Our under-18s showed resilience to secure a hard-earned point against Crystal Palace on Saturday morning.
Brando Bailey-Joseph’s second-half strike ensured we came away with something from a strongly contested London derby.
what happened
We started strongly, with Bailey-Joseph creating an early spark on the left. He weaved past four defenders, but his low shot was saved well by Jack Mason. Moments later, Bailey-Joseph tested Mason again, but the keeper was equal to it.
The visitors’ first chance came when Sebastian Williams delivered a pinpoint pass to Tyler Whyte on the right. Whyte feinted inside before cutting back to his right foot, but his shot skimmed just an inch wide of the post.
We had a golden opportunity to take the lead when Louis Zecevic-John broke down the right wing, using his pace to beat two defenders, only to see his shot slip wide of the mark.
Crystal Palace nearly made us pay when Adams-Collman set up Dean Benamar on the left. Benamar's cross deflected over Jack Porter, but Will Sweet was perfectly positioned to clear off the line just in time.
Porter was called into action again after George King played in Williams on the right, and he reacted swiftly to push the shot away.
The visitors threatened once more when Whyte's shot from the edge of the box beat Porter, but Cam’ron Ismail showed excellent determination to clear it off the line. Palace eventually broke the deadlock just before half time as Benamar’s perfectly weighted cross found Williams, who headed back across goal and found the far corner.
After the interval, we maintained strong early possession, with Theo Julienne threading a pass to Bailey-Joseph, whose shot clipped the side netting at the near post.
Our persistence paid off as we found a well-deserved equaliser. Casey set up Bailey-Joseph on the edge of the box, and he fired a precise shot into the near post.
Pushing for a late winner, we nearly found it when Daniel Oyetunde broke in on goal from the right. From a tight angle, he managed to squeeze his shot into the side netting. In the end, however, both teams had to settle for a point.
What it means
The draw means sees us go to 10 points from eight games played.
what's next
Our under-18s are in action again on Saturday, November 9 against Reading in the under-18s Premier League. However, some of the squad could be included in Wednesday's UEFA Youth League tie against Inter Milan with the under-19s.
line-ups
Arsenal XI: Arsenal XI: Porter, Salmon (Onyekachukwu, 74) Clarke, Sweet, Ismail, Ibrahim, Julienne, Copley, Zecevic John (Oyetunde, 60), Bailey-Joseph, Casey.
Substitutes (not used): Ranson, Hashi, Akolbire.
Crystal Palace XI: Mason, King, Benamar, Danaher, Somade, Walker-Smith, Whyte, Williams, Casey (Osei, 78), Adams-Collman, Montjen.
Substitutes (not used): Okoli, Hill, Lameiras, Muwana.
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