'Deeply disappointing, not good enough'

“Not good enough.”

That was how Arsene Wenger summed up our performance against Crystal Palace on Monday night.

The mood around the club had improved on the back of positive home displays against Manchester City and West Ham United, but three unanswered goals brought us back down to earth in south London.

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“I’m deeply disappointed because the performance we produced was not good enough,” Wenger told Arsenal.com. “We knew we had to win the game tonight. Not only did we not score but as well we conceded three goals, so overall it’s a very disappointing performance.

“What disappointed me most was the fact that we lost decisive duels in zones where you cannot afford it. That was very disappointing.

“Palace have beaten Chelsea two weeks ago, and they beat us tonight, so that shows they have the quality. They are good going forward. But I think we made it easy for them. They didn’t need that tonight, they have enough quality to beat any team and they have been winning for a while. You could see why tonight.”

We’re in sixth place, seven points adrift of the team currently occupying the final Champions League qualification spot - Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s side also stand in our way in the FA Cup with a semi-final date at Wembley less than a fortnight away.

“It is very important that we stick together, even if of course are fans are very disappointed - I can understand that,” said Wenger.

“But we have to stick together. We are as well in the position that we can still reach the top four. We have the semi-final of the cup to play and we have to not be too negative, even if I can understand we are disappointed.”