Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal: 5 Hits and Flops as Sterling strike secures all three points for Cityzens | Premier League 2020-21
Arsenal headed into this fixture with the odds against them. The Gunners had failed to beat Manchester City in their last nine Premier League matches and the last time they won at the Etihad Stadium was in January 2015.
Minutes before kick-off, Mikel Arteta's side was forced to replace Rob Holding with David Luiz after the former hurt his hamstring during the warm-up. Luiz had a game to forget the previous time he played at the Etihad Stadium and in this evening's game, he almost scored an own goal in the second half of the match.
Pep Guardiola's side started as the stronger team and their hard work paid off when Raheem Sterling capitalised on a defensive mistake from the Gunners. His goal in the first-half was ultimately the only goal of the match as Arsenal failed to equalise. Here's a look at five hits and flops from the match.
#5 Flop - Bernd Leno (Arsenal)
Bernd Leno could have done much better to prevent City's opener in the first half. The German keeper punched away an effort by Phil Foden only for the ball to fall at Raheem Sterling's feet. The Manchester City forward made no mistake from close range and broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute.
It's not the first time the 28-year-old keeper has made such a mistake and his tendency to punch instead of catching the ball is costing Arsenal. As compared to Ederson, who had made crucial saves to deny Bukayo Saka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the first half, Leno paled in comparison.
Besides his poor clearance, the German's decision to play short passes to his defenders also resulted in trouble on a few occasions. Throughout the first 45 minutes, the Cityzens played with a high line given all the possession they had and Leno should have known better rather than sticking to playing out from the back.
#4 Hit - Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
In the absence of Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling continues to excel and even netted the match-winner for his team. The forward was initially a doubt after pulling out of the England squad due to a hamstring problem.
Despite injury concerns, Sterling started alongside Sergio Aguero as well as Riyad Mahrez and got the job done this afternoon. During the second half, the away team seemed more dominant and had more shots than Manchester City. While Sterling was starved of possession, he remained alert throughout the game and came close to doubling the lead.
However, that only goal from him was sufficient for Manchester City to secure all three points and Sterling now has four goals in six appearances against Arsenal. With this victory, the Cityzens are now 10th in the Premier League table standings and Arsenal remain fifth.