Ayman Ahmer
Arsenal seem to be cursed when it comes to defeating Manchester City in the Premier League – this was City’s 11th straight victory against Arsenal. All doubts surrounding Financial Fair Play and the integration of Erling Haaland were silenced, as City cruised to a 3-1 victory. Guardiola’s strikers are starting to click in the moments that really matter. Ayman Ahmer asks, should we have ever doubted them? After all this is a team that has become accustomed to winning under significant pressure.
For Arsenal however, the word disappointment encapsulates their feelings at full time. Securing a result at home against City was of paramount importance to their title charge. This was going to be a be another game where critics would evaluate their character and competence in getting over the line.
Nevertheless, Arsenal’s desire to win cannot be faulted, nor criticised – they categorically competed with City for large parts of the match. Ultimately, it was their own shortcomings which enabled City’s experienced heavyweights to capitalise ruthlessly. The truth is Arsenal simply didn’t have the momentum to go into such a high stakes match as this.
The result may have been different if this game was played at its original date
In the lead up to Wednesday, Arsenal had only taken one from a possible six points, losing to Everton and drawing to Brentford. Perhaps, the result may have been different if this game was played at its original date, when Arsenal were in hot form off the back of seven straight victories.
The match had the feel of a heavyweight boxing affair, showcasing an experienced champion against a young and exuberant challenger. In the first 15 minutes both teams looked to size up one another. It was abundantly clear that Arsenal were not fearful of City, approaching the game like they belonged at this level.
This marginal moment only reinforced the level of skill it takes to play at this level
As always, they looked at their best when Martin Ødegaard was on the ball, dictating the state of play. Arsenal seemed to be accelerating into second and third gear until a slight lapse in concentration led to them trailing one-nil down. Kevin De Bruyne pounced on Tomiyasu’s weak attempted back pass to Aaron Ramsdale, sweeping the ball into the back of the net. This marginal moment only reinforced the level of skill it takes to play at this level.
Arsenal reacted well. Mikel Arteta rallied his troops, bellowing instructions from the touchline. They started to get Martinelli and Saka on the ball more frequently in dangerous wide areas. Consistent pressure paid off when Eddie Nketiah was brought down by Ederson in the box.
They headed for half time with confidence boosted and a real chance of winning
After some confusion, it was time for Saka to step up once again from the spot. Ederson’s intimidation tactics significantly heightened the pressure of this penalty. After a long delay, Saka, somewhat inevitably, slotted the ball into the bottom left, sitting down the goalkeeper. The Emirates erupted with jubilation. Yet again Arsenal refused to show any signs of weakness when going down. They headed for half time with confidence boosted, and a real chance of winning.
As the players geared up for battle in the second half, cameras picked up on Haaland’s signature grin coming out of the changing room. He knew what he had to do. City knew what they had to do. The match resumed in very different circumstances to the first half. There was more time wasting, more stoppages, more cards. Before anyone knew it, there were only 20 minutes left to play.
In true heavyweight boxer fashion, City delivered the knockout blow
City started to improve their attacking prowess, going for the jugular. In the 72nd minute, Jack Grealish arrived onto the end of Ilkay Gundogan’s pass and gave the visitors the lead with a deflected shot past Ramsdale.
City made the affair into a scrappy game and exploited Arsenal’s defensive indecisiveness. They had a plan; this is what championship sides do. Ten minutes later, Erling Haaland rubbed salt into Arsenal wounds, firing a right footed shot away from Ramsdale’s reach. In true heavyweight boxer fashion, City delivered the knockout blow with Haaland’s goal. By then, it was too late for a depleted Arsenal to muster up anything.
City’s experience helped them get over the line. They paid no mercy to Arsenal’s mistakes. From an Arsenal point of view, all three goals were avoidable, and this is undoubtedly the source of their frustration.
How they react to this sticky patch will determine if they have the ability to steal back the impetus
There have been mixed emotions about what this implies for Arsenal moving forward. Losing was a major blow that has seen them lose top place. Disappointment is justifiable. However, there is no room for further pessimistic sentiment. Arsenal still have a game in hand at their disposal. The next few weeks and how they react to this sticky patch will determine if they have the ability to steal back the impetus from City.
Ayman Ahmer
Featured image courtesy of Who’s Denilo ? via Unsplash. Image use license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @arsenal via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of @mancity via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
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