On Wednesday evening, a summit was on the program in the English football league Premier League. The match Arsenal–Manchester City ended 1–3 and the result meant that City took the lead in the Premier League.
The top game between giants Arsenal and Manchester City was 1-1 at half-time. Arsenal impressed greatly in the first half, but looked considerably paler after the break.
Manchester City took control of the game and Jack Grealish was the winning scorer with his 1-2 goal in the 72nd minute. Ten minutes later, Erling Braut Haaland put the nail in the coffin with his 1-3 goal.
– Arsenal were significantly better than us in the first half. My tactics were horrible. But after the break we were much, much better, says Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola.
– We were initially forced to go on the defensive because Arsenal were so good. At halftime we decided to be more active and the second half was excellent, notes Citylotsen.
Arsenal have been sluggish since the 3-2 win over Manchester United on 22 January. In the Premier League, there has since been a 0–1 away loss against bottom team Everton and a 1–1 draw at home against Brentford.
| Law | Matches | Point |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Man City | 23 | 51 |
| 2. Arsenal | 22 | 51 |
| 3. Man United | 23 | 46 |
| 4. Newcastle | 22 | 41 |
Manchester City now have the same number of points as Arsenal, but lead on better goal difference.
– Arsenal have played one game less than us, so they are actually top of the league. This will be decided in the last 8-10 games, says Guardiola.
The teams meet for the second and final time in the 33rd round, on April 26, in a match that could be extremely important for the battle for gold. The season consists of 38 rounds.
Despite the lackluster results of late, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is optimistic.
– The players continue to believe they can win the league.
Defensive misses in Arsenal
The match offered great drama and high entertainment value. Manchester City took the lead in the 24th minute when Arsenal full-back Takehiro Tomiyasu was responsible for a failed back pass which gave Kevin De Bruyne the opportunity to score a half-empty goal.
– In seven years, I have never seen Tomiyasu stand for such a backward pass, but today it happened, says Arteta.
Arsenal equalized at 1–1 just before the half-time break after City goalkeeper Ederson brought down Eddie Nketiah in the penalty area. Bukayo Saka had no problem managing the penalty.
In the 57th minute, the referee pointed to the penalty spot after Arsenal centre-back Gabriel pulled down Erling Braut Haaland in the penalty area. The situation was video reviewed and the penalty was canceled as the situation was preceded by a fine offside.
Mikel Arteta has been successful at Arsenal. He took over the club in December 2019 when he left the role of assistant coach at Manchester City.
Image: EPA-EFE/Daniel Hambury
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal FC
Fifteen minutes later, Gabriel made another mistake and City were able to counter. The ball was played to Jack Grealish who found the goal with his right foot. Ten minutes later, Haaland had to take a shot in the penalty area and pushed the ball in for 3-1.
– A lot of easy things went wrong. Then it becomes impossible. The match was decided in the penalty area, says Arsenal coach Arteta.
– We simply offered them the goals. A team like this takes advantage of the chances they get. On the other hand, we had three great chances that we didn’t manage.
The Premier League continues on Saturday. Then the matches Aston Villa-Arsenal and Nottingham-Manchester City will be played, among other things.
Results
Arsenal–Manchester City 1–3 (1–1)
24′ Kevin De Bruyne 0–1
42′ Bukayo Saka 1–1 (on penalty)
72′ Jack Grealish 1–2
82′ Erling Braut Haaland 1–3
Source: AP, AFP, Reuters
