Arsenal 1-2 Manchester City: 3 Factors which stood out in the match
Manchester City beat Arsenal 2-1 in the Premier League at the Emirates Stadium in London on Saturday. Bukayo Saka put Arsenal ahead in the 31st minute of the match. Manchester City came back strong to score two second-half goals through Riyad Mahrez and Rodri.
Man City snatch victory in the final moments thanks to Rodri's late finish
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Manchester City now have 53 points from 21 matches and are 11 points ahead of the second-placed Chelsea, who have a match in hand. Meanwhile, Arsenal are at the fourth position in the league table with 35 points from 20 matches.
On that note, we would take a look at the three points which stood out in the match:
#1 Arsenal dominated the first half as Manchester City struggled to cope with their pace
Arsenal did not look intimidated by Manchester City’s formidable line-up as they took the attack to the opposition camp. The Gunners started with a 4-3-3 formation with Saka, Alexandre Lacazette and Gabriel Martinelli upfront. Arsenal decided to exploit the space left behind by Joao Cancelo, City’s right-back, and launched quite a few attacks at the Manchester City goal.
Thomas Partey played some passes to Martinelli from the middle third and the latter tried to cut into the opposition penalty box from the left flank. On one occasion, Martinelli’s pass found Martin Odegaard inside the Manchester City penalty box. City goalkeeper Ederson made a sliding tackle to clear the ball. Martinelli’s shot from close range was also saved by Ederson later in the first half.
Arsenal finally broke the deadlock around the half-hour mark. The ball was played from the right flank to the left through a number of one-touch passes. Left-back Kieran Tierney then played it to an advancing Saka, who took the shot first time and managed to beat Ederson to his left. It was Saka’s seventh goal of the season. Arsenal finished the first half with a dominant display and a 1-0 lead.
#2 Manchester City's much-vaunted attack could not breach Arsenal's defence in the first half
Manchester City could not exert their supremacy in the first half and found themselves behind quite uncharacteristically. City started the match with their customary 4-3-3 formation. Raheem Sterling tried to cut inside from the left flank on quite a few occasions, but to great effect.
Kevin de Bruyne had a free role in midfield. Bernardo Silva tried to combine with Mahrez through the right flank, but could not break into Arsenal’s defense. At times, Manchester City switched to a 3-5-2 formation when they had possession. Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte played as the back-three, while Sterling and Cancelo played as the wing-backs.
However, in the first half, Manchester City could not dominate ball-possession like they usually do. Arsenal's intense pressing did not allow most City players to play their natural, free-flowing game.
#3 A dramatic and controversial second half changed the complexion of the match
Manchester City continued their efforts to break open Arsenal’s defense as the second half began. Bernardo Silva was particularly active through the inside-right channel. He managed to dribble past the Arsenal players and enter the box at times.
On one such occasion, Granit Xhaka pulled his shirt to stop him inside the box. The on-field referee decided that it was not a penalty. However, he overturned his decision after looking at the pitchside monitor at the intervention of VAR. Mahrez scored his 13th goal of the season through a subsequent penalty to put his side level.
Moments later, Laporte’s headed backpass sailed over Ederson and moved towards the goal. However, Ake made a brilliant goal-line clearance to avert the danger.
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To make matters worse for Arsenal, Gabriel saw his second yellow card for his cynical foul on Jesus moments after Ake's clearance. The dynamics of the match completely changed after that and Manchester City started dominating possession. However, Arsenal kept defending bravely as Rob Holding replaced Odegaard.
Just when it seemed that the match was heading towards a draw, De Bruyne’s cross found Laporte via a cross inside the Arsenal box. The ball somehow reached Rodri off Laporte’s head and the former managed to slot it past Arsenal keeper Aaron Ramsdale. It was a telling blow to Arsenal’s hopes and Manchester City managed to leave the field with all three points in their bag.