“He was brilliant by the way” - Darren Bent names one Arsenal player who stood out in 4-1 loss to Manchester City
Arsenal may have lost 4-1 to title rivals Manchester City, but goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale came in for praise for preventing a worse scoreline for the Gunners.
Mikel Arteta's men were put to the sword by a rampant City side who blitzed them at the Etihad on Wednesday (April 26). Kevin De Bruyne (2), John Stones and Erling Haaland sent the hosts on their way to victory, while Rob Holding grabbed a consolation for the visitors.
However, the scoreline could have been worse if it weren't for Ramsdale producing some brilliant saves. Most of them were to deny the Premier League's most in-form frontman, Haaland. The Arsenal goalkeeper made five saves and two clearances.
Former Tottenham Hotspur striker and Gunners fan Bent told talkSPORT that he was impressed by Ramsdale's display:
“He was brilliant, by the way. Without him, it could have been five, six, seven."
Manchester City ended the game with 14 shots, nine on target. They were devastating in attack, but Ramsdale did his best to keep them at bay. Nevertheless, with the win, Pep Guardiola's side have moved to within two points of the Gunners and have two games in hand.
Ramsdale has been in fine form this season, keeping 13 clean sheets in 36 games across competitions. The English shot-stopper reflected on the defeat at City by insisting that his side haven't given up on the title race. He told Arsenal's website that the north Londoners will be prepared to strike if City stumble:
“If something is going to happen, it’s going to be in our league, so, we’ve got to be there to pounce if anything happens."
Ramsdale added:
“Nothing changes for us; we’ll go through everything as we always do and learn from our mistakes, individually and collectively. Unfortunately, tonight, we haven’t been able to do what we came to achieve.”
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola insists title race isn't over despite Arsenal win
Manchester City are now 17 games unbeaten across competitions following their impressive win over Arsenal.
The Cityzens are now in control of the title race and have a treble in their sights. They're in the FA Cup final, facing Manchester United on June 3. They're also in the UEFA Champions League semifinals against holders Real Madrid.
Guardiola acknowledged that although the win over the Gunners was important, it wasn't decisive. He also touched on his side's performance, adding that his men still trail the north Londoners in the title race (via the Daily Mail):
"It was an important game, not decisive but important."
He continued:
"We played very good. I know the opponent we played. They’re still top. I know it sounds naive what I’m saying, but we are still behind. We are still there."
Manchester City will next be in action against Fulham on Sunday (April 30), while Arsenal host Chelsea at the Emirates on Tuesday (May 2).