Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City: 5 Talking Points as Gabriel Martinelli grabs late winner in close contest | Premier League 2023-24
Arsenal secured an important 1-0 win over Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday, October 8.
The Gunners smashed Bournemouth 4-0 in their last league outing as four different scorers secured the result. They then suffered their first defeat of the season in a 2-1 loss to RC Lens in the Champions League. However, Mikel Arteta's men were eager to end their poor run against their rivals as he fielded a strong lineup.
The Cityzens, on the other hand, suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat against Wolves last weekend, before making up for it with a clinical 3-1 win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League. Pep Guardiola fielded a strong team with the players he had available.
Both Arsenal and Manchester City started the game well but the visitors had the best chance to score in the first period. The ball fell kindly to Nathan Ake inside the Gunners' 18-yard box but he skied his shot with a wayward attempt.
Mateo Kovacic was lucky to stay on the pitch after two poor tackles, with one of those being a hard tackle straight to the back of Martin Odegaard's ankles.
Neither side managed to trouble the scorekeeper in the first half as Arsenal and Manchester City were deadlocked at 0-0 at the interval.
The second half was a similar story as the two teams played a game of chess through their tactical approaches. Neither side was effective in the final third as there were just one shot on target apiece between them until late in the game.
Substitute Gabriel Martinelli scored the match-winner with a powerful effort that deflected off Nathan Ake to make it 1-0 in the 85th minute.
Arsenal held on to secure an all-important 1-0 win over Manchester City. On that note, let's take a look at the five talking points.
#5. Mateo Kovacic should have seen red in the first half
Kovacic was riding his luck too much in the first period as he made a rash tackle on Martin Odegaard. He caught the Norwegian on the back of his ankle and was pretty late and high in the tackle.
Whether that was a red card is a debate that could go on and on, but he was shown a yellow after VAR checked the incident. However, he should have seen a second yellow for another awful late tackle, which went unpunished by the referees.
It was another incident that raises serious questions about the capabilities of the match officials in the Premier League.
#4. Nathan Ake should have given Manchester City the lead
Manchester City made a decent start to the game and had one real chance to grab the lead in the first half. Nathan Ake found himself in a great position in the box as the ball was played straight to his feet with great accuracy.
However, the Dutchman got under the ball too much and fired his shot well above the crossbar as the Gunners were spared their blushes.
#3. Gabriel Martinelli's introduction lifted Arsenal
Having picked up an injury a couple of weeks ago, Arsenal were at the risk of playing this game without their two top wingers Martinelli and Bukayo Saka for this game. While the latter missed it altogether, the Brazilian was on the bench from the start and came on after the half-time break.
Just him walking onto the pitch was enough to lift the Emirates crowd and his teammates as he brought bags of energy with him.
#2. Martinelli grabbed the winner in the 85th minute
Chances came at a premium in this contest as there were just three shots on target between the two teams. Arsenal had two, while Manchester City had just one shot on target. However, Gabriel Martinelli's introduction changed the pace of the game and shifted momentum in Arsenal's favor.
The Brazilian grabbed the winner in the 85th minute after a lovely layoff by Kai Havertz. The German cushioned the ball and played it towards the winger, who took it perfectly in stride and fired a shot goalwards. It took a deflection off Nathan Ake to wrong-foot Ederson as the Gunners led 1-0.
#1. Arsenal defeat City in the PL for the first time since December 2015
This was a monumental result for Arsenal emotionally despite it not making much of a difference for the title race in the bigger picture. With 28 games to go, it is still anyone's league to win.
However, this meant a lot to a Gunners side that have tried and failed several times against this Manchester City side. Arsenal have won in the FA Cup and the Community Shield, but have now finally crossed the hurdle of defeating the Cityzens in the Premier League as well.