After another night in the nerve shredder. Another own goal, more goalkeeping heroics and the drama of penalties it is Arsenal who take their place in a Carabao Cup semi final against Chelsea.
Kepa Arrizabalaga’s save from Maxence Lacroix won it after 15 penalties had been converted and deepened the pain for the Palace centre half.
Arsenal thought they had won it late when Lacroix toed the ball into his own net as Palace tried to defend a pinballing corner.
It was the third successive own goal scored by Arteta’s team at the Emirates Stadium after two by Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League.
Palace goalkeeper Walter Benitez had been sensational in the first half and it always seemed as though it would take something spectacular or freakish to beat him.
It proved to be the latter in the 80th minute but Oliver Glasner’s team are blessed with outstanding character and a taste for silverware, they do not give up and summoned an equaliser in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Maxence Lacroix’s penalty was saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga to send Arsenal through
The Gunners erupted in celebration after a tense shootout was decided by one miss
Arsenal progressed on home turf but were pushed all the way by Oliver Glasner’s men
Marc Guehi pounced to poke in the ball past Kepa Arrizabalaga after Jefferson Lerma had headed down a free kick from Adam Wharton.
Arsenal have not won this trophy since 1993 and often since it has been little more than a vehicle for giving fringe players a run. Such is the depth of Arteta’s current squad that many of those fringe players are stronger than ever.
Noni Madueke started on the right wing ahead of Bukayo Saka and was in on goal inside three minutes, a move he started by winning possession from a Palace throw and dashing forward for the return.
His effort was straight at Walter Benitez, the goalkeeper who was the only concession by Palace boss Oliver Glasner to the idea of Carabao Cup squad rotation and who soon warmed to his task.
Benitez denied Madueke before a brilliant save, down low to his left to keep out a Gabriel Jesus header and then up to smother the rebound. All within the first 25 minutes.
Glasner’s efforts to dance around the worst of the fixture congestion has seen form suffer.
Palace arrived without a win in three, two heavy defeats in the Premier League either side of a maddening home draw with his second string against KuPS of Finland, but it is difficult to know what else they could have done.
This was their fourth game in 10 days, injuries are eating away and, apart from the change in goal, they were as strong as could be.
As is their way, they came with a plan to sit deep and spring on the counterattack. There was an early flash of how they might damage Arsenal’s depleted defence when Tyrick Mitchell burst down the left.
Mitchell went for goal and fired wildly over to the annoyance of Eddie Nketiah, well placed in front of goal against his former club.
Arsenal though dominated the first half. They did not get Eberechi Eze on the ball in the most dangerous areas quite as much as they would have liked but caused damage on the flanks.
Madueke was incisive on the right and, on the left, Gabriel Martinelli sizzled, tormenting Jaydee Canvot who was deputising for the injured Daniel Munoz at right wing back.
Canvot, 19, is a centre half by trade and looked uncomfortable in the open spaces with Martinelli to contain.
Benitez made another reflex save from Madueke before half time and earned his good fortune as Jurrien Timber planted a free header over from 10 yards.
For all the pressure, Palace made it to the sanctuary of the interval without conceding. They have an impressive appetite to defend their penalty area when the heat is on. Once in the dressing room, Glasner acted.
Canvot was rescued from his misery, replaced by Nathaniel Clyne, and Justin Devenny came on for Nketiah, adding running power and a willingness to track back.
Immediately, they performed with more purpose. Jefferson Lerma headed wide and Marc Guehi miscued a shot, and Adam Wharton grew in influence in midfield when the first half simply passed him by. Those in the away end found their voices.
Wharton fizzed one past a post from 25 yards. It was a much more even tie and Arteta’s responded by sending on Leonardo Trossard for Martinelli, who taken a blow in a clash of knees with Canvot at the end of the first half.
The Brazilian winger required lengthy treatment and limped gingerly down the tunnel. He returned to start the second half but was never moving quite so fluently nor enjoying the same levels of success against the experience of Clyne and did not make it past the hour.
Then came Saka and Martin Odegaard from the bench. Eze, who scored the only goal against former club Palace in the Premier League in October, and Madueke came off.
Momentum swung Arsenal’s way again. They pinned the visitors back and Jesus, who scored a hat trick when his team beat Palace 3-2 at this same stage of last season’s Carabao Cup, glanced another header wide at the near post.
Palace lost Chris Richards and as he was being carried around the perimeter of the pitch on a stretcher, Jesus fired another chance over, a shot on the bounce.
Glasner reshuffled with Lerma dropping into the right side of the back three and Will Hughes into midfield.
After the barrage in the first half, Benitez had been shielded well in the second until Trossard and Mikel Merino combined to set up Jesus again.
Benitez turned his effort over and conceded from the resulting corner. Taken by Saka, there was a header from Riccardo Calafiori and a shot by Timber blocked before the ball hit Lacroix on the foot and ricocheted into the net.
Then came Guehi’s leveller. Then came the penalties.