Gibbard: We’ve shown we can beat anyone heading into the play-offs
Under-21s midfielder Joe Gibbard reflected on a dream night after opening the scoring in Crystal Palace’s convincing 2–0 win over Arsenal in their final Premier League 2 league phase fixture on Monday evening at the VBS Community Stadium.
The result came after Palace had already secured their place in the PL2 play-offs prior to kick-off, thanks to results elsewhere.
With qualification already confirmed, the focus for the home London derby against Arsenal was to collect three points and secure the best possible seeded position ahead of the knockout stages.
Speaking after the game, Gibbard said the message from the outset was clear.
“We knew what we needed to do from the start,” he said. “Get after them, get the three points and put ourselves in a good position for the play-offs.”
Gibbard set the tone early, breaking the deadlock inside four minutes after latching onto Harry Lee’s long goal kick and showing composure to lift the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper for his first goal of the 2025/26 campaign.
On scoring, he said: “Yeah, it was good. I’ve been getting a bit of stick from the lads for not scoring this season, so it was nice to get it done in the last game.”
Deployed at wing-back and in more defensive roles this season, Gibbard has shown his versatility, but believes a tactical shift has helped unlock more of his attacking threat.
“I think being able to play higher up the pitch brings that energy and that bit of bite out of me,” he said. “It allows me to get forward, join the attack, and contribute with goals and assists.”
The result ensured Palace finished the league phase on a high, building momentum ahead of the play-offs after already securing qualification last week.
For Gibbard, it was the ideal way to head into the knockout stage.
“It gives us loads of confidence,” he said. “We’ve shown we can beat anyone, like we did against Liverpool. Whoever we get in the play-offs, we know if we play our way, we can win.”
Reflecting on the difference between this performance and the recent 2–0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in PL2, he pointed to mentality as the key factor.
“I think it was our mentality and our desire to get after them,” he said. “Sometimes we turn up more for the big games, which is something we need to fix going into the play-offs because you can get anyone.”
Palace currently sit 10th in PL2 on 31 points, meaning they will face either Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur in the knockout stage due to seeding positions, with confirmation due on 17th April once all teams have completed their 20 games.
“It’s what you want really,” Gibbard added. “To play the big clubs, hopefully knock them out, and then take on whoever comes next.”