Speaking on Sky Sports earlier this week, actor Tom Hiddleston remarked that Arsenal’s position in the league table was a privilege. It was a privilege to be chased by none other than Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
However, after the events of Sunday evening, City may not be the chasers for much longer. Indeed, Mikel Arteta’s side were evidently not inspired by Hiddleston’s words. It was not a performance an Asgardian God would have been proud of, far from it.
The Gunners were better, certainly than they were last week against Bournemouth. Yet, in losing 2-1 in their last two matches, they have surrendered a nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
The gap is now three points and if Man City beat Burnley in midweek, which they should do with ease, they will be top of the division. How Arsenal have got themselves in a position like this rather defies belief.
What went wrong for Arsenal against Man City
The key thing supporters were looking for when the team sheet was announced on Sunday afternoon was that Arteta had learnt from not only the defeat in the Carabao Cup final but also the loss to Bournemouth a week ago.
Luckily for them, he had. This was a different Arsenal team. It was just the fourth time that Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard had started together. Eze was on the left and Odegaard through the middle. For parts of the match, it worked; the Gunners looked more creative than they have been in recent weeks.
Up top it was Kai Havertz who started over Viktor Gyokeres and at right-back it was Cristian Mosquera who played ahead of Ben White. Arteta has often been tactically stubborn this season but he was not here.
To his credit, his men played well. They were not disgraced at the Etihad. However, all that mattered on Sunday was the result. Arsenal needed to come away with at least a point to keep City at bay. They did not. Once again, they lacked a killer instinct.
That said, not many were stopping Rayan Cherki’s opener. The Frenchman, twinkle toes as he often is, danced a merry jig into the penalty area and then found the net.
Havertz responded almost immediately, forcing Gianluigi Donnarumma into a huge mistake but, truthfully, that was the German’s best moment in the game.
He could and should have scored two more to all but put Arsenal’s name on the Premier League trophy. He missed a one-on-one when slid through by Odegaard and then headed over from close range with one of the final actions of the match. It was a free header and he could have rescued a point.
Alas, it was Erling Haaland who had the last laugh (when doesn’t he?) by scoring the winning goal on 65 minutes, half an hour before that opportunity from Havertz went begging.
Haaland gets the better of Arsenal again
Only two Manchester City players have scored more goals against Arsenal than Mr Haaland (6). There are no prizes for guessing who. Yep, Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne (8).
His strike against the Gunners on Sunday was typical of him, but it was not great from Gabriel Magalhaes who was outmuscled and too slow to get to the Norwegian who beat David Raya with a clumsy-looking but smart finish.
Truth be told, this was Gabriel’s worst performance of the season, perhaps even his worst for the club. You’d certainly have to go back a few years to find a worse one. He was at fault for the opener too, letting Cherki weave his way past him far too easily.
For much of this campaign, the Brazilian has been celebrated as one of the best defenders on the planet. Earlier in the season, Jamie Carragher even noted how he was “the most influential player in the Premier League.” Well, like his colleagues, he has been rather off the boil of late.
Gabriel vs Man City
Minutes played
90
Touches
42
Accurate passes
24/30 (80%
Key passes
0
Dribbles
0
Dribbled past
x2
Defensive contributions
6
Tackles
1
Clearances
2
Interceptions
0
Blocks
3
Recoveries
3
Ground duels won
1/4
Aerial duels won
2/5
A master of set-piece tomfoolery, Gabriel has not actually scored now since the 3rd January. That’s not the job of a defender, but his goal drought does perhaps explain some of the issues Arsenal have been having. They have relied on set-pieces and it is perhaps no coincidence that they have struggled to achieve results without them.
Whether or not Gabriel had a say in the opposition box, he certainly had a say inside his own, albeit for the wrong reasons.He was given a rough old time by Haaland. In all honesty, it was shades of Rob Holding at the Etihad back in April 2023, pulled from pillar to post by City’s hulking Norwegian forward.
Three years on, there were no signs of Holding but the ghost of that performance lived on through Gabriel’s display, one that was nearly made even worse by what should have been a red card.
Moments after ripping the striker’s shirt, the duo went head-to-head, quite literally. The defender nudged his head towards the Norwegian and what is typically shown as a red was only given a yellow card by Anthony Taylor.
Gabriel was a very lucky boy. It was a stupid decision and on another day he may have been heading for an early bath.
The big Brazil star has been sensational for much of the season but his showing this weekend was a throwback to the early days of his time at Arsenal after arriving for £27m. It was chaotic, lacking all sorts of composure and will no doubt worry his manager ahead of the run-in.
For the Gunners, it’s back to the drawing board. There’s no time to lick their wounds. Now is the time to really show how much they want this Premier League title. Will they fold like a deck of cards or go toe to toe with City right until the final day of the season?
