A massive game at the top end of the table as Arsenal took on Manchester City at The Emirates. Arsenal piled on more misery on Manchester City by thrashing them 5-1 and left Pep Guardiola scratching his head as to what is possibly going wrong.
Arsenal started the game strongly, with Havertz nicking the ball off Akanji and laying it on a plate for Martin Odegaard to score in the opening two minutes.
Havertz missed a huge opportunity a few minutes after a poor pass from Ortega, which saw Havertz blast his shot wide of the left-hand post and give City a lifeline.
Manchester City got better as the game went on and started creating a few chances, with David Raya making two crucial saves from corners to take Arsenal into halftime with a 1-0 lead. Pep has a big task at halftime to see if he can ignite his team into showing the fight we have seen from this team over the last 4 years.
Manchester City started better than the other team in the second half, and their relentless pressure paid off. Savinho put a lovely weighted cross into the box, which saw Haaland outjump Saliba to make it 1-1. Game on? Or too soon?
Unfortunately for Manchester City, this lead lasted only one minute. Foden played a poor pass in front of his box, which fell to Thomas Partey. Partey unleashed a shot from range, which took a massive deflection off Stones and wrong-footed Ortega to restore Arsenal’s lead.
The game had opened up, and City looked void of ideas as we advanced. Arsenal saw the weakness in the defence, with Miles Lewis-Skelly surging forward and receiving the ball during Rice’s half-turn. He took one touch and shot into the far right-hand corner to make it 3-1 and inflict further misery on Manchester City.
Manchester City was looking to get back into the game and give themselves a chance, which meant they were left thin at the back. Arsenal‘s quick counterattack allowed Martinelli to carry the ball over the halfway line and play Havertz in, who cut back onto his right foot and fired into the far left corner 4-1 and, indeed, no way back for City now.
With the minutes ticking down and City just trying to manage limitation Arsenal’s 17 year old wonder-kid Ethan Nwaneri stepped onto the pitch and showed his class by adding a fifth in the last minute of the game.
Manchester City suffered its heaviest defeat of the season, putting a massive dent in its title hopes. Meanwhile, Arsenal kept up the pressure on Liverpool, who still had a game in hand. This was a big statement victory for Arsenal, a much-needed win that kept them on track for their first Premier League title since 2004.
