Arsenal beat Manchester City 1-0 as substitute Gabriel Martinelli’s late winner ensured a second straight defeat for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Here’s five things we learned from Arsenal’s first league win over Pep Guardiola’s side in 13 attempts…
Sloppy Arsenal mistakes a worrying sign
If Arsenal want to be considered as title contenders for another season, they need to cut out the small mistakes that have been creeping into their game in recent months. Gabriel and David Raya were lucky Manchester City’s finishing was not up to scratch today as the pair were both culprits of sizeable errors early in the match. Oleksandr Zinchenko was also caught out by the City press but again was fortunate to get away with it. If Arsenal iron out these errors they will be able to challenge for the league yet again.
Raya beginning to look a liability for the Gunners
The jury is still out for David Raya’s place in the Arsenal side as the starting goalkeeper. Rarely tested in his first couple of games, the Spaniard looked shaky when tested against Spurs, and was at fault for conceding Lens’ first goal in the Gunners’ 2-1 defeat. Raya yet again looked unconvincing with his distribution and was lucky not to be punished by a far from potent Manchester City attack. A switch back to Ramsdale should be considered by Mikel Arteta.
Man City’s unstable midfield without Rodri
City look a completely different team without having star midfielder Rodri at Pep Guardiola’s disposal. Mateo Kovacic looked lost and had no impact in the game, not to mention being very fortunate to have remained on the pitch, whilst his second half replacement Matheus Nunes also showed no meaningful impact on the game. No cohesion between a usually stringent and organised midfield. A battle that the Citizen’s well and truly lost today.
Referee loses control of game yet again
Another week, another game where a referee decision will cause mumblings amongst football fans long into the evening. Michael Oliver was at the centre of attention this week as he failed to send off Mateo Kovacic in the first half for two separate challenges on first Martin Odegaard then Declan Rice, the former being subject to a lengthy VAR check for a possible red card. Kovacic escaped trouble until his subsequent substitution in the second half. Fortunately for Oliver, Arsenal’s late victory ensures he would not be the main post-match talking point.
Gabriel Martinelli is back with a bang
Arsenal have missed Gabriel Martinelli after he injured his hamstring during the Gunners’ 1-0 win over Everton in September. The Brazilian returned to the pitch as a half time substitute and instantly added energy to a Gunners attack that was missing the influential Bukayo Saka for the first time in 87 games. Martinelli then supplied the killer blow in the 86th minute via a huge deflection from Nathan Ake to give Arsenal their first win over Manchester City in 13 attempts.
