Arsenal edge Palace on penalties to reach League Cup semi-finals
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LONDON, Dec 23 : Arsenal edged past Crystal Palace on penalties on Tuesday to reach the semi-finals of the League Cup when goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga saved a spot kick from Palace defender Maxence Lacroix.
His miss capped a miserable evening for Frenchman Lacroix, who scored an 80th-minute own goal before Palace captain Marc Guehi levelled in stoppage time to tie the game at 1-1.
Arsenal won the shootout 8-7, with all the other penalties converted.
The Premier League leaders now play Chelsea in the last four of the League Cup.
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Arsenal, who dominated possession, finally got the breakthrough when Lacroix turned the ball past his own goalkeeper Walter Benitez as Palace failed to deal with an Arsenal corner.
Benitez had kept his team in the game with a string of fine saves in the first half, twice denying Noni Madueke from close range and also keeping out a header from Gabriel Jesus.
Palace, the FA Cup holders, improved after a poor first half but rarely threatened until Guehi pounced on a knockdown from a free kick to take the game to penalties.
The match was delayed from last week because it clashed with a Palace game in the UEFA Conference League.
Arsenal host Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday. Palace, who are eighth in the Premier League, are at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he was pleased with the resilience shown by his team to hold their nerve despite the late goal they conceded.
"The margins should have been bigger and we will work on that," he said, referring to this game and their narrow 1-0 win over Everton at the weekend.
Palace manager Oliver Glasner said he was pleased with his team's second-half showing.
"Walter Benitez kept us in the game, the second half was much more even," he said, adding that his players now needed to switch off for a day or two to enjoy Christmas with their families after a hectic schedule.
(Writing by Keith Weir; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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