Arsenal don’t need to produce classics every week – this win was about the bigger picture
It may still have been the first half, but there was a sense of relief when Eberechi Eze’s strike went past Dean Henderson in the 39th minute.
Liverpool had already lost to Brentford and Manchester City lost to Aston Villa. Until then, in the Emirates it was like watching a filler episode of one of your favorite TV shows.
Arsenal did not manage a shot – or even a touch in the Crystal Palace box – until Leandro Trossard had an effort saved in the 33rd minute. Eze’s smart finish was only their second attempt of the match, but Arsenal made sure it was the one that counted.
“I just told the boys that I appreciate this victory more than any other this season.» Mikel Arteta said in his post-match press conference.
“WWe knew the difficulty. You come after playing every three days and you also have a great opportunity with the things that happened this weekend. We are playing against a team that, in my opinion, has been one of the best in recent times in terms of organization, difficulty and frustration.»
Even though Crystal Palace have now failed to win any of their last four games in all competitions, the qualities they showed previously with their club record 19-game unbeaten run were still on display.
Their defensive discipline left little space for Arsenal to exploit and made the first third of the match difficult. Martin Zubimendi, Bukayo Saka, Eze and William Saliba all misplaced passes that looked workable in the opening half hour, preventing Arsenal from gaining any real momentum, while Jurrien Timber’s more central positioning in advanced areas wasn’t really of much use.
Across four Sunday afternoon kickoffs, Arsenal were the last of the eight competing teams to have a shot. This was an anomaly, however, with their 15.1 shots per 90 before kick-off ranking second in the Premier League behind only Liverpool’s 15.4.
Arteta gives instructions to his players during the match (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)
When asked what it came down to, Arteta replied: “Big credit to them (Palace), because you try to do something, they can adjust it, the way they’re set up, they don’t jump on things, they don’t get drawn into things.
“The two outside players in the back line, they’re really aggressive so it’s difficult to find those spaces and then you know, the moment they get the ball, they have a focal point on Jean-Philippe Mateta, two runners, and you have to be very disciplined because the moment you lose that in addition to the two full-backs running, you can be very exposed.
“I told the boys: ‘It’s going to be a long game, we have to be emotionally stable, very direct when we have the opportunity to attack them, and we’re going to have to take our chances because there won’t be many.’»
Although this outing is less exciting than others, the emotional stability mentioned by Arteta is essential. Eze was trying to make things happen before scoring against his former team, but nothing was really happening.
Arteta later said he felt no change in the midfielder’s behavior or mood with Palace being this weekend’s opponents. That’s probably why he kept trying things and got a reward that’s reminiscent of a type of shot he’s attempted at different times this year. Arteta highlighted the volley he scored from a similar position after a corner against Arsenal at the Emirates last season, while he was also in a similar spot to where his shot led to Viktor Gyokeres’ opening goal against Atletico Madrid in midweek.
@premierleague Ebere Eze at the Emirates #PremierLeague #Arsenal
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“IIt’s not (easy), added the Arsenal manager. “That’s what great players do, and he’s certainly a great player. Hopefully this will give him a big boost and confidence to generate many more moments like this, because this is the moment that sometimes defines a season.»
In addition to defining the season, these moments can help tie things together.
It was Eze’s first Premier League goal for Arsenal, and was perhaps what they needed after a few near misses in previous matches. Collectively, the second half gave a sense of what this Arsenal team needs if they are to retain their place at the top of the Premier League.
Eze after the match (Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arteta switched to a back five to finish the game, and players were throwing themselves on shots and crosses to secure all three points and record another clean sheet.
It was the second 1-0 against Arsenal in as many league matches following the win at Fulham, and took them six points clear of Manchester City and seven ahead of Liverpool.
Considering they often dropped points alongside Liverpool last season, the fact that Arsenal have this time taken advantage of their rival’s recent slump is of vital importance.
While Arteta was aware of Liverpool’s defeat on Saturday night, he did not know that Manchester City were losing at half-time on Sunday afternoon. He added that players are prohibited from using their phones at halftime, so they probably didn’t know that either. This is where it becomes essential to keep control of your emotions and complete your work.
Even though this match wasn’t a classic, the victory was vital to the entire match. For this bigger picture to truly make sense, Arsenal must continue to push the envelope in games like these.