Arsenal Survive Palace Scare, Highlighting Ongoing Creativity Issues

Arsenal’s narrow Carabao Cup victory over Crystal Palace exposed a growing concern that continues to follow Mikel Arteta’s side: a lack of cutting-edge creativity when it matters most.

On a night that should have been routine, Arsenal required a penalty shootout to secure their place in the semi-finals. Maxence Lacroix’s late own goal appeared to have settled the contest, only for Marc Guéhi to equalise in stoppage time and force spot-kicks. Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga ultimately proved decisive, producing the crucial save to seal progression. However, his intervention masked deeper issues in Arsenal’s attacking play.

For long spells, the Gunners controlled possession and territory, yet struggled to convert dominance into clear chances. Kepa’s penalty save was, remarkably, his first meaningful action of the evening — a statistic that underlines Palace’s limited threat but also highlights Arsenal’s inefficiency at the other end. Despite fielding a rotated side, the expectation was that Arsenal’s creative core would still impose itself.

Instead, the absence of consistent invention was glaring. Martin Ødegaard, typically the team’s creative heartbeat, found space hard to exploit, while the influence of players expected to unlock compact defences was muted. Early promise, including a missed opportunity inside the opening minutes, failed to translate into sustained attacking momentum.

Arteta will welcome the result, but the performance raises questions ahead of more demanding fixtures. Arsenal’s structure remains solid, and their defensive control is evident, yet matches like this reinforce the need for sharper creativity and decisiveness in the final third. If the Gunners are to maintain momentum across multiple competitions, solving this creative shortfall will be just as important as grinding out results.