Mikel Arteta’s squad is only behind the leaders by goal differential and has a game in hand, but goals from Grealish and Haaland in the final 20 minutes imply a significant shift in the title battle.
Kevin De Bruyne scored his first goal since October in the 24th minute when Takehiro Tomiyasu attempted to redirect Ederson’s clearance back to Aaron Ramsdale and Kevin De Bruyne sneaked in for a first-time finish into the net.
Saka equalized three minutes prior to halftime after Ederson was punished for clashing with Eddie Nketiah and the striker’s effort was blocked by Nathan Ake. The victory was sealed by Haaland’s 26th Premier League goal of the season. But, City once again put any displeasure behind them and went into the ascendancy to record a hard-earned victory.
Arsenal vs. Manchester City Goal Synopsis
24th minute: Kevin De Bruyne for MCI.
ARS — Bukayo Saka (penalty) — 42nd minute.
72nd minute — MCI — Jack Grealish (Ilkay Gundogan).
MCI — Erling Haaland (Kevin De Bruyne) — 82nd minute.
Mikel Arteta’s squad has amassed just one point in their previous three contests, which has had a significant impact on the title race following Arsenal’s first home loss of the year.
“If you give up three goals like we did, you lose the game.” “It’s unfortunate because we had them,” Arteta added.
“Their margin for mistake is practically nonexistent. We made numerous trivial errors.”
Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, conceded that his squad was “weak” in the first half, but he complimented their response.
“They were better than us in the first half, but we improved in the second and were still in the game, and in the end, it came down to the quality of the players,” he remarked.
The Arsenal manager surprised many by dropping right defender Ben White in favor of Tomiyasu, and the seasoned Jorginho made his first start since joining Chelsea in place of the injured Thomas Partey.
Arteta’s selection backfired as Japan international Tomiyasu was pressed into a sloppy back pass by Grealish. De Bruyne pounced on it and floated the ball over a helpless Aaron Ramsdale to score.
The hosts replied by seizing control of the midfield as City were nervous and curiously appeared to be wasting time.
Tomiyasu missed a chance with a volley, while Saka missed a second opportunity by delaying his shot too long.
In the 39th minute, Nketiah, who had previously missed an opportunity with a header, was put through and struck goalwards before colliding with City goalkeeper Ederson.
Nathan Ake cleared the ball from the goal line, but referee Anthony Taylor directed to the penalty spot for a foul by Ederson. Saka buried his spot kick beyond the Brazilian, who was spared a second yellow card that would have had an even greater impact on the game and title chase.
Ake nearly gave City the lead in first-half stoppage time when he deflected Ruben Dias’ header against the crossbar.
Man City was awarded a penalty after Gabriel fouled Haaland in the penalty area, but a VAR review determined that Haaland was offside. After the break, Arsenal’s momentum waned, and a VAR review concluded that the Norwegian was offside.
Nketiah came within inches of giving Arsenal the lead as he attempted to connect with a low cross, while Haaland was denied by Ramsdale following a mistake by former City defender Oleksandr Zinchenko.
But, Arsenal continued to invite trouble, and when Gabriel was tripped at the edge of his penalty area, Haaland’s pass found Grealish, who shot past Ramsdale.
This time, Arsenal did not respond, and Haaland secured the victory with a typically merciless goal eight minutes from time.
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