Kepa the Hero as Arsenal Edge Past Crystal Palace in a Shootout Thriller
If you stayed up for Arsenal versus Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup quarter-final, you probably felt like you watched several matches rolled into one. What started as a game Arsenal seemed destined to win comfortably ended in pure chaos, nerve, and finally, a penalty shootout where Kepa Arrizabalaga emerged as the unlikely hero at the Emirates.
From the opening minutes, it felt like one-way traffic. Arsenal dominated the first half, camped inside Palace’s half, and created chance after chance. The only thing missing was a goal, and that was largely down to Crystal Palace’s second-choice goalkeeper, Walter Benítez, who put in a performance that kept his team alive. Shot after shot was turned away, crosses were dealt with, and frustration slowly crept into Arsenal’s play as they went into halftime wondering how they hadn’t scored.
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The breakthrough eventually came in scrappy fashion. After relentless pressure, the ball ricocheted around the Palace box and was finally deflected into the net off defender Maxence Lacroix. At that point, it looked like Arsenal had done enough. Palace were exhausted, injuries had disrupted their rhythm, and the clock was running out. A semi-final against Chelsea appeared to be booked.
But football rarely follows the script. Deep into stoppage time, Palace somehow found one last push. A free-kick was swung in, a header was won, and Marc Guéhi slid in to score a dramatic equaliser in the 95th minute. The Emirates fell silent, and suddenly the match was heading to penalties.
What followed was one of those shootouts that just wouldn’t end. Penalty after penalty was converted, tension rising with every step from the halfway line to the spot. Fifteen spot-kicks went in without a miss, and it felt like the night might go on forever. Then came Lacroix, already unfortunate with the own goal, stepping up again. This time, Kepa guessed right, threw himself low, and made the decisive save.
Arsenal were through, but only just. Relief poured out from the players and the crowd, while Palace were left wondering how they had pushed such a dominant Arsenal side to the brink. For Mikel Arteta, it wasn’t a perfect performance, but it was a reminder that cup football is about survival as much as style. On this night, survival came courtesy of Kepa Arrizabalaga, calm under pressure when it mattered most.
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