Man City bully Arsenal to wrestle back control of title race

Erling Haaland had his shirt torn by Gabriel Magalhaes shortly after scoring - Scott Heppell/Reuters

Arsenal have lost their grip on the Premier League title race. The image of this game was not the goal of the season scored by Rayan Cherki – in arguably the contest of the season – and it was not the terrible mistake made by Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand the visitors an equalising goal.

Instead, it was Gabriel Magalhães so desperately pulling at Erling Haaland that he ripped the Manchester City striker’s base-layer, the garment under his shirt, in two.

It slipped from Gabriel and Arsenal’s grasp and felt symbolic of this title race. They are still three points ahead, having played a game more, and with a marginally better goal difference. But this felt huge. This felt defining. This felt like the moment that confirmed City will be champions again. And Haaland did it.

And his response to Gabriel? It was to laugh, having scored the deserved winning goal a few minutes earlier. He and City bullied Arsenal, who have for so long been the physically dominant team of the season.

Later, Gabriel would square up to Haaland and somehow escape a red card after motioning to headbutt the striker. Instead, both players were cautioned and on the touchline, Pep Guardiola went crazy. Had Haaland gone down, it would certainly have been a sending off. It should have been one anyway.

What a game. Both sides hit the woodwork twice and Arsenal, in fairness, went for it in a way they did not in their recent defeat by City in the Carabao Cup final and as their form has deteriorated in recent weeks.

But City undoubtedly deserved to win and played the far more attacking, expansive football. In fact, football was the winner.

It was tense, it was frantic and there were two minutes of madness in the first-half which led to goals. First, Cherki showed brilliant close control, dribbling the ball with his left foot, which took him past Gabriel then away from Declan Rice before side-footing low with his right through the legs of William Saliba. What a goal. It was Lionel Messi-esque.

As the celebrations continued, though, Donnarumma made a mess of a throw-in with a terrible heavy touch. Kai Havertz closed him down and the attempted clearance rebounded off the striker and into the net.

It was Havertz’s first league goal for 441 days – since he last scored against City. But it was also from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Donnarumma went some way to redeeming himself with a terrific double save in the second half before the outstanding Nico O’Reilly combined with Jeremy Doku with his cross intended for Rodri, only to run to Haaland, who finished unerringly.

There were seven minutes of injury time and deep into them, there was one last chance for Arsenal – only for Havertz to head narrowly over.

Mikel Arteta fell to the ground. That, too, felt symbolic.

07:39pm

And finally Mikel Arteta speaks to Sky Sports

That’s exactly that and when you don’t do it and they have individual quality to deliver in those moments, you risk losing the game because I don’t think there was any difference between the teams.

On if loss came down to bad luck:

“There are a few elements. There is an element of luck with whether the ball goes in or not. The second one the ball deflects, it goes to Haaland.

“There is individual quality as well and there is, in that moment, to be so cool, precise and ruthless. You have to be that.”

On Arsenal’s performance:

“You could see at the end of the game, and right from the beginning, the attitude of the team. We could have been a bit more composed in certain moments but we certainly took the game to where we wanted and we had big chances to win.

“We went very close but not close enough and now we have to accept we lost an opportunity today, a big one, but there are still five games to go. We need to reset and go again because there are a lot of positives to take from the game.”

On the approach:

“With the ball we had the same [intent] and we generated the situations that we believed we could generate.

“There is even one where Kai [Havertz] is totally free on the halfway to go one-on-one. We are in the level that we are in because this team has taken us there. That’s the level you need to be to win it.

“Today there are certainly elements, in front of goal which is the most important one, and big chances - you have to put them away to come away from the Etihad with three points.”

On quality of the match:

“Yes, there was moments but it was a battle as well, and intensity, because you expect that.

“There were big parts of the game that had similarities with the first 28 minutes of the cup final because we had two massive chances to go ahead - and we didn’t. That changes the course of the game.

“We take it game by game, we had some very good moments a few days ago in the Champions League against Sporting.

“We are playing so many games, we are the only team that is playing and playing and playing, that’s a difference as well.

“But the positive is that today we have seen the level and there are five games to go. We are going to give it a real go.”

On effect of losing this match:

“We have full belief that we can do it. Today we showed again the team that we are. It’s in our hands and it’s there for the taking.”

07:36pm

Pep Guardiola speaks to Sky Sports

A good advert for the Premier League. They are so aggressive, so good in the duels, one of the most competitive teams I have ever faced in my career. Strong in the duels, long balls, second balls, Rice and Havertz they are fantastic. They had chances, we had chances. They had momentum, we had momentum. It’s small margins.

Both teams [are top] and [smiles] really, really top managers. Now it’s every three days and the reality is it’s only one win, that they are top of the league with a one-goal difference. We have to enjoy it and celebrate, take the good things but don’t lose the focus. The focus is three days when we go to Burnley.

Their speed, their set-pieces, Raya to Gyokeres, Trossard comes inside to make four, they are top.  At the end they put four strikers plus Gabriel and good deliveries it’s very difficult. I am happy because we can extend hope until the end.

Momentum shifts in one instant. They are Champions League semi-finalists. They didn’t lose one game [in that competition]. I have a lot of respect for that. We want to win, of course.

Nico O’Reilly is incredible, offensively and defensively, set-pieces. Exceptional, exceptional. Arrives in the final third, provokes the second goal. I don’t know if he is player of the season but come on he to be the young player of the season.

[Donnarumma’s error] The guy was so aggressive [Havertz]. But [Donnarumma’s] mates helped him. When a team concedes a goal and it’s everyone for himself, I don’t like it.

If you keep talking about Bernardo I will cry. It’s so emotional that he is leaving. Bernardo is Bernardo. You can’t define him. Thank you to Gary Neville for making him man of the match because sometimes I think he is not seen. His stature is not [what it should be] because he’s not fast and strong. But football starts from here [points to his head] and that guy… I feel gratitude for the many, many years he’s given us.

07:05pm

Martin Odegaard speaks to Sky Sports

We’re disappointed not to win. Obviously we wanted to come here and get a result. I thought we were really up for it, played a good game and pressed them really well. We had some good moments with the high press. In the second half we looked dangerous and had some big moments in front of goal.

Small margins to decide games like this and we weren’t sharp enough in front of goal. That’s why we go home with nothing.

That’s football at this level it was always going to be like that, very intense, very tough.

It’s frustrating but there were a lot of good things in the game from us. We keep going and keep pushing until the end.

I thought the high press was really good. Maybe we lacked some composure on the ball at times, but in the second half we created those big moments. Overall a decent performance and small margins. We have to learn from that and move on.

It was a tight call [to play] but I felt OK in the game. I was a bit tired in the end but good to be back.

There’s always pressure in football, always noise. It’s normal for us. We stay focused on ourselves, prepare for the next game, get a win there and bounce back.

[Do you still believe?] Of course.

06:56pm

Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland speak to Sky Sports

Bernardo Silva: Very big obviously because it outs us in a position where if we win the game in hand it puts us on the same points. Two weeks ago this scenario didn’t look likely. It was a tough game, a good game and we’re delighted we’re on the same points. Erling was fantastic today, fighting for every ball against two centre-backs. It was not easy for him. Apart from the goal which he always scores, he fought like an animal.

Second half was tough. It looked like we were in the lead with possession but they always felt dangerous. They had two big chances but these games are always like that, the small details. Overall we played a good game. We were there and our fans were there. A lot of small details have not gone our way this season, not only decisions but we have missed a lot of chances, games we should have won. But today things went our way.

Not especially [emotional today]. I took the decision [to leave] a long time ago so I have been emotional all season. I just want to finish on a high with a good end with trophies.

Erling Haaland: I was quite happy to be honest [when pictured walking off singing at the end]. It was a great moment for me, a great win. I think it’s always like this, a lot of fighting, what can I say. I told him when he headed that ball out that he was like f------ Cannavaro. Ah come on, we all swear in our lives. Bernie, I won’t make you emotional but you were very,very good.

Every game is a final, I’ve told you that. Wednesday is a final and when we stop speaking here we focus and prepare for Burnley. That game is as important as this one and we have to stay humble and focus on the next.

Of course I won that battle [with Gabriel] in that decisive moment, I won the cross and the finish was perfect. It was a great goal and in the end we won.

If I fell on the floor there which I won’t do unless really attacked it might have been a red card. But I will not fall on the floor as easy like that. Yellow card for me? He comes up to my face. It is what it is.

06:41pm

Sky Sports is now trolling Ray Davies

Arsenal fan and Kinks genius by using You Really Got Me as the soundtrack to the highlights of City’s victory.

06:37pm

Haaland vs Gabriel flashpoints

Haaland has his sleeve ripped off - Sky Sports

A grapple before a game of crab football - Sky Sports

Gabriel takes the bait and butts but gently - Sky Sports

06:33pm

Remaining games

City’s run in:
April 22 Burnley vs City
May 4 Everton vs Man City
May 9 Man City vs Brentford
May 17 Bournemouth vs Man City
May 24 Man City vs Aston Villa
TBC Man City vs Palace

Arsenal’s run-in:
April 25 Arsenal vs Newcastle 
May 2 Arsenal vs Fulham
May 10 West Ham vs Arsenal 
May 17 Arsenal vs Burnley
May 24 Palace vs Arsenal

06:29pm

How they stand

City’s game in hand is against Burnley on Wednesday:

06:27pm

Full time: Man City 2 Arsenal 1

City move to three points behind Arsenal with a game in hand. Fine match. Arsenal played pretty well but City are in magnificent form and found something extra.

06:25pm

90+7 min: Man City 2 Arsenal 1

Haaland smothers Rice’s frantic cross from the left and wellies the ball upfield.

06:24pm

90+6 min: Man City 2 Arsenal 1

Rice swings the corner under the crossbar but City see it away. Martinelli regathers on the left, shifts it over to the right and Trossard whips over a marvellous cross that Havertz rises to meet in the middle of goal and he scratches the top of the crossbar with his effort.

Was that the title there? A perfect cross and he really should have buried it.

Odegaard fell to his back on the ground as Havertz headed over the bar there. He knew that was it. That was the chance. Arsenal have had three in this half (Havertz one-on-one, Eze shot against the post and Havertz header) but they haven’t taken any of them.

06:22pm

90+4 min: Man City 2 Arsenal 1

Bernardo Silva beats Gyokeres in the air to stop the Sweden centre-forward heading a cross. Outrageous leap. Puny from Gyokeres.

Odegaard bends a cross with his left from the right to the back post and Nunes heads it behind to stop Gabriel meeting it.

06:20pm

90+2 min: Man City 2 Arsenal 1

Arsenal still seem reluctant to gamble by throwing numbers forward. Hincapie runs up the left and is knocked over by Nunes but the referee waves play on. It looked like a foul to me but was outside the box.

06:19pm

90 min: Man City 2 Arsenal 1

Svene minutes of stoppage time are signalled.

06:18pm

89 min: Man City 2 Arsenal 1

Havertz, now on the right wing, is eased off the ball by O’Reilly who robs him, then turns and sweeps a pass up to Savinho. He really is like a young Paolo Maldini, circa 1989.

06:16pm

87 min: Man City 2 Arsenal 1

Guardiola was booked for his vehement complaints about Gabriel and the leniency of the referee.

Rodri goes down and is lying flat, kneading his groin. But he gets back to his feet.

González → Rodri
Savinho → Doku.

06:14pm

85 min: Man City 2 Arsenal 1

Guardiola is unhappy that Gabriel was not sent off. Haaland may have saved his adversary by not making a meal of it.

Gyokeres → Zubimendi

Foden → Cherki.

06:11pm

83 min: Man City 2 Arsenal 1

Gabriel and Haaland press their foreheads together. Gabriel jerks his head forward in a butting motion but the referee decides to give both a yellow. Gabriel is very fortunate to stay on.

06:10pm

81 min: Man City 2 Arsenal 1

Hincapie races over from left-back to the right to help White and block Doku’s cross but Arsenal can’t get out in numbers. City’s game management is second to none.

06:08pm

79 min: Man City 2 Arsenal 1

Gyokeres is stripped but the briefing from his manager continues. No urgency in getting him on yet.

06:08pm

77 min: Man City 2 Arsenal 1

City’s pressure earns them a corner on the left. Trossard’s tenacity earns him the ball at the back post and he triggers a counter with a big up and under. Havertz is dispatched on a footrace with Bernardo and the City captain  sticks with his man, extends an Ernie Wise leg and knocks it to safety. Havertz’s first touch was with his hand but the referee didn’t see it.

06:04pm

74 min: Man City 2 Arsenal 1

Arsenal changes:

White → Mosquera
Trossard → Eze.

Where’s Dowman? They’re losing.

06:02pm

72 min: Man City 2 Arsenal 1

Gabriel hits the foot of the right post with a beefy header from a free-kick that just evades O’Reilly’s raised hand, kissing his hip instead. Khusanov blocks Havertz’s attempt from the rebound.

06:01pm

70 min: Man City 2 Arsenal 1

Rodri lets fly from 25 yards and his shot hits a defender and goes behind for a corner. Cherki’s corner is turned behind for another and Doku shoots wide from that encore.

05:59pm

67 min: Man City 2 Arsenal 1

The mutual rag-dolling between Haaland and Gabriel ends for now with Haaland’s undershirt ripped to shreds.

05:53pm Video • Goals

GOAL!

Man City 2 Arsenal 1 (Haaland) Donnarumma’s throw to halfway strands five Arsenal players. O’Reilly takes it forward, slips the pass outside to Doku then keeps going inside the winger. Doku fees it back into him and he turns to sweep a pass across the box. Rodri takes a defender with his near-post run and Haaland holds off Gabriel’s attempt to hold him back with a shirt pull, overpowers him and swings a left-foot shot into the bottom left.

O’Reilly was central to that goal as he has been to so much of City’s best football this afternoon. When he went off injured against Chelsea last Guardiola must have been concerned about not having him for this game but he’s fit and what an influence he wields with this marauding runs from left back. Hard to see how Tuchel doesn’t start with him this summer.

The same two players who took control of the Carabo Cup final have taken control of this game: Rodri and O’Reilly. It increasingly feels like Rodri is running this match now, and that wasn’t really the case in the first half.

05:53pm

62 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

Eze cushions Odegaard’s pass 20 yards out with his right, swivels his hips to switch it on to his left, takes another touch to clear a path then bends a shot past Donnarumma and on to the inside of the right post from where it skips across goal and City clear.

05:50pm

60 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

Big save from Donnarumma after a mistake from Guehi diving in halfway. Rice pounces to take the ball off him and work it up for Odegaard who strides through the middle and then tees up Havertz arriving from the left. The false nine opens his body to shoot with his left from about none yards but Donnarumma spreads himself and saves with his left hand down by his left hip and smothers the space sufficiently so Martinelli can’t get a clean connection on the rebound, allowing O’Reilly the time to get back and clear as the ball dribbled towards the goal-line.

05:46pm

58 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

Nunes is fine up the other end and proves so again to underlap Semenyo and pirouette on his pass into the box to shoot into Hincapie who turns it behind for a corner that Bernardo swings over the bar and out for a goal-kick.

05:45pm

56 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

Eze’s defensive diligence has been commendable so far but they need to get him on the ball more and try to exploit Matheus Nunes’s defensive inexperience.

Rodri has been superb in this game. He’s doing things he wouldn’t have been able to do four or five months ago but he’s really starting to get back to a level now after that ACL injury. That pass for Semenyo deserved so much better than the touch it got from the City forward. A better one and he’d have been in – and Arsenal in trouble.

05:42pm

54 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

Khusanov eases Havertz over as they chase Martinelli’s pass. Havertz wants a free-kick, the referee signals that he thought it was shoulder-to-shoulder.

05:40pm

52 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

Rodri pass promises to put Semenyo through between Gabriel and Hincapie but his heavy touch ruins the move. Arsenal look besieged by wave after wave of attacks.

Madueke had an injury in midweek, which may be a factor in this decision. I also think he failed to make the most of the counter-attacking opportunities he had.

05:39pm

50 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

From Bernardo’s brute of an inswinging corner, Arsenal clear to the edge of the six-yard box where Martinelli tries to chest it down but is mugged by Khusanov who swings his leg round to strike the ball as it bounced up. It hits a defender and rebounds to Haaland who swivels and batters a shot into the outside of the right post.

05:37pm

48 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

City corner after a mistake from Martinelli in the weight of his pass backwards. Cherki pounces and dribbles down the inside-right before releasing Semeny with a pass that was too heavy and tightened the angle. Semenyo got there but hit a sliding Hincapie and the ball went behind for a corner.

05:35pm

46 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

Martinelli is lining up on the right and his pace may well be useful against Doku. City kick off  and switch the ball from wing to wing as they probe for an opportunity to overload.

05:32pm

Half-time change

Martinelli → Madueke.

05:19pm

Half-time: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

A compelling game that has lived up to the status of the two sides and the importance of the occasion. Arsenal’s tactics have allowed them to trouble City in ways they were unable to do at Wembley but just like the League Cup final, City look very dangerous in attack, Cherki at times unstoppable legally when dribbling.

Arteta ran down the tunnel as soon as the whistle sounded for half-time. He doesn’t do that very often. He must be conscious that the half-time break proved decisive in the Carabao Cup final, when City won the game with a second-half blitz.

05:16pm

44 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

Raya is fouled by O’Reilly at the corner which had fizzed over the keeper and into that zone beneath the bar. Saliba headed Berrnardo’s vicious inswinger away but then the whistle went.

A tale of two managers but both with hearts on sleeves - Martin Rickett/PA

05:15pm

42 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

Cherki’s dancing feet mesmerise Arsenal’s defenders again as he dribbles towards the box to the right of the D. Gabriel fails to engage outside the box but lets him in by backing off then gives him a tug around the neck by which point he had already laid it off to Semenyo to fire an angled shot from the right. But Hincapie was alert to it and slid in to block at the price of a corner.

05:12pm

40 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

After a 10-minute spell of City hogging possession Arsenal break up the right with a neat Odegaard, Madueke and Mosquera triangle with the marauding full-back putting in a cross towards the penalty spot. Havertz attacks the ball but Khusanov beats him to it and hooks it behind. Gary Neville feels that Havertz should have used his arms to get across Khusanov but was instead stuck on his heels.

Havertz celebrates his improbable equaliser - Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images

05:10pm

38 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

Gabriel and Haaland area having their usual ding-dong battle, all arms and intertwined legs, whether standing up or grappling on the floor.

05:08pm

36 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

That Raya clearance came after a corner which was earned by City by virtue of Rice’s excellent tackle on Bernardo. Khusanov rose to take it on but could not divert it goalwards and Guehi couldn’t find the power to beat the keeper.

Mosquera is booked for one foul too many on Doku, pulling his shirt as he threatened to leave him in his vapour trail.

05:05pm

34 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

Raya is given a very soft free-kick when, after kicking the ball wastefully from hand straight up the middle towards Donnarumma, he falls over when brushing against O’Reilly. The City fans boo him and the referee.

05:04pm

32 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

Rodri is receiving a lot more of the ball this past few minutes and has started pulling the strings.

05:02pm

30 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

Breathtaking skill from O’Reilly in the tightest of spaces out by the touchline, twisting, turning, using the sole of his boot to drag the ball away from Havertz and then nutmegging Madueke to trigger a City counter that is thwarted by a ‘tactical foul’ on Rodri.

Cherki scores City’s opener - PETER POWELL/EPA/Shutterstock

05:01pm

28 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

No doubt that Arsenal’s aggression is spooking City at the back. But they trust themselves, their composure and passing.

Arsenal are pressing so aggressively and are leaving Haaland one-against-one with Saliba. Not sure any other defenders in the Premier League would be willing to do that, or capable of it.

04:59pm

26 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

Fabulous move from City with Guehi sweeping a pass up the inside left to O’Reilly who had drifted inside. He laid it off fist time to Doku haring down the wing and the Belgium forward cut it back to the 18-yard line to Haaland who tried to knock the casing off the ball, spanking it when he could have swept it, and hence dragged it behind.

To score a goal of that beauty - and then concede so cheaply within a couple of minutes will agonise Guardiola. Donnarumma is a superb shot stopper but he’s not convincing with with the ball at his feet and he’s just too lackadaisical there. It’s brilliant pressing from Havertz but a dreadful error from City’s goalkeeper after a piece of prime Messi football from Cherki, one of the great steals at £30m.

04:57pm

24 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

While catching one’s breath City had a an excellent chance on the counter with Haaland extending his stride through the middle and Doku to his left, Semenyo to his right and only Saliba and Gabriel ahead of him. But he made a mess of the angle of his pass to Semenyo who slipped when trying to find the pace to retrieve it.

Guéhi tries to console Donnarumma - Michael Regan/Getty Images

04:55pm

22 min: Man City 1 Arsenal 1

There are videos of the goals in the goal descriptions now after those frantic few minutes.

04:48pm Video • Goals

GOAL!

Man City 1 Arsenal 1 (Havertz) Oh my word! Nunes throws the ball back to Donnarumma who turns to play it from the right of the box to the left, dithers and is blindsided by Havertz to such an extent that Havertz’s block tackle of his clearance spins into the net.

You can plan all the scenarios and devise all the tactical strategies but the two goals here have come from individual brilliance and an individual error. That’s the beauty of football, I suppose. What a game this is.

04:47pm Video • Goals

GOAL!

Man City 1 Arsenal 0 (Cherki) Brilliant from City’s playmaker. Nunes traps a clearance 30 yards out with his chest, playing it into Cherki’s path. He slaloms into the box, careering around Rice and then Gabriel who bends his knee to try to form a long barrier. But Cherki’s left foot takes it past him before burying a right-foot shot into the bottom left. To say it looked like a Messi goal would not flatter it.

04:46pm

14 min: Man City 0 Arsenal 0

City are living dangerously, knowing the rewards is worth the risk of trying to play through Arsenal’s high press. But a couple of times Nunes and O’Reilly have given it straight to Arsenal players whose first touch hasn’t been good enough to exploit the errors.

Cherki’s deflected shot his the post - Carl Recine/Getty Images

04:44pm

11 min: Man City 0 Arsenal 0

Rice whips the corner under the cross-bar but Donnarumma paws it away and the attack breaks down because Odegaard doesn’t see Rice’s run. But they hound City from the goal-kick and keep them penned in, winning a throw-in out by the right corner flag.

It looks like Arsenal are trying to press man-to-man in City’s half, with Declan Rice pushing very, very high onto Rodri. It is extremely rare to see Rice as the most advanced Arsenal player out of possession but that was the case a few minutes ago. Gabriel is pushing high, too.

04:41pm

9 min: Man City 0 Arsenal 0

To answer Sam’s point, Raya does launch the next goal-kick upfield and Arsenal flood forward in numbers, Declan Rice’s cute pass finding Havertz down the inside-left channel and his shot is blocked for Arsenal’s third corner.

04:40pm

7 min: Man City 0 Arsenal 0

Arsenal recover from that scare to earn a pair of corners, the first of which spins menacingly across goal, the second gives Mosquera a free header that he plants into the crowd. Decent chance that.

Arsenal are lucky to be level still and you have to wonder what sort of damage that early flurry of chances for City will do to the nerves in the visiting backline. I would be very surprised if Raya doesn’t send the next goal kick a long way downfield. Arsenal need to relax.

04:38pm

5 min: Man City 0 Arsenal 0

City play the goal-kick short and then almost get caught by playing the ball across their area. It completely knocks them sideways in terms of organisation, that poor interchange between Gabriel and Raya. And City storm back at them down the left with Doku beating Mosquera and feeding a pass into Haaland who tries to backheel it in. his effort is blocked but the ball rebounds to Cherki who shoots from the left of the box. Gabriel leans into the shot, it strikes him above the sleeve line of his left arm and spins on to the inside of the left post, across the six-yard box and Arsenal scramble it clear.

There’s a VAR check for handball but no penalty.

04:34pm

3 min: Man City 0 Arsenal 0

Cherki slows to walking pace as he teases Arsenal 30 yards from goal on the right before slipping Semenyo down the right but he runs out of space when linking up with Doku who switched wings.

04:33pm

2 min: Man City 0 Arsenal 0

Arsenal are pressing vigorously and have Mosquera snapping into tackles on the right against Doku.

04:32pm

1 min: Man City 0 Arsenal 0

Arsenal kick off and go backwards to launch a lofted pass up their left, winning the header but when it’s switched over to the right, the ref whistles for a City free-kick for, I think, a shove by Havertz.

04:30pm

Arsenal’s players and staff are wearing black armbands

In tribute to the late Alex Manninger who was killed last week in a rail accident at the age of 48.

04:27pm

The teams are coming out of the tunnel

Both sides in their home kits. City, as usual, greet the players with their adulterated Hey Jude followed by Blue Moon.

04:19pm

Mikel Arteta speaks to Sky Sports

It’s going to be a match between two sides who have the ability to adapt. There’s a lot of quality on the pitch. We have to impose ourselves as we have managed to do for months and play with spirit.

We have a lot of players with flexibility and leadership and, as you mentioned, comfortable under pressure.

Every game requires different things, Each players is important. Ebs [Eze] has been great for us and this is the kind of game [in which he can shine]. A lot of factors with Kai. he is very intelligent, he occupies spaces and brings players into play.

[How have you stopped stress affecting your players]. It is excitement and determination [my message to them]. Go for it.

04:14pm

Recent head-to-heads

04:08pm

Pyro craze shows no sign of abating

Mike Summerbee’s been elected pope - Dave Thompson/AP

04:02pm

Meanwhile at the Hill Dickinson

Liverpool have taken the lead in the 10th minute of stoppage time. They win the derby 2-1.

The two other matches have finished:

Aston Villa 4 Sunderland 3
Nottm Forest 4 Burnley 1

03:51pm

Roy Keane’s switched sides

Scott Heppell/PA

03:46pm

Bernardo Silva will be the hardest of Guardiola greats to replace

To this day, quite how Bernardo Silva was not named 2018-19 PFA Player of the Year still confounds Pep Guardiola.

The award instead went to Virgil van Dijk, whose Liverpool side had been pipped to the Premier League post by Manchester City. Vincent Kompany had an interesting take on why his former team-mate is perpetually overlooked for the biggest individual awards, not least the Ballon d’Or.

“The problem for Bernardo is he’s so humble,” Kompany said in a book documenting City’s 2022-23 Treble success. “He’ll always drop a couple of places in the contenders’ list just because of that. There will always be guys that are better at self-promotion and have better PR machines around them.”

The announcement this week that Bernardo will leave the Etihad Stadium at the end of this season was confirmation of what many had known for months. But that did not make it any easier to swallow.

03:40pm

It makes no difference to the title race

But the state of play in the 2pm kick-offs is

Forest 3 Burnley 1
Aston Villa 3 Sunderland 1
Everton 1 Liverpool 1

03:30pm

Your teams in black and white

Man City Donnarumma; Matheus Nunes, Khusanov, Guéhi, O’Reilly; Bernardo Silva, Rodri; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland. Substitutes Trafford, Reijnders, Stones, Ake, Marmoush, Gonzalez, Ait Nouri, Savio, Foden.

Arsenal Raya; Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapié; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke, Havertz, Eze. 
Substitutes  Kepa, White, Gabriel Jesus, Martinelli, Gyokeres, Norgaard, Trossard, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman.

Referee: Anthony Taylor (Wythenshawe)

03:27pm

Arteta goes for it?

Looks to me like Arteta has prioritised technical ability in his midfield/attack today, after the Carabao Cup final defeat. Arsenal simply could not keep the ball in the second half at Wembley. The inclusion of Odegaard and Eze should help them to do so today. It’s quite bold.

03:21pm

City starting XI

Pepe Guardiola names an unchanged side, going with his victors at Stamford Bridge. John Stones does return on the bench, however.

03:16pm

Arsenal team news

Odegaard starts… in two changes from the side that qualified for the Champions League semi-final. Havertz is the other one. Gyokeres and Martinelli drop to the bench.

03:11pm

Minds and bodies

Having covered Arsenal throughout Mikel Arteta’s tenure, there is one question I cannot shake from my mind: are his players simply burned out by this point of the campaign? For all the talk about “bottling” and a supposed lack of mental strength, my fear for Arsenal is that their bodies are more of a problem than their minds.

Arteta demands such intensity, all the time, and it must take its toll. Training is famously intense. The matches are always intense. Even the meetings with the coaches are often intense. By April, after so many months of it, are the players out of energy? It may explain why they have so consistently lost form at this time of the campaign.

03:05pm

Contrary to what Mikel Arteta said on Friday…

Martin Odegaard has travelled with the squad to Manchester:

03:02pm

Mikel Arteta’s win-at-all-costs mentality makes Arsenal manager hard to like

There is an interesting word that is used by someone who knows Mikel Arteta to describe how much he wants to finally win the Premier League. And that word is “besotted”.

The same source states that this season the Arsenal manager simply does not care how he wins, and has rejected all criticism of how his team has played – the apparent reliance on set-pieces, the lack of free-flowing football – because he is so utterly fixated on lifting that trophy.

As long as it succeeds there is little wrong with that even if there remains the nagging feeling that Arsenal possess the players to be more creative. But that can come when they defend the title next season.

Most successful managers are “marmite” and divide opinion. It is partly a natural result of being competitive and a threat. But in Arteta’s case, and especially because he is yet to win a trophy beyond the FA Cup in his first half-season in charge in 2020, it appears to be particularly polarising.

02:50pm

He who laughs last…

Mixed messages: last week a City fan goaded Arsenal about a loss of bottle, now some City fans concede Arsenal have not lost their bottle but they are in fact full of tears. Hubris? We shall discover…

Pranksters at play - Lee Smith/Action Images via Reuters

A City fan is selling bottles of water outside the Etihad with the Arsenal crest on them. This will be the ultimate test of Arsenal’s bottle.

At Stamford Bridge last week, a City fan went viral for drinking from a plastic bottle with an Arsenal label. He saw an opportunity, and he certainly took it.

Other City fans have evidently now seen a similar chance for themselves today. Outside the Etihad, one supporter is selling water bottles with homemade Arsenal labels. A cheap dig? Absolutely. But it might make a few quid, I suppose.

01:39pm

Betting on this afternoon’s game?

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01:35pm

Preview: ‘Trust your swing’

Good afternoon and welcome to live coverage of the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal from the Etihad which begins with Mikel Arteta’s side, who have led the table since October 4, still top by six points with six games, including this one, to go. Manchester City, who have not been in first place since that spurious opening day table after a 4-0 defeat of Wolves, are in second with a game in hand and, the knicker-twisting about the fall of Arsenal and the rise of City notwithstanding, have advanced by only one point in the last six league games in which they have secured 14 points to the visitors’ 13. Yes, Arsenal were well-beaten in the League Cup final and were insipid against Bournemouth but all is not lost.

If we look at Arsenal’s record at the Etihad since Pep Guardiola has been in charge, seven defeats and two draws in the league since the start of 2016-17, two draws and four defeats since Guardiola’s former assistant switched dugouts, then Arsenal fans would have good grounds to panic. Yet we should emphasise that those two draws came in their last two visits and a draw today would maintain a six-point lead.

Let us go back to Arsenal’s most treasured season for more solace too. In 1988-89 Arsenal went top on Boxing Day in pursuit of their first title for 18 years. But they endured a late winter wobble far worse than anything today’s team have faced, winning two, losing two and drawing four of eight games from the middle of February until April 2. Then, after four wins, with the hot breath of serial champions Liverpool scorching the nape of their necks, they were beaten by Derby County and drew with Wimbledon at Highbury in their 36th and 37th matches. Now, that’s what you call ‘blowing a lead’. But you don’t need me to tell you what happened at Anfield in the final game of that season.

Arsenal as a club, then, if not this team, have been in far more precarious positions when front-running in a title race, fell behind at the penultimate hurdle and still prevailed. That Liverpool side were just as seasoned winners as this City side and also had the emotional power of grief and injustice from the Hillsborough Disaster fuelling their late surge. The lesson to be taken from George Graham is “hold your nerve” and you can add Howard Wilkinson’s advice to his players from 1991-92 as well when Leeds United were in danger of being reeled in by Manchester United: “Trust your swing.”

After a bigger wobble, George Graham held his nerve - Getty Images/HULTON ARCHIVE

That’s not to say they can see off an increasingly slick and coherent City attack who have timed their spurt to the line perfectly under a great coach who thinks TS Eliot’s designation of April as the cruellest month is garbage. But Arteta has the perfect opportunity to defy his critics. Six points clear with six games to go is a glorious position to be in. Spare us the gnashing of teeth.

John Stones who, like Bernardo Silva, will be leaving City in the summer, returned to training in midweek and may find a place on the bench given Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias are injured. As for Arsenal, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard are out for about another fortnight and Mikel Merino for longer but the three others in the treatment room this week – Noni Madueke, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori – trained on Friday and may be in contention.

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