Unai Emery reacts to Shkodran Mustafi performance in Crystal Palace defeat

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has defended Shkodran Mustafi's performance in the aftermath of the club's 3-2 London derby at the hands of Crystal Palace.

The Germany international had a below-par defensive performance on the day, and he was guilty of gifting the Eagles second goal after a poor misjudgement on a long ball, where he had anticipated goalkeeper Bernd Leno to intercept play.

Speaking after the game, Emery insisted that Mustafi has been 'consistent' through the campaign and the Palace game was a one-off where Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha troubled the club's backline frequently.

"He can play very well. I prefer to speak about the consistency in the season. Today also when you can defend against [Christian] Benteke and Zaha you can suffer more. Over the season I think he has been consistent," he told Sky Sports.

Mustafi has been prone to defensive errors at different stages of the campaign and he could be dropped to the bench when the Gunners face Wolverhampton Wanderers on the road in midweek.

Sokratis has served his two-game domestic suspension after accumulating 10 yellow cards in the league, and he should return to the heart of the defence for the west Midlands trip.