Coming into this clash 13 points adrift of Liverpool with just five games remaining, Arsenal knew a win would only delay the inevitable.
However, Mikel Arteta still fielded a relatively strong side as he looks to keep his side focused ahead of their UEFA Champions League (UCL) semi-final tie with Paris Saint-Germain, and they needed less than three minutes to take the lead here.
Martin Ødegaard’s free-kick into the box was met by the head of Jakub Kiwior, who powered past Dean Henderson in the Palace net.
While the visitors’ priorities also currently lie outside the PL as they prepare for their F.A Cup semi-final against Aston Villa this weekend, they too were in no mood to roll over and responded well.
Daichi Kamada had a shot deflected wide, while former Gunner Eddie Nketiah headed past the post from the resulting corner.
And following a brace of Declan Rice attempts from distance, the Eagles equalised through a fantastic Eberechi Eze volley from the edge of the area.
Still, it was the hosts who entered the break in front through Leandro Trossard’s clinical low strike from just inside the area - his third goal in the last two games.
The opening quarter-hour of the second period was quiet, but Palace sprung into life shortly after the hour mark.
Justin Devenney, Marc Guéhi and Ismaïla Sarr all had great opportunities to score with their heads, yet none of them managed a clean connection, allowing David Raya to save on two occasions while Sarr’s attempt flew wide.
Down the other end, Henderson needed to produce a stunning reaction stop to prevent substitute Bukayo Saka from finding the back of the net.
Having weathered the Palace storm, Arsenal looked to be on their way to all three points. Jean-Philippe Mateta, though, had other ideas, dispossessing William Saliba around 35 yards from goal before producing a sublime lob over Raya that grazed the underside of the crossbar on its way in.
Despite a significant chunk of injury time, neither side could find a winner, but it was at least a good run-out ahead of their respective cup clashes.
This result means Arsenal are now unbeaten in their last 43 league games when scoring first, while Palace are without a win in their last four league matches.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace)
