Arsenal 1-3 Man City: Talking points as Mikel Arteta’s side gift champions three goals via defensive errors | Football News

Partey missed as Arsenal errors prove costly

“No excuses.” So said a defiant Mikel Arteta when asked how Thomas Partey’s late withdrawal had affected his side. And it was late. “Very, very late,” confirmed the Arsenal boss.

Jorginho performed well in the Ghanaian’s absence – “I think Jorgi played a really, really good game,” added Arteta – but there was no doubt Partey’s absence, due to a muscular injury which may keep him out against Aston Villa too, was a major blow.

They missed his blend of technical class and physicality at the base of midfield, particularly in the second half as City’s pressure grew and grew, with the hosts struggling to find a way forward.

Partey has so often provided that this season, starting every Premier League game since mid-September until this one, and without his protection, the defence was left exposed.

The pressure proved too much in the end and that could be seen in the defensive errors that proved so costly. Takehiro Tomiyasu was guilty for the first goal; Gabriel Magalhaes for the second.

They were not the only ones in Arsenal’s defensive unit who looked rattled, with Oleksandr Zinchenko also struggling on several occasions, but it was impossible not to watch their second-half performance without wondering what might have been.

Arteta was unable to put a timeframe on Partey’s return after the game. “We have to asses Tommy and see how bad he is,” he added. But this was just the latest reminder of how crucial he is.
Nick Wright

Has Pep finally got bored of making things hard for himself?

Has Pep Guardiola just been toying with the Premier League this season?

Dropping Kevin de Bruyne in the 1-0 defeat to Tottenham, selling Joao Cancelo – the league’s most outstanding full-back of the past two seasons, signing the deadliest young striker in world football and then deciding not to play to his strengths and somehow fathoming that Bernardo Silva is the answer to their problems down the left-side of their defence.

Asked what in particular had frustrated him in the first half, Guardiola replied: “My tactics.”

Asked why, he added: “Because I decided something new and it was horrible,” surely regarding his decision to task Silva to stopping Arsenal’s star-man Bukayo Saka.

Perhaps it took until 61 minutes of this frenetic encounter with the score at 1-1 and City in real danger of falling too far behind Arsenal in this title race for Guardiola to start taking this season seriously. He replaced Riyad Mahrez with Manuel Akanji, therefore switching to a more traditional back four of four actual defenders and allowing Silva to take up his normal position creating and causing havoc in the midfield area.

City’s players looked far more comfortable adhering to this system as Rodri, Akanji and Erling Haaland all had big chances within the next 10 minutes. From that moment Arsenal seemed to know their fate as Jack Grealish swept home and Haaland brutally scored a third.

That change – or City playing properly – meant they completely squeezed the life out of Arsenal as an attacking force and just may have squashed their hopes of stealing City’s crown.

Or maybe Guardiola may get bored again and start picking Scott Carson in place of Ederson next week to handicap himself further? That might be the only hope for the rest.
Lewis Jones

Arsenal need chaos factor back through Jesus

Arsenal’s latest defeat and run of four games without a win will feel like a real sucker punch – but with 16 games to go they have the chance to rectify this slump.

Many things are in the Gunners’ favour – including the fact the title race is still in their hands due to the game in hand against Everton and the impact that the Champions League knockout rounds could have on City’s season.

Perhaps the most crucial is the potentially imminent return of Gabriel Jesus from injury, who brings with him a chaos factor that Arsenal have been lacking slightly in recent weeks.

Eddie Nketiah’s goals have been vital in this title race and there is no guarantee that Jesus, who is rather wasteful himself, will add more than the English striker on that front.

But Jesus’ selfless ability to bring others into play and assist them – that put them in this title-contending position in the first place – is on the way back. Arteta said before the City game that the Brazilian forward is back working with the ball on the grass in training.

Even though he has been injured for three months, he is still in the top 10 for completed and attempted take-ons in the Premier League this season – and the top five players for assists.

The last few weeks has seen Arsenal endure disappointment, injustice and some self-loathing – but Mikel Arteta’s task is to turn those emotions into positives – or they will watch their season drift away.
Sam Blitz

City’s experience told – and the title race is wide open

This was a massive game in terms of mindset, psychology – everything. Pep Guardiola came out on top.

There’s no surprise in that because they have won four out of the last five Premier League titles.

It’s that experience, their game management and setting up the way they did. It was unbelievable really the way he set up.

But there were brilliant performances from City all over the pitch. I’d love to see their running stats because they covered every blade of grass on the pitch at the Emirates Stadium.

Once Erling Haaland scored it was game over. They retreated and soaked up all the pressure. It was a really great game of football. Arsenal started the night top, but now it’s City at the summit.

Arsenal will be disappointed because of the position they’d put themselves in. The last three games have been disappointing, but City did a job on them.

Experience was key, and you can’t buy the experience Man City have of winning. It doesn’t feel like any of the City players feel pressure, they’ve been there, done it and achieved.

They have Premier League titles. Arsenal haven’t. The title race is wide open.
Michael Dawson on Soccer Special