Arsenal have suffered a huge blow in their quest for Champions League qualification after Thomas Partey limped off against Crystal Palace. Partey, who didn't have the best of games at Selhurst Park, was substituted in the second half after picking up an injury.
Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jordan Ayew put the Eagles in control after 24 minutes before Wilfried Zaha’s second-half penalty ensured a comfortable win for the hosts, who extended their unbeaten run to seven matches in all competitions and moved up to ninth in the table.
The result leaves Arsenal in fifth place, level on points with Tottenham in fourth place. The Gunners do have game in hand, however.
READ MORE: Arsenal reveal why Kieran Tierney and Nicolas Pepe miss out against Crystal Palace
Speaking after the game, Arteta admitted the injury was a "concern". "I don’t know [how bad it is] but he felt something in the same area as he was injured previously so it’s a concern," the Spaniard said.
He added: "We lost Kieran, we lost Thomas. We’ve been trying since the start of the season. We can’t find excuses though. The first goal wasn’t good enough." The injury to Partey is a huge blow to Arsenal in what promises to be a vital last couple of months in the hunt for a top four place. Jamie Carragher has urged Arteta's side to put the result behind them, however, and focus on the remaining games of the season.
“It’s a bad night for Arsenal, the way they’ve lost, not just the three points," Carragher said, speaking on Sky Sports Monday Night Football. "But I think it’s very important that they don’t panic and there’s no hysteria, they are still in a really good position, a better position than Tottenham and Manchester United."
"They’ve just won five games away on the bounce, so you’re talking 15 points out of eighteen away from home, they’d have took that when the six games were there away from home. So yeah it was a bad one, the worry is this could happen another two or three times when other teams take encouragement the way Palace played, and I think it will be a real big boost for Tottenham or Manchester United tonight. Not just them dropping points but the way that they’ve lost but I do think it's important that they don’t panic.”
