Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sent off as Crystal Palace hold Arsenal at Selhurst Park

Arsenal had goalscorer and captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sent off by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Arsenal took a 12th-minute lead when Aubameyang finished off a fine 18-pass move with his 16th goal of the season in all competitions.

However, the home team hit back nine minutes after half-time through Jordan Ayew’s deflected effort, before Arsenal were reduced to ten men when the VAR intervened to send off Aubameyang for a dangerous tackle midway through the second half.

The visitors took no time hitting their stride as Palace unwisely opted to stand off their London rivals in the early stages, with Arsenal opening the scoring with an exquisite goal.

The move began with David Luiz firing the ball into the path of Mesut Ozil, who in turn fed Alexandre Lacazette just outside the area. The Frenchman then picked out his strike partner in the box, with Aubameyang making no mistake from 10 yards for his 11th goal in his last 17 London derbies.

The match turned on its head after half-time, though, as Palace woke from their first-half slumber and, roared on by the home faithful, drew level after 54 minutes with a fortuitous strike.