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Mikel Arteta says Arsenal must rediscover their ‘energy’ ahead of their Champions League semi-final showdown with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), following a frustrating 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.
The Gunners were hoping to build momentum before hosting PSG in their first Champions League last-four appearance since 2009, but were left disappointed after surrendering the lead twice at the Emirates Stadium.
Jakub Kiwior headed Arsenal into a third-minute lead, only for Eberechi Eze to volley home a deserved equaliser for Palace midway through the first half.
Leandro Trossard restored the hosts’ advantage shortly before the break, but Jean-Philippe Mateta secured a point for Palace in the 83rd minute.
Second-placed Arsenal now trail leaders Liverpool by 12 points with just four matches remaining. Arne Slot’s side can clinch the title on Sunday if they avoid defeat against Tottenham at Anfield.
“Our focus is now fully on the Champions League,” Arteta said.
“We are disappointed with the result and performance. We didn’t find enough consistency in our actions to dominate the game.
“In many aspects, we should have done better. Palace were very organised and deserved credit, but we dropped our standards. We gave the ball away in simple ways; we were late in everything. We have to do much better.”
Arteta is also sweating over the fitness of Mikel Merino, who missed the Palace clash with a knock and remains a doubt for the first leg against PSG.
“We’ll have to wait and see,” Arteta said when asked about Merino and defender Ben White. “They weren’t able to make the squad, so we’ll assess them closer to the match.”
The draw marked Arsenal’s ninth league game this season in which they’ve failed to win after taking the lead.
