Arsenal were clinical as they cruised to a 5-1 victory over Manchester City on Sunday which marked the latest crushing defeat for Pep Guardiola’s side in a season full of them.
The Gunners took the lead just two minutes in when Martin Odegaard scored, capitalizing during a moment of unsteadiness for City’s defense. Erling Haaland scored an equalizer in the 55th minute but that evenness was shortlived, with Thomas Partey scoring just two minutes later. Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelley made it three in the 62nd minute, while the next blow came in the 76th minute courtesy of Kai Havertz. Ethan Nwaneri added a fifth in the 93rd minute to close things out.
Here’s a look at the major moments from Sunday’s game.
Moment of the game
Arsenal and City had played a fairly even game by the time Lewis-Skelley scored, meaning the game could go in plenty of different directions even as the Gunners led 2-1. Each team had seven shots and four on target, while City were barely winning the expected goals battle 0.94 to 0.86. When the 18-year-old Lewis-Skelley scored, though, he managed to suck the energy out of City and tilted the game from a narrow win to a drubbing. The 18-year-old also scored his first-ever goal for Arsenal in the process, doing so in style.
Man of the match
Havertz was impactful from start to finish, notching the assist on Odegaard’s goal and then grabbing a goal of his own midway through the second half.
What the result means for Arsenal
Arsenal may still be six points behind Liverpool – who have a game in hand – in the title race, but they remain one of Europe’s most consistent teams as they extend their unbeaten run to six.
What the result means for Manchester City
Manchester City are still inside the Premier League’s top four, but Chelsea can overtake them on Monday with a win over West Ham. Sunday’s loss to Arsenal, though, only makes a poor season worse for the reigning Premier League champions. They have crumbled in a long list of high-profile games this season, and though they collected a notable win over Chelsea just a week ago, it remains as clear as ever that Guardiola has not been able to fix his team’s problems.
What’s next
Sunday’s game against City was not the only big game for Arsenal this week. They head to Newcastle United on Wednesday for the second leg of the EFL Cup semifinals (live on Paramout+), and the Gunners carry a 2-0 deficit after the Magpies’ surprise win in North London last month. Arsenal then have the weekend off after being eliminated from the FA Cup and resume their Premier League campaign on Feb. 15 against relegation favorites Leicester City.
As for Manchester City, they have a favorable FA Cup tie against Leyton Orient on Saturday before they resume their UEFA Champions League campaign on Feb. 11 live on Paramount+. The 2023 European champions play Real Madrid in the knockout phase playoffs, marking another important test for Guardiola’s side in a season full of them. They return to Premier League play on Feb. 15 against Newcastle.
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