LONDON — It is almost five years to the day since Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal were beaten 3-0 at Crystal Palace, promoting the away supporters to chant “you’re not fit to wear the shirt” at underperforming full-back Hector Bellerin.
Monday’s defeat by the same score on the same ground featured another shambolic display from a defender, Nuno Tavares, but it did not prompt similar derision given the team’s recent buoyancy under Mikel Arteta. Yet that sense of history repeating will be a particular source of frustration for Arteta, who has focused much of his work since taking charge in December 2019 on eradicating a culture of underperformance that set in under Wenger and reared its head again here.
– Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
– Don’t have ESPN? Get instant access
A spirited Palace side brutally exploited Arsenal’s shortcomings in a showing that raises serious questions about…
