Kevin de Bryune was at his fluent best on Wednesday (February 15) evening as Manchester City leapfrogged Arsenal at the top of the Premier League standings. Goals from De Bryune, Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland were enough to see the Gunners off as they now try to build momentum at the business end of the season. This was also Arsenal’s first defeat at home in the PL this season.
Manchester City seize initiative
Manchester City seized the initiative in the Premier League title race with a ruthless 3-1 win over Arsenal to send the defending champions above the Gunners at the top of the table. In a pulsating encounter at the Emirates Stadium which lived up to its billing, City's title-winning pedigree eventually told as a goal from Jack Grealish (72) and a 26th of the campaign from Erling Haaland (82) clinched a potentially pivotal victory for Pep Guardiola's side.
Earlier, Bukayo Saka's penalty (42), after Ederson was deemed to have fouled Eddie Nketiah, had cancelled out an opening goal from Kevin De Bruyne (24), who lifted a brilliant first-time finish over Aaron Ramsdale following a poor Takehiro Tomiyasu backpass.
Arsenal, without Thomas Partey due to a muscular injury, deserved their leveller having started positively, but their recent slip-ups against Everton and Brentford had opened the door to City and Mikel Arteta's side were unable to resist their second-half pressure.
The defeat extends Arsenal's winless run to three games and puts the momentum behind a City side seemingly galvanised by the charges levelled against them by the Premier League. They go top on goal difference, albeit having played a game more.
Arsenal came into the game feeling a burning sense of injustice following the VAR error that allowed Ivan Toney's equaliser to stand in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Brentford and it could be felt in the ground, the home fans generating a crackling atmosphere.
Good start for Mikel Arteta’s men
Arsenal started strongly, despite the absence of Partey, replaced by full debutant Jorginho, and after surviving a nervy moment when Haaland elected to cross rather than shoot from a Riyad Mahrez cross, the hosts created the first clear chance of the game, Nketiah heading wastefully wide from Oleksandr Zinchenko's diagonal cross.
Tomiyasu had a chance to make amends a few minutes later at the other end, when a deflected cross fell to him in space inside the City box, but his first-time shot flew over the bar.
City attempted to disrupt Arsenal's rhythm by delaying over goal kicks and throw-ins but the hosts' response to falling behind was excellent, Saka spurning a good chance from Martin Odegaard's slide-rule pass when he delayed his shot, allowing Nathan Ake to block.
