Arteta disappointed with 2-2 draw against Palace as focus turns to PSG | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta did not disguise his frustration after Arsenal surrendered the lead twice in a 2–2 draw with Crystal Palace, a result leaves Liverpool within one point of the title.

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Speaking at full-time, Arteta was clear that the looming Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain was not to blame for a performance he felt fell short. “I don’t want to use that excuse,” he said.

“After Madrid, we had a game against Ipswich, which is very tough, and we did incredibly well. And today, we were simply not at the standards required to really be at our level to fill that gap between the two teams, and the game was always dead in the air.

“When that happens and you are ahead, you have to kill it and take the three points.”

Jakub Kiwior gave Arsenal a flying start with a header inside three minutes, but Eberechi Eze equalised midway through the half.

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Leandro Trossard restored the lead before the interval, showing calm in the area to finish after a well-worked move. But Jean-Philippe Mateta’s superb late strike, capitalising on a defensive error, secured a point for the visitors and ensured Arsenal’s 13th draw of the season – a figure that has quietly eroded their title hopes despite a strong unbeaten run.

“I’m very disappointed with the result,” Arteta admitted, “and disappointed as well with some parts of the performance. It was a tough match, and credit to them for the way they set up, and they made life difficult for us.”

“But we were twice ahead and without playing our best game because we never found the consistency in our play and phases to completely dominate it, grab the game and take it where we want it.”

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With no match this weekend, attention now turns fully to Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg at the Emirates. Arteta confirmed the squad will undergo an intense week of physical and tactical preparation and made a public appeal to the supporters to replicate the atmosphere of the 3–0 win over Real Madrid in the previous round.

“The message is that they have to play every ball with us,” he said. “So I would say bring your boots, your shinpads, your shorts, your T-shirts! And let’s play on Tuesday night all together here to have one of the most amazing nights at the Emirates.

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“We need a really good block of work now to get the best feeling, the best preparation and get the energy back,” Arteta added. “And we need some players back because we haven’t trained with a lot of players, because they’re managing issues, or they haven’t been fit.”

The result leaves Liverpool needing just a point against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend to clinch the title.