Arsenal and Crystal Palace, who both had one eye on upcoming semi-finals, played out a 2-2 draw on Wednesday night, with Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.8m) snatching a late point for the visitors.
WHY MATETA GOT MAXIMUM BONUS
Jean-Philippe Mateta climbed off the bench to score a dramatic late equaliser at the Emirates.
With David Raya (£5.6m) out of position and exposed, the Frenchman produced a sublime chip, which found the net via the underside of the bar.
Mateta, who was only sent on in the 79th minute, went on to claim the maximum bonus.
His goal, plus one key pass and one successful dribble, amongst other things, helped him to a final Bonus Points System (BPS) score of 32.
It was just ahead of team-mate Eberechi Eze (£6.9m), who recorded 28, having received minus BPS for shots off target (-2) and fouls conceded (-1).
From our Premium Members Area, we can see a breakdown of those tallies:
G = goals, KP = key passes, Cr = crosses, Dri = dribbles, FW = fouls won, On = shots on target
PALACE IMPRESS
“I watched many Arsenal games and I can’t remember a team with as many clear chances as we had.” – Oliver Glasner
It was a deserved point for Palace, who outshot the home side by 15 to 12 and won the expected goals (xG) battle, with 1.75 to Arsenal’s 1.22.
With one eye on Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final, Oliver Glasner decided to freshen up his frontline at the Emirates, giving breaks to Mateta and Ismaila Sarr (£5.8m).
Eze started, however, having been withdrawn at half-time in Saturday’s goalless draw with Bournemouth, and he certainly made it count, with his first-half volley from the edge of the box flying in off the post.
Having claimed a share of the bonus, Eze ended Double Gameweek 33 on 10 points, level with Dean Henderson (£4.6m) and Mateta as Palace’s joint-highest scorers.
Sarr, in comparison, finished on three points, but did look lively off the bench on Wednesday night, racking up three shots in the box in just 27 minutes of football.
“I’m really proud of the players and how they performed today. Also, being 1-0 down – and in the last two away games we conceded 10 goals – and then playing here at the Emirates against an Arsenal side who are in great shape, it’s a tricky situation. But the reaction was great – it was unbelievable to be honest. We didn’t lose anything of our courage, we didn’t lose anything of our belief, and then we played forward. I think it was a really well-deserved draw, coming back twice.
“Especially the commitment in our defence, everybody was so disciplined and always going forward, creating chances, scoring two amazing goals. What Marc [Guehi] said afterwards in the dressing room was: it feels like the two most difficult chances we scored. We had maybe easier ones to score! But it was a great performance, a great team performance again. It will help us, because I think it was the best performance for weeks now and this was important. We were talking about entering the semi-final with belief, with courage and with confidence – and this is what we can take from today.” – Oliver Glasner
MERINO INJURY LATEST
Mikel Arteta named a strong side for this clash, but there was no place for Mikel Merino (£6.1m) or Ben White (£6.1m), who were both missing from the matchday squad.
On the absences, the Spaniard said:
“They couldn’t be involved – if not they would have been. Unfortunately, after the game [against Ipswich] we had some issues and they are not fit.” – Mikel Arteta on Mikel Merino and Ben White
“Yeah, we have to wait and see, but they were unable to be in the squad today.” – Mikel Arteta on Mikel Merino and Ben White
Bukayo Saka (£10.5m), meanwhile, started on the bench after his knock against Ipswich Town on Sunday.
“He was willing to start and impact the team the way he has been doing. But again, he was not fit either.” – Mikel Arteta on Bukayo Saka
Saka was sent on with half an hour remaining and had a great chance to score, but his hooked shot was tipped over by Henderson.
Jakub Kiwior (£4.8m) and the in-form Leandro Trossard (£6.7m) fared better, however, with two clinical finishes.
The Belgian therefore produced 24 points in Double Gameweek 33, the most of any player.
Above: Outfield players sorted by FPL points in Double Gameweek 33
He’s also now scored four goals in his last four Premier League appearances.
“Very good, I think he’s been a very consistent player for us, whether playing as a nine, as a winger, starting or being a sub, and that’s what you want from players. He’s always ready, he’s always fit, and he can make the difference in any moment, that’s the best thing about it.” – Mikel Arteta on Leandro Trossard’s form
After Arsenal dropped points, Liverpool only need a draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday to wrap up the Premier League title.
