Jakub Kiwior's pivotal Arsenal contribution vs Crystal Palace and why David Raya congratulated him

Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace on Wednesday evening after Jean-Philippe Mateta's late equaliser denied them all three points. Fresh from hitting Ipswich Town for four on Sunday afternoon, made four changes to his team for the visit of Oliver Glasner's side.

Jurrien Timber, , Thomas Partey and were the quartet to come in, with Ben White, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Bukayo Saka dropping out of the team. The hosts made the perfect start to the contest as they opened the scoring after only three minutes through Jakub Kiwior.

The Pole found the net with a thumping header from Martin Odegaard's inch-perfect free-kick delivery as Arsenal scored their 16th set-piece goal of the season. Crystal Palace did have a couple of openings following Kiwior's goal, including through former Gunners striker Eddie Nketiah, .

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Arsenal's one-goal advantage would be cancelled out on 27 minute as Eberechi Eze equalised with a stunning volley from a corner routine that left David Raya with no chance. The Gunners would only be on level terms for 14 minutes as took in Timber's pass to find the bottom corner of the goal following a neat turn in the box.

Palace did push for an equaliser after the break and went close on a couple of occasions as Justin Devenny and Marc Guehi forced Raya into action in quick succession midway through the second half. Arsenal did have the ball in the net for a third time in the game in the final 20 minutes but Gabriel Martinelli's effort from point-blank range was chalked off for the ball going out of play before it reached him.

The visitors were to restore parity in the 83rd minute as substitute Mateta scored in style from outside the box after capitalising on a rare William Saliba error. Here are five things we spotted in the game at the Emirates Stadium:

Arteta's team decision

Arsenal have time on their side ahead of next Tuesday's Champions League semi-final first leg tie against PSG. As a result of Crystal Palace's participation in this weekend's FA Cup semi-finals, the match against the Eagles was brought forward and it was something that benefited Arteta and his team.

Some supporters may have wanted the Spaniard to make major alterations given they trail Liverpool by 13 points in the title race but that was never going to be the case. Instead, Arteta made four changes to his team and one of those involved dropping to the bench after he was forced off with an ankle injury at Ipswich three days earlier.

It was a decision that certainly made sense as nobody connected with Arsenal wants to see any unnecessary risks with their star player given the integral role he is going to have trying to guide the Gunners to a Champions League final. and the same went for , who has played limited minutes since returning from injury in February.

The pair weren't rested, though, as their omission from the squad was fitness related. Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the game, Arteta said: "They couldn't be involved, if not they would have been involved. Unfortunately, after the game [vs Ipswich] we had some issues and they are not fit.”

Merino and White now have six days to boost their levels before the visit of PSG.

Who needs Gabriel?!

Arsenal were rocked at the start of the month following the news that would miss the remainder of the season after undergoing hamstring surgery. The Brazilian sustained the issue in the first half of the 2-1 home win over Fulham and .

Gabriel's injury presented with an opportunity to step up and partner Saliba at the back on a regular basis, something he has duly taken on with both hands, including in the Champions League double-header against Real Madrid. The centre-back hasn't had the best of times since his move to the Emirates Stadium due to a lack of regular minutes but he is flourishing right now in the absence of his teammate.

Gabriel is well known for his goalscoring prowess, with five goals to his name in the 2024/25 campaign, but Kiwior demonstrated his own aerial ability in spectacular style with an outrageous header from 12 yards against Palace. The 25-year-old left Dean Henderson with no chance in the Eagles goal after powerfully nodding Odegaard's free-kick into the corner of the net. It was that good a header that the shot-stopper barely moved a muscle.

After delivering some big performances of late, the defender fully deserved his goal.

Kiwior heroics

As impressive as Kiwior's header was minutes into the game, he produced something just as good and just as important at the other end of the pitch. Having seen their lead wiped out by Eze's stunning strike, Arsenal almost went behind three minutes later courtesy of former Gunners striker .

The 25-year-old received the ball from Eze in the box and looked destined to net after turning Kiwior. However, the Poland international produced a sublime piece of defending to turn his attempt wide for a corner.

Kiwior stuck out his right leg and managed to deny his ex-teammate with his trailing leg just as the net looked set to ripple. It was a pivotal contribution from the defender as the game may have panned out rather differently had the visitors taken a 2-1 lead.

It was no surprise to see Raya immediately go to congratulate his teammate as he gave him a high five, with Lewis-Skelly and Saliba also on hand to praise him for an exceptional block.

More Sterling woe

On an evening where Trossard added to his tally for the season and Martinelli looked bright on the right flank, once again failed to have an impact on proceedings. Prior to the encounter against Palace, the 30-year-old had only featured in 14 Premier League fixtures for the Gunners, with five of those coming from the start.

It's hard to see another start coming his way in what remains of the season after offering so little on the right flank. A huge opportunity for the player with two games against PSG to come in the Champions League, the ex-England man just didn't contribute anything in an attacking sense and it will likely limit his opportunities even further in Europe's premier competition.

The decision to start Sterling and his subsequent display only added to the debate about why 18-year-old Ethan Nwaneri was not selected ahead of him. Sterling's Arsenal loan comes to an end very soon and it remains to be seen what will happen with him next season once he returns to parent club Chelsea.

Raya's shaky night

Raya was far from convincing in the Arsenal goal on Wednesday evening. Usually so assured between the sticks, the Spaniard was not at his usual levels and Palace were unlucky not to take full advantage on a couple of occasions.

In the first half, the ex-Brentford man was indecisive when coming out for the ball and a tad fortunate that Nketiah didn't punish him. He did make good saves from Devenny and Guehi midway through the second half, only to then get away with one when flapping at Daniel Munoz's header as Palace somehow didn't put the ball in as it ran across the face of goal.

Mateta was to make no mistake late on, though, as Raya was so far across his area when Saliba lost the ball that the Palace striker had so much of the goal to aim at when he let fly from outside the box. The goalkeeper's positioning gave Mateta a helping hand and he duly did the rest with an exquisite chip that kissed the crossbar and went in.

Arsenal cannot afford for a repeat performance from Raya next time out against PSG or else the French side will take full advantage.