Arsenal extinguished the spark of self-sufficient victory by drawing with Crystal Palace at home. In a crucial moment, defender William Saliba's mistake was painful.

Arsenal drew 2-2 against Crystal Palace in the 34th round of the 2024-2025 Premier League home game held at the Emirates Stadium in London, England, on the 24th (Korean time).

As a result of this match, Arsenal recorded 67 points (18 wins, 13 draws, 3 losses), maintaining 2nd place in the league, but the gap with 1st place Liverpool (79 points) widened to 12 points. If Liverpool draws their next match, they will secure the championship.

Arsenal lined up in a 4-3-3 formation. Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Martinelli, and Leandro Trossard were positioned at the front, while Declan Rice, Thomas Partey, and Martin Ødegaard formed the midfield. Miles Lewis Skelly, Jakub Kiwior, William Saliba, and Wojciech Szczęsny made up the back four, and David Raya was in goal.

The opening goal by Kiwior just three minutes into the first half gave hope to Arsenal fans. Kiwior finished off Ødegaard's precise free kick with an accurate header in front of the goal. The Palace defense completely lost track of Kiwior.

Arsenal's lead did not last long. In the 27th minute, they failed to defend a corner kick, and Eberechi Eze equalized with a spectacular right-footed volley. When Adam Wharton’s kick flowed to the back, Eze did not miss.

Arsenal regained the lead in the 42nd minute with Trossard's clever goal. Timber connected with Trossard while breaking through on the right, and Trossard finished with a left-footed shot after shaking off two defenders in the box. Arsenal ended the first half leading 2-1.

In the second half, Arsenal continued to create chances. In the 25th minute, Timber saved the ball just before it went out of bounds and sent in a cross that Martinelli pushed in, but a video review determined that the ball had gone out of bounds, rendering the goal invalid.

After missing chances, Arsenal ultimately paid the price. In the 38th minute, Saliba made a critical error. He lost the ball to Mateta in his own Chin Young, and Jean-Philippe Mateta shook the net with a lob shot over goalkeeper Raya to equalize 2-2.

After that, Arsenal aggressively attacked centered around Martinelli and Saka, but they were repeatedly blocked by the Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson's saves. Ultimately, the match ended in a 2-2 draw without any additional goals.

This draw was not merely a loss of 1 point for Arsenal. It represented a crucial loss of advantage in the league championship race against Liverpool, and Saliba's mistake was a moment that could affect the entire season of the team beyond just an individual's error.

Arsenal now faces a situation where they must win all remaining matches while hoping for Liverpool's slump. However, Liverpool is already just 1 point away from the championship, so a miracle has become realistically necessary.

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