, Palace reached halftime without letting in a goal, and Glasner made changes.
Canvot subbed off for Nathaniel Clyne, and Justin Devenny replaced Eddie Nketiah. This added some running power.
Palace looked better right away. Lerma headed wide, and Guehi miscued a shot. Wharton had more impact in midfield.
Wharton fired one past the post from 25 yards. It equalled out. Arteta responded by bringing on Leonardo Trossard for Martinelli. (Martinelli took a knock when his knees collided with Canvot’s at the end of the first half.)
Martinelli played in the second half, but he wasn't moving as freely, and the experience of Clyne gave him a harder time. Soon, Saka and Martin Odegaard joined from the bench. Eze, who scored the only goal vs. Palace in the Prem in October, and Madueke came off.
The game shifted in Arsenal’s favour again. They pinned Palace back, and Jesus headed wide after a hat trick against Palace at this stage of the Carabao Cup last season.
Palace were unlucky when they lost Chris Richards in the closing stages. As Richards was being stretchered around the edge of the pitch, Jesus fired another shot over the bar.
Glasner made even changes, with Lerma dropping into the right of the back three and Will Hughes moving into midfield.
After the first-half onslaught, Benitez was protected well until Trossard and Mikel Merino combined to give Jesus another chance.
Benitez pushed his shot over but couldn’t stop the resulting corner. Saka took it. Riccardo Calafiori headed the ball; Timber shot the blocked ball that hit Lacroix's foot and went into the net.
Arsenal thought they’d won it, but it was just the beginning. Then came Guehi’s leveller and the penalties. More pain for Lacroix. Joy for Kepa.
MIKEL ARTETA DEMANDS "PERSPECTIVE" AS ARSENAL FACE SEASON-DEFINING EUROPEAN QUARTER-FINAL
Mikel Arteta responds to nearly men claims as Arsenal battle injuries before their Sporting quarter-final clash.
When Arsenal take on Sporting in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday, there’s more on the line than just surviving another knockout night in Lisbon.
This is one of those moments where Arsenal need to prove those back-to-back losses first to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final, then a tough one against Southampton in the FA Cup, aren’t about to torpedo the rest of their season, either in Europe or in the Premier League.
People keep calling Arsenal the “nearly men” under Mikel Arteta, and it’s hard to argue with three straight second-place finishes in the league. But this season, they’ve played with a certain edge, pulling nine points clear at the top, reaching one cup final, and still pushing for more in Europe and the other domestic competitions. Their style gets picked apart sometimes, sure, but now everyone’s watching their mentality.
Up until the City and Southampton defeats, Arsenal hadn’t lost back-to-back games all season. The Southampton loss was only their fifth all year. And as the pressure mounts in the Champions League and Premier League, the trophies they truly crave, Arteta needs to prove that falling just short in the past isn’t going to haunt them while chasing their biggest prize since 2020.
Arteta himself keeps it real. “Have some perspective about how difficult it is, what we’ve done so far,” he said when asked about avoiding a losing streak. “Feel the pain, feel the emotion, and use it to be better.”
He says the team knows exactly what went wrong against Southampton, and he doesn’t think the loss was deserved. “That’s football, we got punished for things that are part of who we are,” he said. “Those are the things we need to protect, always.”
Still, Arteta insists his players are “hungrier than ever”, and these recent stumbles don’t change anything about how huge the Sporting match is. “If we’d won, it’s still the Champions League quarter-finals, it doesn’t get much bigger,” he said. “We worked all season to get here, and we know exactly who we’re up against.”
But even with a nine-point Premier League lead, Arsenal fans are chewing their nails. Why? Because City are on a roll. Guardiola’s team dominated Arsenal at Wembley and then hammered Liverpool in the FA Cup over the weekend. On top of that, Arsenal are battling injuries, with 11 players recently pulling out of international duty, and both Saka and Timber are out for the match. Gabriel Magalhaes tweaked his knee against Southampton, and Odegaard is still building up fitness.
Sporting boss Rui Borges isn’t expecting Arsenal to be flat just because they've lost two in a row. “They’ll be a wounded beast,” he said. “That means they'll be more focused, more determined, and it actually makes our job harder. But we’re ready. We believe we can do something extraordinary, something Sporting has never done before.”
Sporting have never made it to the last four of the Champions League, and they’re hoping to pile more pressure on Arsenal.
Arsenal’s goalkeeper David Raya gets it, too. He says the frustration from those defeats is exactly the fire they need. “We’ve got to use that pain as our fuel for the rest of the season,” he said. “It starts with Sporting. That’s all that matters right now.”
GABRIEL JESUS RANKS BUKAYO SAKA ALONGSIDE VINICIUS JUNIOR AND RODRYGO
Gabriel Jesus compares Bukayo Saka to Vinicius Junior as Arsenal sit nine points clear in the Premier League.
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Gabriel Jesus isn’t shy about putting Bukayo Saka right up there with the likes of Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, and Rodrygo. When Rio Ferdinand asked him where Saka ranks among the best wide players in football right now, the Brazilian striker didn’t hesitate.
“They’re all at the same level,” Jesus said. He knows Saka as well as anyone, having played alongside him for four years at Arsenal. “He’s at the same table. Sure, they each play their own way, and they’ve had their ups and downs, but all of them step up in big moments. Saka’s earned his place in that group. He still needs to win a few big trophies, but those will come.”
For Jesus, it’s not just Saka’s talent that stands out; it’s his attitude. Despite all the pressure and the spotlight at Arsenal, Saka’s kept his feet on the ground. “Honestly, I’m a huge fan of his personality. He’s strong but so humble. These days, you don’t find many players who rise through the academy, become huge for the club, and still stay the same,” Jesus said.
With Arsenal heading into the season’s final stretch, Jesus sounds more optimistic than ever. He sees how the team’s grown under Mikel Arteta, with players like Saka leading the way, and he truly believes this is the squad to finally win the Premier League again. “I’m really confident. We’re in a great spot, and we have such a strong squad,” he said. “I believe 100% we’re doing something special this season.”
Saka’s influence has been massive. His form has kept Arsenal on top of the Premier League table, holding a nine-point lead over Manchester City even though City have a game in hand. Jesus, who arrived from City in 2022 with four league titles under his belt, thinks this team’s ready. They’ve fallen short before, but he’s convinced they can finish the job this time.
