135 touches, 115 passes, 2/2 duels: 25yo star was Arsenal's stand-out player vs Palace with 8/10 display - opinion

Arsenal played out a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Wednesday night.

The Gunners went into the game after a convincing 4-0 victory over Ipswich Town on the road.

They made the perfect start, with Jakub Kiwior scoring with a header in the third minute.

However, Palace managed to pull level with a fantastic strike from Eberechi Eze from the edge of the box.

Leandro Trossard put the Gunners ahead before the break with a slightly deflected goal.

Arsenal never looked like doubling their advantage following the interval.

A William Saliba defensive error allowed Jean-Philippe Mateta to lob goalkeeper David Raya for the equaliser in the 83rd minute.

Despite the disappointing draw, there were some positives from the derby.

Kiwior was brilliant with his display from the left centre-back position.

It was probably his best game of the campaign, and he was unlucky not to come up with a victory.

The Poland international had 135 touches with 115 out of 120 passes completed (96 percent accuracy).

The centre-back also won 100 percent of his duels alongside two blocks and six clearances.

It was a tremendous outing for the 25-year-old, who is growing in confidence with every game.

There was much talk about how Kiwior would fare after Gabriel Magalhaes’ season-ending injury.

However, the former Spezia man has answered his critics with consistent top-notch performances.

The Pole received an 8/10 rating from football.london for his stand-out showing yesterday.

Arsenal host Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.

The Gunners were far from their best against Palace but can’t afford the same versus PSG.

Palace were poor with their finishing, but Arsenal can’t expect Les Parisiens to fluff their lines.

Kiwior’s form is a positive, but Saliba must avoid unforced defensive errors in the future.

He gifted a goal to Real Madrid last week and had another repeat versus the Eagles.

Saliba and Kiwior must be quicker with their decision-making against a star-studded attack of Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue next week.

Stats from Sofascore.com

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