Manchester City proved they're not ready to surrender the Premier League title as they moved above the Gunners and into top spot with a 3-1 victory.
Statement made! After six months hunting Arsenal down, Manchester City are finally back at the top of the Premier League.
Pep Guradiola’s champions were just too good for the Gunners during Wednesday night’s top-of-the-table clash at Emirates Stadium, deservedly running out 3-1 winners after a superb second-half display.
It’s their 11th successive victory against Arsenal in the Premier League and one that sees them replace Mikel Arteta's early pacesetters at the summit, albeit on goal difference only.
Arsenal – who have led the way in the league since the third weekend of the season – still do have a game in hand, but they are now on a worrying run of four games without a win in all competitions.
And with tricky away trips to Aston Villa and Leicester City to come, Arteta must now find a way to quickly pick his players up, because they all cut dejected figures as they made their way off the pitch after this defeat.
Bukayo Saka’s penalty late in the first half had deservedly drawn Arsenal level after Kevin De Bruyne had seized upon a Takehiro Tomiyasu error to give City an early lead. But the visitors took complete command after the interval and after Jack Grealish had restored their advantage 20 minutes from time, Erling Haaland fizzed a low drive past Aaron Ramsdale to seal a huge win for the champions.
Here's GOAL's winner and losers!
Getty ImagesWinner: Jack Grealish
The England international proved to be the match-winner with his second-half strike and it capped a fine performance. Even in the first half, when City struggled to really get a foothold in the game, Grealish looked a threat when he got on the ball. He was direct and his first thought was always try to run at Takehiro Tomiyasu and that clearly troubled the Arsenal right-back. The second half was when Grealish was really at his best. He hugged the touchline and stopped Tomiyasu getting forward, which left Bukayo Saka isolated in front of him. It was a fine performance from City's left winger, who is just getting better and better this season.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLoser: Takehiro Tomiyasu
This was a night to forget for the Arsenal right-back. Almost everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. It was Tomiyasu's horrible error which gifted City their opening goal, when his weak back pass was picked off so impressively by Kevin De Bruyne. That set the tone for a really difficult night for the full-back, who really struggled against the impressive Jack Grealish. Even City's second goal, scored by Grealish, took a deflection off the sliding Tomiyasu which saw the ball lift over the outstretched arm of Aaron Ramsdale. It was a moment that summed up Tomiyasu's night.
Getty ImagesWinner: Kevin De Bruyne
What a performance, what a player. Kevin De Bruyne just loves playing against Arsenal. When City needed their star man to step up, he delivered. A goal and an assist on the biggest of nights. His finish in the first half was exceptional. Tomiyasu might have gifted him the chance with the weak back pass, but there was still a lot for De Bruyne to do and he did it superbly, lifting his finish over Aaron Ramsdale. And there was more to come from the Belgium international after the interval. As City started to dominate, Arsenal just couldn't pick De Bruyne up and it was his pass that set up Haaland for the goal that sealed the visitors' win.
Getty ImagesLoser: Eddie Nketiah
Arsenal's young striker had some big chances in this game and he couldn't convert them. You just can't afford to do that in matches of this level. Nketiah has struggled in recent weeks against teams that packed the penalty area and denied him space. He did get space this time around, however, but couldn't take advantage. His miss in the first half felt like a crucial moment. It was a brilliant cross from Oleksandr Zinchenko and Nketiah should have at least got his header on target. He put it wide, however, and City took the lead soon after. It was a big moment in the game, one that Nketiah will undoubtedly be thinking about for a while.