Arsenal legend Ian Wright takes aim at Ben White and laments another ‘very disappointing’ display from Nicolas Pepe after team pinched a draw with Crystal Palace
- Arsenal snatched a point at home against Crystal Palace in 2-2 draw on Monday
- The Gunners went ahead but Eagles soared back with two second-half goals
- Ben White should have closed down Odsonne Edouard, says Ian Wright
- Wright also thinks winger Nicolas Pepe offered very little in the game
Ian Wright has singled out two Arsenal players for criticism after their 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium on Monday night.
The club legend watched his old side snatch a point at the death through Alexandre Lacazette’s late equaliser – but the relief and euphoria soon wore off.
Palace were the better side for significant parts of the game and Wright believes £50million defender Ben White should have done more to stop Odsonne Edouard’s goal.
Ben White (right) should have done more to stop Odsonne Edouard’s goal, says Ian Wright
The former Arsenal legend was unhappy with his old side after their draw with Crystal Palace
He told Premier League productions: ‘I think it’s a little bit of a worry for Arsenal because when you look at both goals, we’re not getting defenders to go and engage.
‘He’s [White] got to get closer to him [Edouard] and he doesn’t do it. They’ve done brilliantly to score the goal.
‘I think he’s got to get close to him… at no stage does Ben White close that gap. People can say what they want, maybe the goalkeeper or whatever… at no stage does that gap get smaller so why wouldn’t you shoot?’
Nicolas Pepe was also picked out by Wright as being particularly ineffective, having come back into the team, and also Kieran Tierney.
Wright also lamented the fact that Nicolas Pepe was ‘very disappointing’ again
‘I think Palace totally capitalised,’ he added. ‘They did their homework on Arsenal, they closed down the right people and shut down the left side. Kieran Tierney didn’t do anything,’ he added.
‘Pepe was very disappointing again and once they scored, Arsenal did not take it to Palace.
‘We’ve seen Palace come back a couple of times and there’s no way they were going to rest on their laurels. They were going to go for Arsenal and they did and they were unfortunate not to win.’
And on Lacazette, who rescued Arsenal’s evening, Wright added: ‘He’s trying to make a point that he should be playing.
‘He’s somebody that plays a different kind of striking role than (Pierre-Emerick) Aubameyang plays and it’s very tough to get them both in the side.’
Alexandre Lacazette scored a late equaliser to spare Arsenal’s blushes on Monday night
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