WHAT HAPPENED
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored and was later sent off as we let a one-goal lead slip at Selhurst Park.
It had looked so promising in the early exchanges. We dominated possession in the opening ten minutes, and our pressure paid off with a fantastic opening goal.
Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette combined well outside the box, with the latter sliding the ball through to Aubameyang who had drifted inside from the left wing. He took one touch to get the ball out of his feet, then slotted the ball calmly into the corner for his 16th goal of the season.
There were eight players involved in the build up – we had found a dangerous fluency early on.
But we were unable to maintain our level and slowly the hosts began to come back, giving us less time on the ball, and started to create chances of their own.
We had to remain disciplined at the back as Palace pinned us back, but rarely troubled Leno. He saved comfortably from Cheik Kouyate, but aside from that was rarely troubled.
Matteo Guendouzi replaced Lucas Torreira at the break, but we weren't able to shift the momentum back in our favour.
Eventually Palace drew level, and from our point of view it was a sloppy one to concede. Max Meyer was left unmarked from a free-kick, we failed to clear his cross, and Jordan Ayew's deflected shot looped over Leno into the net.
We had to respond. David Luiz glanced a header onto the roof of the net from a corner.
Midway through the half though we were reduced to ten men when Aubameyang was sent off - after VAR intervention – for a dangerous challenge on Max Meyer.
We were pinned back for much of the rest of the rest of the game, having to soak up pressure. Sokratis scrambled one goalbound header off the line.
Nicolas Pepe struck the post with a fine left-footed effort in the closing stages, but in the end we had to be content with a point.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Click here for a play-by-play summary of the match
TEAM NEWS
Mikel Arteta stuck with the same XI that beat Manchester United 2-0 in our last Premier League game, meaning the front three of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe were again supported by Mesut Ozil.
It was the first time since last January that we had named an unchanged starting lineup in the Premier League.
WHAT IT MEANS
WHAT'S NEXT
There's no midweek fixture this week, our next match is back in the Premier League, at home to Sheffield United on Saturday.
THREE THINGS WE NOTICED
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