Arsenal 1-1 Crystal Palace: 5 talking points

Arsenal were left to rue their missed chances 

Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League. A first half strike from Alexis Sanchez was not enough for the Gunners to get the crucial three points.

The Eagles equalised late into the game when Yannick Bolasie fired a shot from outside the box to level the scores. The draw at home leaves Arsenal in fourth spot, level on points with third-placed Manchester City, but behind on goal difference. Manchester United are at the fifth spot, four points behind the Gunners.

Let’s analyse the game with the major talking points from the Emirates:

1) Disappointing season for both sides

Both sides have flattered to deceive this season

With the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City struggling throughout the season, it was expected of Arsenal to end their Premier League title drought this season. But as it turned out, the Gunners went from being at the top of the table at Christmas to being fourth in mid-April with five games to go.

This disappointment has left the fans fuming as they expected their side to win the title handsomely but that has not happened. The same has been the story for the Crystal Palace side. The Eagles were fifth in the Premier League table at Christmas with 29 points from the 17 games.

It looked as if Palace would be challenging for a top-4 spot this season but since Christmas, Alan Pardew’s side have only managed to get 10 points from the available 51. Both sides have had a dip in form in the second half of the season, and it will be interesting to see where they finish.