Arsenal vs Crystal Palace LIVE: Carabao Cup quarter-final reaction as Jesus hat-trick sends Gunners through
Arsenal 3-2 Crystal Palace: Three composed finishes from the Brazilian complete comeback win at the Emirates
Arsenal beat Crystal Palace 3-2 at the Emirates on Wednesday night to book their place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
A much-changed Arsenal side got off to the worst possible start when Jakub Kiwior’s mistake allowed Jean-Philippe Mateta to surge through and slot past David Raya within four minutes.
The hosts dominated much of the rest of the half, though they couldn’t fashion any clear openings, and Mikel Arteta brought on Martin Odegaard for the second half – a decision that paid off almost straight away, as the Norwegian threaded a brilliant pass to Gabriel Jesus to chip past Henderson.
The hosts continued to dominate from there, with Bukayo Saka slipping his own through ball to Jesus, who duly rifled in for 2-1.
The Brazilian wasn’t finished there though, latching onto an Odegaard through ball to power in his third of the night and the eventual winner, as the Gunners completed a remarkable turnaround and held off a late fightback from Palace.
Follow all the Carabao Cup action with our live blog below:
Head-to-head
These two sides have met just 48 times in the past, with the first meeting dating back to 1934. Overall, Arsenal have won 29, Palace have won just five, and 14 have ended as draws.
The Gunners came away victorious in both meetings last season, winning 1-0 at Selhurst Park before a 5-0 demolition at the Emirates in January 2024.
Glasner insists a win is possible
Speaking in his own pre-match conference, Palace boss Oliver Glasner said that he thinks “it’s possible” that his side gets a win tonight, adding: “They [Arsenal] have been struggling a few weeks ago but now injured players are coming back and their form has got better and better.”
“They have a clear structure - wide wingers [who are] good in the one-v-ones and half spaces, going in behind, early crosses. They are very dominant in possession and have a very good balance. Mikel Arteta is a fantastic manager.”
Arteta; Playing Palace “is always really tough”
In his pre-match press conference, Mikel Arteta said that playing Crystal Palace “is always really tough” and “it is another layer of difficulty when you play a team twice in a row” – the Gunners travel to Selhurst Park at the weekend in the Premier League too.
He added that winning this competition would be “really helpful” in their bid to win the league.
“It brings belief, trust and positive energy. Touching a cup generates that energy and I think it creates the right path.,” he added.
On whether Arsenal will look to do business in the January transfer window, he added: “It will depend on who the player is, what the value of that player is and other movements in the squad. That is a difficult one to answer.”
When are there semi-finals and final?
Whichever side wins tonight will be put into the draw for the semi-finals, which takes place tomorrow after the match between Spurs and Manchester United.
The semi-final ties are across two legs, with one at home and one away for each side. These will take place in on 8 January (first leg) and 5 February (second leg).
The final takes place at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, 16 March.
Is there extra-time and VAR in the Carabao Cup?
With the knockout ties well underway in the League Cup, fans may be wondering if the week’s matches can go to extra-time.
The answer is no, not in the quarter-finals. Since 2018/19, there has been no extra-time in any round other than the semi-finals and final.
There is also no VAR in the competition until the semi-final stage.
If any of the matches finish level after 90 minutes this week, they will go straight to penalties.
Is Arsenal v Palace on TV?
Just 30 minutes until kick-off at the Emirates, so here’s a reminder of how you can watch the game.
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace is due to kick off at 7.30pm GMT on Wednesday, 18 December at the Emirates Stadium in London.
Where can I watch the match?
The quarter-final match will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, while subscribers will be able to live stream via the Sky Go app.
If you want to stream major sporting events while you are travelling or watching from abroad you’ll need a VPN. Get the best VPN deals in the UK. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
Kai Havertz urges Arsenal to ‘stick together’ following Everton setback
Kai Havertz has called on Arsenal to “stick together” following another setback in their bid for Premier League glory.
The misfiring Gunners squandered a golden opportunity to edge closer to Liverpool in the race for the title after the Reds could manage only a 2-2 home draw against Fulham.
However, Arsenal could also only take a point, in an uninspiring goalless draw against Everton at the Emirates – a result that was greeted with a smattering of boos at the final whistle.
Kai Havertz urges Arsenal to ‘stick together’ following Everton setback
The Gunners failed to take advantage of Liverpool’s draw with Fulham as they could only take a point themselves at home to the Toffees.
‘A lot of things need to change’: Thierry Henry highlights problem with Arsenal attack
Arsenal’s fading domestic title challenge is as a result of too much of a risk-free mindset and losing parts of what they were good at, in the eyes of former striker and club legend Thierry Henry.
The Gunners have dropped out of immediate contention at the top of the Premier League after a run of three wins in their last nine, with Mikel Arteta’s side thriving at set-piece situations but otherwise looking short of creativity and goalscoring avenues at times.
Henry pointed out that in comparison to league leaders Liverpool, Arsenal’s style was less impactful in the final third and less capable of finding solutions to the defences in their way, suggesting Arteta had much work on to get the team back to a point where they’d be among the challengers.
Thierry Henry highlights problem with Arsenal attack
The Gunners have won just three of their last nine in the Premier League
Team news
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has made just one change to the side that beat Brighton last weekend, with Caleb Kporha coming in for the suspended Daniel Munoz at right wing-back.
Team news
Mikel Arteta has made six changes to the side that drew 0-0 to Everton last week. In defence, only Jurrien Timber remains, and he moves to centre-back, with Thomas Partey replacing William Saliba and Jakub Kiwior coming in for Gabriel. At left-back, Kieran Tierney comes in for Miles Lewis-Skelly.
In midfield, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard drop out for Jorginho and Ethan Nwaneri, while up top there are also three changes – Saka, Havertz and Martinelli make way for Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard.
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