(Football news) The Gunners defeated Pep Guardiola’s team for the first time in the top flight since 2015, and the treble winners suffered back-to-back league losses for the first time since December 2018 in an otherwise unimpressive game with few clear-cut opportunities. Nathan Ake’s deflection of Gabriel Martinelli’s strike into the net came with just four minutes remaining.
Leandro Trossard, Eddie Nketiah, and Gabriel Jesus started for Arsenal in the final third after Bukayo Saka lost his fight to be cleared to play in the crucial game. Jorginho was also preferred over Kai Havertz at the back.
As a result of his outstanding performance against RB Leipzig, City’s young star Rico Lewis was given the opportunity to start at the Emirates, and the champions questioned a visibly uneasy David Raya right away.
Twelve minutes later, Julian Alvarez charged down Raya’s clearance inside the six-yard box and saw the ball fizze into the side netting. Within just six minutes, the Spaniard was caught in no man’s land from a corner and needed Declan Rice to bail him out as the Englishman cleared Josko Gvardiol’s goal-bound attempt off the line.
Arsenal eventually found a way to take some of the pressure off their shaky shot-stopper, and City’s star player Mateo Kovacic avoided a red card for a studs-up challenge on Martin Odegaard’s ankle in the 31st minute after VAR referee John Brooks had a look before deciding that Michael Oliver’s yellow was adequate.
For a similarly late challenge on Rice just four minutes later, the Croatian was undoubtedly fortunate to escape receiving a second yellow, and that feeling of injustice inspired Arsenal, who ended the half the stronger of the two teams. At halftime, Arsenal brought on a fit-again Martinelli for Trossard, while Guardiola decided to keep the precariously balanced Kovacic.
Before Lewis scored for the Citizens in the 55th minute, long after the referee’s whistle had blown for a foul, an energetic Martinelli needed just six minutes to get a shot on goal, but his effort from a tight angle was straight into Ederson’s arms.
Pass after pass went nowhere for both sets of players, who almost seemed pleased with a point apiece as time ran down despite a flurry of replacements from both coaches, who struggled to give life to their disjointed assaults.
With 87 minutes played, the men in red and white would finally score, albeit in highly unfavourable circumstances. Takehiro Tomiyasu nodded the ball down to Havertz, who laid off Martinelli to steer a first-time strike into the centre of the goal via a deflection off of Ake’s head.
The Gunners moved above the champions in the league and into second place, trailing leaders and arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur on goal differential. Four minutes of extended time were not enough for a feeble Citizens side to break against a solid Arsenal backline.
After the international break, Arsenal will travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea, while the injured champions will host Brighton & Hove Albion 13 days later.
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