Mateta, Ayew and Zaha on target as Palace dent Arsenal’s top four hopes

Mikel Arteta will wonder where on earth this came from. Arsenal’s apparent procession to the Champions League met a shuddering halt here and the concern will be that Crystal Palace deserved everything that came their way. The visitors turned in a thoroughly miserable display and were outplayed by opponents who simply performed better in every department.

Jean-Philippe Mateta, Jordan Ayew and a second-half Wilfried Zaha penalty ensured Patrick Vieira dealt his former club a significant blow; Tottenham remain in the top-four box seat for now and it would be as well to mark 12 May, the date three games from the end of the season when Antonio Conte’s side will now host a rearranged north London derby, as a potentially decisive point in the race.

Mateta’s opener came with an element of luck but it was as much as Palace deserved for the kind of bright, high-tempo start usually associated with their opponents. When Conor Gallagher swung a free-kick over from deep on the left, Joachim Andersen was facing away from the ball as he challenged Nuno Tavares at the far post. It struck him on the back of the head and, while he had undoubtedly intended to get some purchase, he could hardly have expected it to zip across the six-yard box and perfectly into Mateta’s path. The centre-forward could not miss and Aaron Ramsdale, back after a brief absence through injury, had no hope of stopping his header at point-blank range.

It was exactly the start Arsenal had not wanted. Palace had kept Manchester City at arm’s length here three weeks ago, in their most recent Premier League outing, while still packing something of a punch; they began as if emboldened by that fact, never letting Arsenal settle and setting the tone within two minutes when