Mikel Arteta is learning all the time but the manner in which Arsenal squandered an excellent start to be deservedly pegged back by Crystal Palace was hardly anything new. They were in total control for the first third, leading through a smartly-conceived goal by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but tailed off sufficiently to let Jordan Ayew to equalise and worse was to come.
The defining picture of this game will be the moment Aubameyang’s sickening 65th-minute challenge made contact with Max Meyer’s lower leg, which appeared to bend slightly under the force. Meyer was able to hobble away but it rightly earned Arsenal’s captain a red card after a VAR check and, while a draw here was ultimately fair, Aubameyang’s imminent suspension will do nothing for Arteta’s hopes of drilling some long-absent consistency into his team.
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