Mateta leveller at Arsenal puts Liverpool on brink
William Saliba's costly error saw Arsenal slip to a 2-2 draw at home to Crystal Palace, leaving Liverpool a point away from Premier League glory.
Only a Palace victory at Emirates Stadium would have secured Liverpool a 20th top-flight crown without playing in midweek, but a truly remarkable set of results are now required to deny Arne Slot's side, which can wrap up the title at home against Tottenham Hotspur on Monday (AEST).
Palace never led but was the better side for long stretches, responding to Jakub Kiwior's early opener with a fine Eberechi Eze goal before working hard to cancel out Leandro Trossard's strike shortly before half-time.
The second equaliser did not arrive until seven minutes from time and came in bizarre fashion as Saliba gifted the ball to Palace substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta, who saw David Raya off his line and executed a sublime lob that clipped the crossbar on its way in.
The draw means Arsenal is 12 points off the pace with only four matches to play, while Palace is still 12th but a point closer to the European places and with an FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa still to come on Sunday (AEST).
Oliver Glasner's side should not lack confidence heading into that encounter, having given UEFA Champions League semi-finalist Arsenal a stern examination ahead of its own big match against Paris Saint-Germain next week.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta conceded Arsenal should have done better against Palace.
"We are disappointed with the result and performance," he said. "We didn't find enough consistency in actions to dominate the game. It's part of football and cost us two points.
"It can be difficult. In many aspects of the game, we should have done better today.
"We require the consistency. Today, they were very organised and deserved credit. We have to do much better."
Arsenal now turns their attention to next week's blockbuster clash with PSG.
"The quality today wasn't there, compared to our last game [the 4-0 victory over Ipswich Town]," Trossard added. "We were nowhere near that, and we got punished. We need to raise the level with our big game coming up.
"We want to win every game, in any competition. Especially after the last game, we had a good feeling. We just need to be better. It was just the basics sometimes; not passing on the right foot or taking a touch too much.
"It will be good to have six days now and prepare for this [PSG] game with 100% focus. It will be a different performance."
Meanwhile, Palace claimed a morale-boosting point ahead of its own semi-final against Aston Villa in the FA Cup this weekend.
The Eagles had conceded 10 goals in their previous two away games, and Oliver Glasner was pleased his side was able to stop the rot.
"Credit to the players. The reaction [to recent results] was amazing today. I'm proud of what the players showed," he said.
"We scored amazing goals. I watched many Arsenal games, and I can't remember a team with as many clear chances as we had.
"We want to show our identity and personality. It's important to keep this energy and confidence for the semi-final on Saturday [Sunday AEST].
"It was not our goal to decide the title, it was our goal to win the game. I think a draw is a very good result. More important is the performance. We are back on track. That's what we need."
Mateta rescued a point for Palace with his moment of individual brilliance just three minutes after coming on to the pitch.
The Eagles' top scorer this season revealed he had observed Raya closely from the sidelines, before subsequently executing "one of the best goals of my career" with his audacious long-range chip.
"When I started on the bench, I could see he [David Raya] was very high up the pitch," Mateta said. "So, I knew if I won the ball, I could try, so I did and scored.
"It is one of the best goals of my career. I thought it hit the crossbar, but thankfully, it was in."
On the upcoming meeting with Villa, the France striker added: "We can go in with confidence and, hopefully, we will win the semi-final. It is a very big game for the fans, for everybody, and I can’t wait to play."
