ARSENAL threw away a two-goal lead to pile more pressure on boss Unai Emery… as VAR cruelly denies Sokratis from bagging the winner.
The home side thought they had snatched all three points when the defender rippled the net for a second time, only for referee Martin Atkinson to disallow it for a soft foul on Luka Milivojevic in the build-up.
Replays showed that Arsenal had every right to feel aggrieved by the decision.
The Gunners couldn’t have hoped for a better start when their centre-back duo of Sokratis and David Luiz put them ahead inside ten minutes from a pair of Nicolas Pepe corners.
But a Milivojevic penalty and a Jordan Ayew header seven minutes into the second half ensured a share of the spoils to leave Arsenal four points adrift of Chelsea in fourth.
It all appeared to be going Arsenal’s way when Crystal Palace were undone by two horrendous pieces of defending having failed to clear early corners.
Sokratis would be the first to punish the Eagles when he fired in the opener after Wayne Hennessey flapped at the initial cross.
Two minutes later and Luiz had put the Gunners in the driving seat when another Pepe corner was flicked on by Alexandre Lacazette and into the path of the Brazilian at the back stick.
But in almost inevitable Arsenal-like fashion, the collapse was well underway when Calum Chambers hacked down Wilfried Zaha in the box on the half hour mark.
Despite being clear as day, it went to VAR and Luka Milivojevic never seems to miss from the spot.
It dampened the mood around the Emirates at half-time and Palace came out in the second period with their tails up.
Nobody in the stadium could have been surprised when Jordan Ayew capitilised on Arsenal’s defence to bring Roy Hodgson’s men level.
More to come…
