Crystal Palace head into their final home Premier League match with Arsenal chasing clean-sheet numbers and momentum. The Eagles are winless in six, while Arsenal have powered through their last match of the season for 14 straight campaigns—plus a run of domin
Crystal Palace don’t just need points at Selhurst Park—they need the night to feel familiar again.
They’ve slipped into a rough rhythm in the Premier League. with the Eagles winless in their last six matches (D3 L3). At the same time. Arsenal carry a kind of cold efficiency when it matters most: the Gunners have won their final Premier League game of the season more often than any other side. doing it on MD38 in each of the last 14 campaigns. and their last defeat in that slot dates back to 2004-05 at Birmingham City (1-2).
The head-to-head leans the other way too, especially when the title race is already decided. This will be the second time Crystal Palace have faced the Premier League champions after having the title confirmed. Last season, Palace drew 1-1 with Liverpool at Anfield.
Against Arsenal specifically, Palace have lost six of their last seven Premier League games. Their only hold on the record is a 2-2 draw at the Emirates in April last season. Still. Selhurst Park has offered a small pocket of resilience: since a 3-2 loss to Burnley in February. Crystal Palace have been unbeaten in five at home (W2 D3). And there’s a broader comfort for the Eagles—Crystal Palace have never lost when playing their final league match of the season at home (W8 D4). most recently beating Aston Villa 5-0 in 2023-24.
For Arsenal, the numbers read like a plan executed over years. They’ve lost just two of their 16 Premier League away games against Crystal Palace (W10 D4). In fact, they’ve won their last three visits to Selhurst Park by an aggregate score of 8-1. Clean sheets are part of the same story. Arsenal have won 29 games while keeping a clean sheet in all competitions this season. If they win to nil again here. it would equal their club record across a campaign—30 shutouts. first achieved in 1970-71.
Even the shot patterns point to a side in control. Arsenal haven’t faced a single shot on target in six different Premier League games this season. a joint-most by a side on record (since 2003-04) in a single campaign. Those details matter because they don’t just suggest control—they suggest opponents are struggling to find even a moment of relief.
At the other end, Palace’s recent forward spark offers something closer to urgency than comfort. Ismaïla Sarr has scored eight goals in his last eight starts for Crystal Palace in all competitions. netting in each of his last four. Since Palace returned to the top flight in 2013. the only player to score in five consecutive starts for the Eagles is Eberechi Eze in April/May last year.
Arsenal’s firepower on the final day of the season has its own rhythm too. Gabriel Jesus has been involved in seven goals in Arsenal’s final Premier League match of the season—5 goals and 2 assists. He also carries the most MD38 goals and goal involvements of any current player in the division.
Palace have the home-streak history behind them, and Arsenal have the away dominance and clean-sheet momentum. One side is chasing an antidote to a recent run of results; the other has kept building even after the league title has already been wrapped up.
There’s no shortage of stakes hidden inside the numbers. If Crystal Palace can stop the slide, Selhurst Park’s record for MD38 could become more than a statistic. If Arsenal keep things tight—especially with a win to nil—the club milestone they’re close to would stop being a possibility and start looking inevitable.
Crystal Palace vs Arsenal Premier League preview team news head-to-head Selhurst Park Arsenal clean sheet record Ismaïla Sarr Gabriel Jesus MD38