Match Report – Match Highlights – Post-Match Press Conference
Final Result: Man City 2-2 Arsenal (Haaland 9′, Stones 98′ | Calafiori 22′, Gabriel 45?)
Arsenal XI (4-3-3): Raya; Timber (Lewis-Skelly 92′), Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori (Kiwior 74′); Rice, Partey, Trossard; Martinelli (G. Jesus 87′), Saka (White 46′), Havertz
We had bold predictions for this game and it’s fair to say that it was a pulsating encounter from start to finish. Man City hosted Arsenal in a clash that would likely have ramifications at the end of the campaign, as two of the Premier League’s heavyweights jousted with each other in an epic encounter.
First Half Analysis
We saw a swerve from Mikel Arteta in the team selection with Riccardo Calafiori starting ahead of Ben White, with Jurrien Timber moving to the right back berth. White had started 27 consecutive games stretching into last season prior to this fixture, and from the kickoff, we had the first bit of drama when Rodri hit the deck like a sack of potatoes after a clash with Kai Havertz.
Man City drew first blood when Ilkay Gundogan evaded Gabriel with an amazing first touch but he lashed out with his attempt on goal which showed a rush of blood to the head. Arsenal didn’t take cue from that attack as they went down after a clinical strike from Erling Haaland. Savinho sent Calafiori to the cleaners with a quick swerve and threaded the ball in between Gabriel and William Saliba. David Raya tried to rush out to close down Norwegian cyborg but the elite striker prodded the ball past the Arsenal goalie on his near post.
Man City almost doubled their lead when Gundogan fired a direct free kick over the wall and clipped the post.
Arsenal equalized in rather controversial fashion, as Thomas Partey restarted play quickly to pass the ball into space for Gabriel Martinelli while Kyle Walker was out of position. The Man City charged down on Martinelli which allowed the Brazilian to cushion the ball for Calafiori that curled the ball beautifully past Ederson. That goal put the wind in Arsenal’s sails when Martinelli threatened on the left wing before teeing the ball to Leandro Trossard, but the Belgian’s snapped effort sailed over the bar.
Gabriel had showed off his aerial threat early in the half when Man City made the dumb call to pair him up with Jeremy Doku. At the stroke of half time, Walker decided to mark Gabriel and awkwardly poked him prior to Bukayo Saka’s delivery. Our colossus easily swerved past Walker, kept his eyes on the ball and nodded the ball home from point-blank range. Kudos to Martinelli that practiced some dark arts in blocking Ederson.
Our Defense Against Dark Arts lecturer, Professor Snape Ben White, would have been proud.
Late in the first half, Trossard was sent off for a second bookable offense, as deemed by Michael Oliver. If you watch those replays, you’d see how Bernardo Silva backed into Trossard and hit the deck, forcing Oliver to make it about himself, handing Trossard an early bath, when a calmer head would have been the better option. This is more shocking when you consider that the same Oliver chose not to give Mateo Kovacic a second yellow card for his nasty tackle on Martin Odegaard last season, with his pathetic excuse being that he didn’t want to negatively impact the game.
In the same match, Doku cynically kicked the ball out, which was no different from what Declan Rice did at Brighton, but there was no action from the ref.
Second Half Analysis
Trossard’s unfortunate red card changed what was turning into an instant classic to an Ottoman Empire assault on Constantinople using siege machines. Arteta summoned White to tactically replace Saka and the second half was as one-sided you’d ever see. Man City launched assault after assault and Arsenal defended gallantly. Players got tired with the likes of Timber and Calafiori cramping up, while Martinelli ran out of gas. Man City had the option of freshen things up in attack and at the death, a Kovacic shot was deflected by Jakub Kiwior to John Stones path and the Man City defender smashed the rebound home.
The goal deflated the Arsenal players, as you can see how hard they fought to preserve the lead. Mikel Arteta was proud of the players for their defensive display and you can see the unity and camaraderie of the squad, which augurs well for the future.
Key Takeaways and Conclusion
I’ve shared my thoughts on this yesterday, so you can check it out.
