Arsenal 2-2 Palace 
Report by Layth Yousif 
Emirates Stadium

ARSENAL and Crystal Palace drew 2-2 after a superb late leveller from Jean-Phillipe Mateta with both teams looking distracted ahead of important forthcoming semi-finals.

An early goal by Jakub Kiwior was cancelled out by Eberechi Eze’s equaliser shortly before the half-hour mark, prior to Leandro Trossard’s 42nd-minute strike put the Gunners 2-1 ahead before the interval.

The draw in north London on Wednesday evening also ensured that a win for Premier League champions elect Liverpool against Spurs tomorrow at Anfield will see the title head to Merseyside for only the second time in more than 30 years.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta made four changes ahead of his team’s season defining Champions League semi-final against Parisian billionaire moneybags next week.

Arteta opted to put Bukayo Saka on the bench, after the England attacker picked up an ankle knock following Leif Davis’s scandalous challenge at Portman Road, that saw the Ipswich left-back handed a straight red card during the Gunners 4-0 romp on Easter Sunday. Ben White and Mikel Merino (knock) missed the low-key derby.

Eagles boss Oliver Glasner's side have a semi-final of their own this weekend, when the south Londoners take on Aston Villa in the FA Cup, with the Palace manager benching important attackers Mateta and Ismaila Sarr to keep them fresh for the showpiece clash at Wembley.

Arsenal went ahead after only two minutes and 23 seconds, their earliest strike since March 2014, when Tomas Rosicky scored after 72 seconds against Spurs.

It came when Kiwior, in acres of space, headed home Martin Odegaard’s free-kick past Dean Henderson, to put the Gunners 1-0 ahead, with their 22nd set piece goal in all competitions this term.

Stung Palace nearly replied five minutes later when Daichi Kamada’s effort was deflected for a corner that came to nothing.

As the Gunners looked for a second, Declan Rice shaved the post with a powerful low shot from outside the box on 22 minutes.

Palace refused to be bowed, and Eze, who scored for England against Latvia at Wembley last month, showed his predatory skills, while also displaying excellent technique, to volley the ball home from outside the area and equalise on 27 minutes. Much to the delight of their traveling fans massed at the other end of the stadium as the Eagles made it 1-1 after Adam Wharton’s assist for the Palace No10.

Buoyed, Glasner’s side nearly went ahead, when the intelligent Eze fed Eddie Nketiah with a lofted ball into the box, but the in-form Kiwior was alert to danger and performance a last-gasp block to deny the former Gunner.

Just as the teams looked set to reach the interval level, up stepped former Brighton attacker Trossard who latched onto Jurrien Timber’s ball after an injection of pace from the Dutch defender. The 29-year-old Brighton attacker showed quick feet and an eye for goal to fire past Henderson to make it 2-1 on 42 minutes.

Palace worked their way into the Gunners box on 65 minutes when Justin Devenny mistimed Ismailia Sarr’s cross into the box, the winger replacing Eze as Palace geared up for Wembley. Yet, a minute later the visitors were nearly level when Marc Guehi’s effort was kept out by an alert David Raya.

With 11 minutes remaining substitute Bukayo Saka was denied by an athletic save from Henderson after the fit again attacker replaced the perennially underwhelming Raheem Sterling.

However, just as it seemed that Arsenal would be picking up three points to all but seal second spot, up popped Mateta to rob Saliba and launch a superb long-range chip that beat the back-pedalling Raya for a spectacular strike to make it 2-2 with seven minutes remaining.