Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City: Player ratings for the Sky Blues as Gabriel Martinelli downed the champions in dying embers | Premier League 2023-24
Manchester City lost their second Premier League game in a row after Arsenal beat them 1-0 at the Emirates on Sunday.
Gabriel Martinelli scored the only goal of the game in the 86th minute as the Gunners climbed above the reigning champions on the league table.
Josko Gvardiol's shot in the fifth minute was cleared off the line by Declan Rice. Then, Nathan Ake fired the rebound over the bar despite being one-on-one with goalkeeper David Raya. With almost no goalmouth action after that, the sides went into the break 0-0.
In the second half too, chances were at a premium, even as both sides made a raft of changes and introduced fresh legs.
However, when there were just four minutes of normal time remaining, substitute Gabriel Martinelli curled a strike that deflected off Ake and into the back of the net.
After a run of 15 games without a win in the fixture, Arsenal finally managed to beat City, their first in the Premier League since December 2015.
Having lost 2-1 to Wolverhampton in their last game, City succumbed to a second consecutive loss to drop to third in the table.
Here are the player ratings for Manchester City:
Ederson - 7/10
The Manchester City custodian distributed the ball superbly and completed nine long balls from 17 attempts. He wasn't tested much but was helpless for Arsenal's winner.
Kyle Walker - 6.5/10
He drove forward effectively to contribute to the attack and registered a 91 percent passing accuracy. However, Martinelli gave him a hard time in the second half.
Ruben Dias - 7/10
The Portuguese star didn't face much threat from Arsenal's forwards and held the fort well.
Nathan Ake - 6.5/10
Ake spurned a great chance to score for Manchester City early on, and then in the dying embers, saw Martinelli's effort deflect off him.
Josko Gvardiol - 7/10
A decent shift from the Croatian, who made two clearances, interceptions, and tackles each. He was dispossessed 17 times though, a reflection of his sloppiness.
Rico Lewis - 6/10
The youngster had his hands full against Arsenal's marauding midfielders, but dealt well. He completed 91 percent of his passes and won three ground duels.
Bernardo Silva - 6/10
Excellent in possession as always but less impactful offensively. He didn't make a single shot in the game. Not one dribble was attempted either.
Mateo Kovacic - 5/10
The Croat seemed like a disaster waiting to happen, with all his rash and reckless challenges. On any other day, he would've been sent off, especially for that one tackle on Declan Rice. His passes, though, were as pristine as ever, misplacing just one in 37.
Julian Alvarez - 7/10
The Argentine posed a threat during the opening stanza with his movements and directness, but it gradually fizzled out.
Erling Haaland - 5.5/10
Uncharacteristically poor game for the Norwegian ace, who is otherwise the star in big games like this one. He failed to muster a single shot on target as Arsenal neutralized his threat effectively. Haaland also got dispossessed eight times.
Phil Foden - 6.5/10
Much like Haaland, he too was a non-factor in attack, but at least looked dangerous when bursting into dribbles to carry the ball forward. He also won nine ground duels. However, he too was dispossessed 16 times.
Substitutes
John Stones (68' for Lewis) - 6/10
The Englishman struggled to wrestle control of midfield from Arsenal.
Matheus Nunes (68' for Kovacic) - 6/10
He passed the ball around well, but couldn't offer anything meaningful going forward.
Jeremy Doku (68' for Alvarez) - 6.5/10
Even in the limited time, he made four tackles, two interceptions, and won six ground duels.