Man City’s win over Arsenal gives them control of the title race

MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City blew the Premier League title race wide open with a thrilling 2-1 win over Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium as Pep Guardiola’s team moved to within three points of the leaders thanks to Erling Haaland’s second-half winner.

During a frantic first half, Kai Havertz charged down Gianluigi Donnarumma’s kick to equalize for Arsenal just 107 seconds after Rayan Cherki had scored a dazzling solo goal to open the scoring.

Both teams had chances in the second half, with Eberechi Eze and Gabriel hitting the post for Arsenal and Haaland also finding the woodwork before the Norwegian striker’s winner in the 65th minute.

Arsenal almost snatched a point late on, but Havertz’s free header from Leandro Trossard’s header flew over the crossbar in the 95th minute, leaving Mikel Arteta on his knees in the technical area.

There could be even more disappointment for the Arsenal boss on the way, with City now in a position to go top of the table when they play Burnley at Turf Moor on Wednesday. — Rob Dawson

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City deliver a huge psychological blow

Both sides can still win the title on their own terms, but City have all the momentum now.

If Pep Guardiola’s side beat Burnley in their game-in-hand Wednesday, they will go to the top on either goals scored or goal difference, depending on the size of the victory. The change would be by the finest of margins, but the psychological impact on Arsenal of dropping to second place would be huge, the squad having led for so much of the season.

Arsenal finished as runners-up in each of the past three seasons, and falling to second with just five games to go would test their mental reserves. They deserve credit for applying themselves with real conviction here — pressing the ball superbly in the first half — but the sense that the title is slipping away again will be difficult to shake.

Seconds after the final whistle, City fans unveiled a banner that read “Panic On The Streets Of London” — referencing the Smiths’ 1974 hit. For City, this is a huge step up the mountain. They can now go top of the table for the first time since the opening weekend of the season.

There are surely twists and turns to come — and Arsenal must take hope from the way they competed here — but the Gunners’ lead is on the brink of evaporating completely. — James Olley

Havertz over Gyökeres paid off, but Haaland had the last laugh

Leaving out your top goal scorer for a game of this magnitude might have seemed counterintuitive, but Arteta’s decision to select Havertz over Viktor Gyökeres was the right call.

Gyökeres had failed to help Arsenal escape City’s press in the Carabao Cup final defeat, and despite his scoring 18 goals this season, doubts remain about his pedigree in a fixture of this magnitude.

By contrast, Havertz is a UEFA Champions League winner, and Arteta hugely values his intelligence with and without the ball. His ability to press well was exemplified by forcing Donnarumma into the error for Arsenal’s first-half equalizer — it was Havertz’s first league goal of the season.

But there is a reason Arsenal went into the market for a forward last summer in the first place. Their existing options, including Havertz, simply did not possess the clinical touch needed to win a title.

And here was another painful reminder of that vulnerability. Havertz had two glorious chances, one on the hour mark when sent through by Martin Ødegaard and another deep into stoppage time when heading Trossard’s cross onto the roof of the net.

Instead, it was Haaland who had the last laugh, scoring the winner for his 23rd league goal of the season. Gyökeres is Arsenal’s closest at 12. Arsenal have two strikers who can do different things well. City have Haaland, who can do it all. — Olley

Donnarumma and Cherki reflect Man City’s contrasts

Haaland was City’s match winner, but Donnarumma was just as important at the other end.

The Italian looked rattled after his mistake led to Arsenal’s quick equalizer. So much so that at one point, Marc Guéhi appeared to gesture to the home fans behind the goal to get behind the goalkeeper rather than hold their breath every time he got the ball at his feet.

He recovered brilliantly. First, Donnarumma made a crucial save to deny Havertz with the game finely poised at 1-1. Then, with chances at a premium, it was his throw to Nico O’Reilly that led to City’s second.

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The moment of quick thinking took out half the Arsenal team and allowed O’Reilly to race forward in acres of space before Haaland reacted in the penalty area to score.

If Donnarumma was City’s key player in the second half, it was Cherki in the first. The Frenchman scored a brilliant opening goal and on another occasion had Gabriel looking for a route back into the stadium after a flurry of stepovers sent the Brazilian into a tailspin.

Cherki left the field to a standing ovation after his substitution in the second half. Donnarumma deserved the same reaction. — Dawson

Ødegaard and Zubimendi too similar and negative

Arsenal have missed Ødegaard at his best when he has been injured this season, but this was a day when the Gunners captain was well below his level, and he ended up offering the same, risk-averse approach as teammate Martín Zubimendi.

Arteta needed Ødegaard to be Arsenal’s creative force in midfield, picking the holes for the Arsenal forwards to exploit, but he spent too much time playing the safe and easy pass. Maybe it is down to a lack of confidence on Ødegaard’s part because when he is on top form, there are few players with the Norway international’s ability to open up an opposition defense.

But by being so cautious whenever he had the ball, Ødegaard let City off the hook and basically became the same player as Zubimendi. The Spain midfielder has a deeper role than Ødegaard, and he rarely looks forward when he has the ball.

But with Ødegaard and Zubimendi too happy to pass backward and sideways, Arsenal lacked the penetration to get behind the City defense. If Arsenal are ever to win a major trophy under Arteta, they have to take more risk — especially their so-called creative players. — Mark Ogden

Arsenal and Arteta fall apart in April again

Arsenal are falling apart in April again — just when Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City put their foot hard on the pedal. The Gunners have now lost four of their last six games in all competitions, but it is the month of April that tends to trip up Arteta’s team.

April is statistically Arsenal’s worst month under Arteta since his arrival as manager in December 2019, with a win rate of just 41% and 1.48 points per game. City, by contrast, always step up in April, and it has proved to be Pep Guardiola’s strongest month since he took charge in 2016-17.

Under Guardiola, City have an 80% win rate in April and they have banked 2.53 points per game. That is a huge differential compared with Arsenal, and it explains why City have been so successful. — Ogden

Arsenal fail another big test

To win a Premier League title, you have to land a blow on your rivals at some point, but Arsenal failed to do that again at the Etihad. Arteta has never guided his team to a win away to City and Arsenal have also failed to win against Liverpool at Anfield under their coach.

Arsenal’s winless streak at City dates back to 2015, while their Anfield drought goes back to 2012. Those sequences are why Arsenal still haven’t got their hands on the Premier League trophy.

Arsene Wenger’s title winners secured two huge victories away to Manchester United on the way to clinching a league title, and George Graham’s Gunners famously won 2-0 at Anfield on the final day of the 1988-89 season to win the league.

Until Arteta’s side can achieve a similar result against their direct rivals, they will continue to be second best. — Ogden