The stadium tightened as the Palace fans whistled, clapped and stamped their feet, desperate to drown the moment.
Arsenal shirts gathered, Saliba and Gabriel pushing forward with Havertz lurking at the near post.
After the referee's signal, Rice whipped the delivery in, the ball swinging with venom toward the heart of the six-yard box.
And there, Saliba rose above the melee, timing perfect, his frame towering as his forehead connected cleanly with the ball—
"SALIBAAAAAA!"
The commentator's voice ripped through the television broadcast, the sheer roar carrying the weight of the tension in the stadium.
The fans behind the goal watched as the ball ricocheted off the inside of the post, kissed the paint on its way across the line, and thumped into the back netting.
"GOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLL, Arsenal. It was 3-0, but suddenly they are back within just one!"
