Arsenal fought against Crystal Palace in an entertaining Carabao Cup quarter-final encounter. The game finished 1-1 after regular time. The pulsating FA Cup Third Round replay, hosted at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, finished level after extra time before the Gunners narrowly prevailed 8-7 in a thrilling penalty shootout. With this victory, Arsenal is assured of advancing to the semi-finals! They’ll meet Chelsea in the final four, with Newcastle taking on Manchester City in the opposite semi-final draw.
Both teams played strong defensively and the match developed into a contest in which both teams were creating ample chances offensively. In the 56th minute Bukayo Saka scored to give Arsenal the 2-1 lead. His opening goal gave his team a 1-0 lead in an incredibly important final home match. Yet, Crystal Palace proved to be a tough nut to crack and equalized in the last minutes of the game. Marc Guéhi then equalized for Palace in the 90+5 minute, bringing the match to penalties.
Arsenal goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga had the tight backdrop of Wembley’s short end wall, proving up to the task and very massive in goal during that spectacular penalty shootout. His opposite number, Walter Benítez of Crystal Palace, was equally instrumental to his country’s efforts, especially in the open play of regular time.
When the penalty shootout kicked off, Arsenal’s Mikel Merino stepped up and scored his penalty right away, indicating a dramatic finish was to follow. Forward Justin Devenny had come through the gauntlet for Crystal Palace, but stood over the penalty under intense pressure. One by one, the players came out and the shootout heated up. This riveting see-saw action produced a heart-stopping finish that left fans gasping in amazement.
In a thrilling turn of events, Arsenal netted their final four goals of the game. This impressive total included one convert and three own goals of the other team. The odd play sequence was emblematic of the frenetic pace of the contest as both squads scrapped for control.
The match had nine minutes of stoppage time. Both squads were aware of the urgency as they both clawed for a winning goal. The energy in the Emirates Stadium was palpable with supporters of both teams pushing their clubs to the final whistle.
“Would love to know what was going through Arrizabalaga’s head throughout that shootout.” – Anonymous commentator