Arsenal ‘s best performance of the season, possibly of many seasons, ended with no reward as Rodri ‘s blockage time winner earned Manchester City so far another winnings over the Gunners. Simply not conceding in the opening exchanges was progress for Arsenal, thus frequently City ‘s whipping boys, and so far this was so much more than that. But without their coach Mikel Arteta, sidelined with COVID-19, Arsenal put in a performance of adulthood, collective spirit and youthful energy for 85 of the 90 minutes. Bukayo Saka ‘s first one-half goal gave the hosts a spark advance they thoroughly deserved. It might have been more, with Martin Odegaard denied a penalty early on and Gabriel Martinelli continually going near. The issue was quite what happened in those other five minutes, a period when Arsenal ‘s heads briefly were thoroughly gone. First Granit Xhaka gave away a heedless penalty then Martinelli then missed an open goal and last Gabriel received a second chicken moments after being booked for scuffing up the spotlight ahead of Riyad Mahrez ‘s penalty equalizer .
Arsenal had held out manfully until the third minute of arrest time, Aymeric Laporte ‘s inject deflecting off Ben White into Rodri ‘s path as he poked home a achiever that extends City ‘s lead at the top of the Premier League table to double digits. It might have been so different.

Good outweighs the bad for Arsenal

From the bet on ‘s first passage Arsenal fizzed with intensity. When they have beaten City, Liverpool and Chelsea in past matches over holocene years it has been in passive voice fashion : nicking one goal and holding on for dear life sentence, surviving through a combination of luck, goalkeeping excellence and inept finish up. They have been the best version of a dramatically subscript team. not for the first hour. Arsenal were aggressive, will to chase the ball high up the cant and confidence in Ben White and Gabriel to mop up in behind. When the musket ball came back to them they burst up the pitch swiftly and in numbers. One fizzing passing by Aaron Ramsdale could unlock the space in behind City ‘s fullbacks, Nathan Ake and Joao Cancelo ‘s sleep tonight will surely be dogged by nightmares of Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. A bright touch by the latter in the tenth minute sent Arsenal charging into the penalty area. Alexandre Lacazette made the extra pass and Martin Odegaard was bearing down on goal. Ederson stuck out a branch. Odegaard went down. Stuart Attwell was in-situ. Replays suggested that City ‘s goalkeeper may have made contact with his adversary before the musket ball but it was the classify of borderline decision that VAR is loath to overrule .

At the other end City had flashes of opportunities, an unmarked Ruben Dias flicking wide of goal when Ramsdale was in no mans land, but the best were coming to the hosts. For good the tenth time in the survive 172 Premier League games Pep Guardiola ‘s side failed to register a shoot on target in the first half. The explanation was simple. Gabriel, Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu and the outstanding Thomas Partey were winning all their individual duels. When White did on the half hour distinguish Arsenal burst out of the traps. Xhaka got the ball upfield cursorily before it was worked to Kieran Tierney. Saka darted baseball diamond, Lacazette setting the filmdom for him that gave him daylight to get clear of Nathan Ake, firing low into the bottom corner .
Arsenal were rampant, Martinelli a novice down the leave. Twice in the first half he went close to doubling the moderate, his single-minded drive towards goal typifying the best of this team. He would keep fighting to get the ball, poking a shoot good wide of Ederson ‘s far post when Cancelo seemed to have possession. The second half was no less intense. Arsenal were the better team.

All they needed to do was keep their heads. It was the one thing they failed to do. It was grimly familiar that it proved to be Xhaka ‘s head that went first, having done well to force Bernardo Silva to go down piano he decided to grab a handful of light aristocratic shirt for no argue any. Arsenal fans might ask why VAR Jarred Gillet told Attwell to check that and not the Odegaard incident. They should ask why a veteran is silent making the same errors of discipline and composure that have been a specify feature of five and a half years in union London. Xhaka had been excellent in so many little ways. But in the bad moment he cost them. A leader for this team he set the tone for a break down in discipline that saw Gabriel pick up a chicken menu for attempting to scuff up the penalty spot. It did not stop Mahrez scoring but meant the brazilian had no room for a awkward fetid on Gabriel Jesus .
Though their bubble may have been burst former on the 10 men defended their point in exceeding fashion. Substitute Rob Holding excels with his second to the wall. Xhaka seemed to be in the room of every undertake penalty box entrance. Ramsdale did not have a write to make until the 93rd infinitesimal. But it was equitable excessively much to ask that the ball might not break favorably for City at one stage. Arsenal ought not to forget all the good function that has gone empty-handed. This was angstrom commodity as they have been in some time .

City’s curious defense

City may have got the three point that give them a command lead at the lead of the table but for much of this pit Guardiola looked far from pleased. His side were not at their best offensively but possibly the greater cause for concern — and this is merely tinkering around the margins — is their curious defensive put which Arsenal exploited more than once. In depart this may have been a more individual offspring than a systemic one. When Cancelo plays at left back and Kyle Walker on the opposite side, there looks to be symmetry in and out of possession. City ‘s focus on backs are able to rebalance to reflect Cancelo ‘s leaning to move baseball diamond. so far when one partially was taken out City, looked all at sea. Ake and Laporte were sol close together that they seemed to be marking each other. That was exploited most notably on Saka ‘s goal and through Arsenal ‘s ability to promptly shift play out the leave where Kieran Tierney had space to attack. Nine times out of 10 these issues do not rear their capitulum but Guardiola will be acutely aware that the moments where it matters are normally at the business end of the season.

Add to the mix what might liberally be termed cavalier defend by Laporte and this was a concern day for Guardiola. The Frenchman about scored an own finish when he flicked a header over Ederson, Martinelli should have punished the indiscretion when Ake ‘s finish lineage clearance teed him up for a near open goal. He hit the post so far Laporte seemed determined to give him far chances, flicking a lazy pass backwards soon after. possibly this was a particularly crying one off but, when there is thus little left to hone in City ‘s grim machine, Guardiola will surely be close investigating .