Ian Wright says he wants to play with Crystal Palace stars after Arsenal defeat | Football

Ian Wright praised one of Crystal Palace’s stars after their Carabao Cup defeat at Arsenal, saying he was the type of player he would want to play alongside.

Arsenal will face Chelsea in next year’s cup semi-finals after beating Palace on penalties following a 1-1 draw on Tuesday night.

The Gunners dominated at the Emirates but had to rely on a Maxence Lacroix own goal in the 80th minute to break the deadlock, before Marc Guehi equalized in stoppage time.

15 consecutive penalties were scored in the shootout before Lacroix’s unfortunate effort was saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga.

While Mikel Arteta’s side were the better side on the night, Oliver Glasner’s Eagles were widely praised for their resilience and the way they bounced back after a one-sided first half.

The key was Adam Wharton, this England international player again put in an interesting performance in midfield, especially executing the free kick which led to Guehi’s equaliser.

“It’s his composure and technical ability. He can get out of tight areas,” former Palace and Arsenal striker Wright said of Wharton on ITV post-match.

‘If you’ve got a willing runner or a defensive guy like a [Jean-Philippe] Mateta can hold it and people can go and join him – he gives you the ball.

“He’s the type of midfielder I want to play in front of because I know he’ll keep looking for me, even if it’s a difficult pass. He looks forward to it and that’s what you want from him.

“He got more chances to do that in the second half than in the first and that’s why Palace started to play a lot better.

“They should have started the game like that. They should have started the game with a little more enthusiasm, a little more “let’s go Arsenal” because they have players who are trying to impress themselves. So they should have put more pressure on.’

Wharton, 21, has improved since moving to Selhurst Park from Blackburn Rovers less than two years ago and is expected to be in the Three Lions squad for the next World Cup.

The FA Cup winner’s performances have attracted plenty of interest from across the Premier League and beyond, with Ruben Amorim keen on bringing the £70m star to Manchester United.

‘The sky’s the limit,’ Wharton’s former team-mate and Palace captain Joel Ward added.

‘The way he plays. the way he handled the spotlight that had been on him ever since he came to the Palace.

“He deserves credit because he came in and changed the way we played in a lot of ways. He was the orchestrator there and he was the quarterback dictating the game.

“His first thought is to play forward, and he’s not afraid to make passes like that over and over again.”

Following the disappointment of being knocked out of the cup, Palace made quick changes before their Premier League clash with Tottenham on Sunday.

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