With a 3-1 victory against Arsenal in the greatest match of the season thus far, Manchester City climbed to the top of the Premier League for the first time since November. For the best sports betting casinos of February 2023, check out CasinoDaddy!
Arsenal suffered their first home loss of the year and suffered a significant setback to their chances of winning the championship for the first time since 2004 thanks to goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, and Erling Haaland; a Bukayo Saka’s penalty equalized the Gunners in the first half.
Arsenal’s recent skid, in which they have earned only one point from their last three games, was prolonged by the loss.
Man City tops the table as a result of Arsenal’s decline.
With a potentially pivotal 3-1 victory against Arsenal, Manchester City are now in a prime position to defend their Premier League crown and become just the sixth team in English football history to win three straight titles. The squad of Mikel Arteta had opened up an eight-point lead at the top last month, but after their first home loss of the year, they are currently second on goal differential.
The Gunners are currently only five points ahead of third-placed Manchester United in what has suddenly turned into a three-way race for the championship after earning just one point from three games.
Yet although Arsenal, who were missing injured midfielder Thomas Partey, are now struggling to find their form, City put on a champions-caliber display while sending a chilling message to their competitors that they are still the side to beat.
After a careless Takehiro Tomiyasu back ball, Kevin De Bruyne scored a spectacular lob in minute 24 to give City the lead. Bukayo Saka then tied the score from the spot just before halftime after goalkeeper Ederson fouled Eddie Nketiah.
City controlled the second half, but they couldn’t take the lead again until Jack Grealish’s deflected goal at the 72-minute mark. After that, it appeared like a third City goal was certain as Arsenal sought an equalizer, and in minute 82, Erling Haaland scored from close range after being set up by De Bruyne.
The title battle is still close and unexpected since the two teams still have to face off at the Etihad in April. Nevertheless, Arsenal must now make sure that they are still in the running when they visit the Etihad Stadium rather than keeping an eye on United.
When Phil Foden was not selected for Gareth Southgate’s starting lineup for England at the World Cup, there was much controversy in English football. One argument was that if he was good enough for Manchester City, he should be good enough for England. Nevertheless, Foden is no longer a member of the City team as of Qatar 2022 because Pep Guardiola feels that Jack Grealish gives more on the side.
And Grealish’s outstanding performance before scoring the game’s second goal to put the champions in charge late in the second half at the Emirates proved the City manager was correct. Since the Manchester derby loss against Manchester United more than a month ago, Foden has yet to start a Premier League game, in large part due to the play of Grealish and Riyad Mahrez.
Mahrez was unproductive in this game and was replaced, although Grealish was City’s best offensive player. In contrast to Guardiola’s other alternatives, the former Aston Villa winger, a £100 million acquisition from Villa Park in 2021, runs straight at opponents while dribbling with the ball considerably more than his colleagues.
He spent the whole night harassing right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu with his direct running and knack for winning free kicks. After excellent work from Ilkay Gundogan and Haaland, he scored a goal as a reward for his effort as well as for Guardiola’s belief in the player’s abilities.
The touchline shenanigans of Arteta have gotten out of hand.
Mikel Arteta’s behavior on the sidelines has to be addressed, especially when the team plays at the Emirates. The Arsenal boss was called to by the authorities for venturing too close to the pitch twice last month during games against Newcastle and Manchester United, but he took his antics to a new level versus City.
Maybe it was the pressure of playing in the biggest game of the year, a game with so much on the line for both teams. But Arteta merely has to exercise better self-control because, if he keeps acting the way he did during this game, he runs the risk of inciting a significant altercation with an opponent.
Jack Grealish was sprinting down the field on the touchline in the first half when Arteta nearly collided with him. Fourth official Darren England warned the Arsenal manager for leaving his technical area and being too close to the field of play on that particular occasion. As Arteta, a former City assistant manager, booted the ball away from De Bruyne in the second half as the midfielder attempted to take a quick throw-in, the two got into a pushing fight.
De Bruyne shoved Arteta and waved his finger at the referee before returning to the field and yelling at him. Arteta avoided being arrested for his actions, but history demonstrates that situations may spiral out of control when tempers boil. Nobody wants another incident as when Newcastle manager Alan Pardew headbutted Hull City’s David Meyler in 2014, therefore Arteta needs to control his temper to prevent repetition from happening.
