GABRIEL JESUS had waited 345 days for this and it was fitting that it would come just before Christmas.
But on a frustrating and underwhelming night for Arsenal, here was a reminder that the return of Jesus – this was his first start in 11 months – is not a silver bullet for Arsenal’s frustrations up front.
They needed a penalty shoot-out to find a way past Palace. After scoring all eight of their spot-kicks, the Eagles’ Maxence Lacroix was the first player to miss with Kepa Arrizabalaga saving.
And incredibly, they only took the lead when – for the second time in succession at the Emirates – they scored thanks to an own-goal by the unfortunate Lacroix who will want to forget this night.
After Wolves put two in their own net here 10 days earlier, this time, it was the turn of Lacroix who turned past heroic Palace keeper Walter Benitez.
Yet in the fifth minute of stoppage time, Marc Guehi struck a leveller to send the game into penalties.
PARLOUR GAMES
Watch Arsenal Invincible neck pint at darts after being branded ‘boring’
ART ACHE
Arteta faces Carabao Cup headache… roll dice & risk injuries or trust youth?
If there was one player who did not deserve to be on the losing side it was Benitez who delivered a brilliant performance to keep his team in the tie.
Now, Arsenal will face Chelsea in the semi-finals and they will have to do a lot better than this.
By then, maybe Jesus will have got the goal he is desperately hoping for although there was no miracle before Christmas.
Jesus, who suffered a serious ACL injury against Manchester United in the FA Cup in January, was making his 100th appearance for the club.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
Viktor Gyokeres has not exactly taken Arsenal by storm following his £63.5million move from Sporting Lisbon and has looked even worse since returning from a hamstring injury.
In the eyes of Arsenal fans, Jesus probably got better each week he was on the sidelines as this often happens with injured players.
He is obviously a hugely-important part of Mikel Arteta’s plans but he is still not the free-scoring No9 they really need, although it is hoped that Gyokeres will still come good. Although the jury is out on that one.
Until his injury, Jesus had only scored seven times and there was a spell when he managed just one goal in 20 matches – and that was against Preston in the Carabao Cup
Jesus, who netted a hat-trick against Palace in the same stage of the competition last season, had just one chance in the first half but was denied by a brilliant save from Benitez who was making only his fifth appearance of the season.
In the second half, with Arteta having made some changes in a bid to put some life into his team, Jesus headed a cross from Martin Odegaard wide, fired over the bar and then forced a decent save from Benitez.
Unsurprisingly, Palace look knackered. This was their seventh game in December and also the third of eight games they face in the space of 23 days.
It was impressive that they actually improved after the break as they struggled in the first half.
Noni Madueke, who has suffered a stop-start time since arriving from Chelsea, made only his eighth start and could have scored a first-half hat-trick but was denied by Benitez on each occasion.
All three of those chances were created by Gabriel Martinelli who had makeshift right wing-back Jaydee Canvot on toast.
Unsurprisingly, Palace boss Oliver Glasner spared Canvot any more misery and replaced him at the break for Nathaniel Clyne.
Former Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah – who was hardly helping his beleaguered team-mate on the right – was also replaced by Justin Devenny.
Richards suffers heavy injury
Palace looked a lot better in the second half and Adam Wharton gave the home team a scare with a shot which fizzed wide past Kepa.
With Arteta having run out of ideas midway inside the second half, Arteta introduced Bukayo Saka and Odegaard, having brought on Leandro Trossard a few minutes earlier.
Jesus then beat Chris Richards to a header and even though the challenge was innocuous, the Palace defender pulled up with an injury and left the pitch on a stretcher.
Finally, Arsenal got the opener, from a set-piece of course. Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber failed to turn in Saka’s corner and then Lacroix ended up sticking the ball into his own net while under pressure from William Saliba.
And then in the fifth minute of injury time, Palace levelled. Guehi fired home from close range after Jefferson Lerma got his head to Wharton’s free-kick.
In the 12th minute of injury time, Benitez saved Palace yet again with a stop to deny Declan Rice.
But in the shoot-out, Benitez was finally beaten – all eight times.
