England-born Ivory Coast winger Wilfred Zaha was a major absentee as his Crystal Palace side suffered heartbreak at the end of their London Derby clash with hosts Arsenal in the Premier League. Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira was back at the club for the first time as a manager and he was close to securing a big win before compatriot Alexandre Lacazette denied him with a late Arsenal equaliser after coming off the bench.
Elephants of Ivory Coast player Zaha missed the Arsenal game due to sickness and his absence was not keenly felt by the Eagles. Christian Benteke came into the Crystal Palace starting XI for the match in place of the Ivory Coast footballer and the Belgian striker scored one of the two Palace goals.
Arsenal had won their last two league games at home ahead of the Palace game and a win over the Eagles would have taken them into the top half but they had to settle for a draw at the end of proceedings. They made a fantastic start inside seven minutes through Gabonese striker Pierre-EmerickAubameyang who notched his third goal of the season in the Premier League as a result to take his tally to six goals in all competitions.
The early strike from Aubameyang gave the Gunners the lead at the break. Arsenal were unable to preserve their advantage in the second half thanks to some sloppy play from their midfielders. Thomas Partey and Albert SambiLokonga were robbed of possession in the second half and that led to goals from Belgian international Benteke and Frenchman Odsonne Edouard respectively.
Crystal Palace were on their way to a second league win of the season and a place above Arsenal on the league standings until Lacazette scored from close range. The late goal took the Gunners unbeaten run to five game in the league.