(Football news) In midweek, both teams played on the Champions League stage away from home; the Gunners were defeated 2-1 by Lens, while the Citizens came from behind to defeat RB Leipzig 3-1.
Arsenal’s unbeaten streak deservedly came to an end against Ligue 1 runners-up Lens on Tuesday, where ex-Man City striker Gabriel Jesus gave the Gunners the lead due to a defensive error. This was after setting a new club clean sheet record away from home in the Premier League and agonisingly suffering their first loss of the season in northern France.
Aaron Ramsdale must have been thinking about a penny as the Spaniard’s pass was cut off after David Raya’s clumsy clearance then allowed Adrien Thomasson to curl home a sumptuous equaliser before Elye Wahi expertly struck the far corner to send Arsenal return to the English capital empty-handed.
Arsenal’s pre-match preparations were slightly hampered by the stifling weather in North London, which caused their flight across the channel to be delayed. However, Arteta refused to offer an explanation for his team’s lacklustre performance on a night when Bukayo Saka was also substituted due to an injury in the first half, rounding out a nightmare evening for the Gunners.
However, Arteta’s third-placed charges are one of just two Premier League teams (the other being their arch-rival Tottenham Hotspur) yet to lose a top-flight game this season. Following last weekend’s 4-0 demolition of Bournemouth, the Gunners are currently sitting pretty in third place in the newly released rankings.
Arsenal has only been defeated at home in Premier League games once since the start of the 2022–23 season, and all of their games at the Emirates this year have seen at least two goals scored. Despite their tenacious defence on neutral ground, Arteta’s team has yet to record a Premier League home clean sheet.
Similar to their North London rivals, Man City also experienced a setback this week in the Champions League after taking the lead away from home. Hotshot Leipzig player Lois Openda scored via the post to offset Phil Foden’s deft opening goal.
However, the vivacious Julian Alvarez conjured up a moment of magic to restore City’s one-goal lead in the 84th minute, before the Argentine set Jeremy Doku away to seal the victory in stoppage time. The champions’ attempts to wear down the Roten Bullen rearguard were met with stiff resistance from Marco Rose’s side.
Wednesday marked the third time in a row that Man City had won after losing to Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the EFL Cup and Premier League, respectively. The latter loss reduced their lead at the top to just one point. Pep Guardiola’s team had to avoid suffering three consecutive away losses.
By the time Sunday comes around, City might have been ousted from their throne by Tottenham Hotspur, who only need to win at Luton Town to unseat the treble winners. Guardiola’s team has only managed four Premier League clean sheets away from home in 2023, while Arsenal’s home defence is well known for its weaknesses.
Arsenal broke their hoodoo against Pep Guardiola’s club by defeating them on penalties at Wembley two months ago, earning them a golden ticket into the Community Shield. However, the Gunners have lost each of their previous 12 top-flight matches.
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