Arteta lauds Pepe improvement as Arsenal late show stuns Crystal Palace

Football
20 May 2021 • 5:37 AM MYT
Tribal Football
Tribal Football

Tribal Football covers news from the Premier League, LaLiga and Serie A

Arsenal scored twice in injury time to secure a stunning 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

Fans were in attendance for Roy Hodgson's final match at Selhurst Park, with the 73-year-old departing after four years in the Palace hotseat.

Nicolas Pepe scored the opener for Arsenal before half-time with a sublime volley.

Christian Benteke tied the scores at 1-1 with a diving header after 62 minutes.

But it wasn't enough for Palace as Arsenal roared home in injury time, first through Gabriel Martinelli.

The Brazilian latched onto a cross from Real Madrid loanee Martin Odegaard to finish from close range, before Pepe rolled in Arsenal's third four minutes later.

It is the first time since 2018 that Arsenal have won four straight league games.

They are now 59 points, three points behind sixth-placed West Ham United, heading into the last game of the season against Brighton.

Asked about Pepe after the game, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta said: "He's come a long way in terms of consistency and the games he's producing. It's in his mindset.

"He wants to look at every action, every post-match reflection we do with him. When he has the talent he has it's a really good mixture."