When Arsenal recorded their previous victory over Manchester City in the Premier League, Arsene Wenger was their boss, David Cameron was Prime Minister, Barack Obama was in the White House and the world seemed a much calmer place. Since then, the one constant in an ever-changing world has been City’s dominance of English football.
But that might be about to come to an end after the Gunners finally got one over the defending champions. They needed a heavily-deflected Gabriel Martinelli goal to do so, but they have finally lifted the psychological barrier that the blue half of Manchester had placed in front of them.
And if they can end an eight-year curse then why can’t they end a 20-year title drought and land the Premier League title next May? This victory won’t only inspire Mikel Arteta’s side, however. It can also give hope to Tottenham and Liverpool, as it demonstrates that Pep Guardiola’s side can be beaten with the right tactics and the necessary determination.
Arteta deserves huge praise for finally beating his previous employers and his old mentor in the league at the eighth time of asking, while Martinelli was the hero after rushing back from injury and scoring the winner.
But more questions will be asked of Erling Haaland after City’s striker had yet another frustrating day in front of goal, and more questions will be asked of Premier League officials after Mateo Kovacic avoided what looked to be a certain sending off after not one but two reckless tackles in the space of a few minutes.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from the Emirates Stadium…
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WINNER: Mikel Arteta
This must have felt sweet for the Arsenal boss, who had failed to take a single point against his old employers in his previous seven Premier League fixtures. There was also the small matter of losing out on the title to his old boss Guardiola last season after leading the race for most of the campaign.
In short, Arteta went into this match with something to prove. And he did just that. He was missing his star player in Bukayo Saka and had to start without his other wide threat, Martinelli. But his game-plan paid off and his side got a deserved win, even overcoming their sense of injustice over Kovacic not being sent off.
Arsenal limited City to just four shots over the 90 minutes, their lowest for 13 years, and that is a feat in itself. The fact that they got the result over the line and earned a first league win over City in eight years was more important though, and should lift any psychological barrier the Gunners have relating to the champions.
“It has been so many years without beating them, we beat the best team in the world and in a great way. It was a great feeling, you could sense it,” Arteta said. “It certainly sends a message to the team, they keep believing in what they are doing. They are a fantastic group of players.”
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LOSER: Rodri
Who could have imagined how costly Rodri’s red card against Nottingham Forest would be? Pep Guardiola was furious with the Spaniard for losing his temper just over a fortnight ago, and that was a sign that he knew how much his brilliant side has come to rely upon their midfield lynchpin.
City have played three matches without Rodri and lost all three, going down to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup, Wolves, and now title rivals Arsenal. It has not just been the results that have been concerning, either. They have looked lightweight in midfield, losing defensive muscle and creative spark.
It is remarkable that such an expensively-assembled and well-thought out team can rely so much on one player, but the truth is that no one in City’s squad comes close to giving what Rodri offers. Guardiola simply does not trust Kalvin Phillips; Rico Lewis may be a brilliantly-talented youngster but he (understandably) does not have the experience or the physical might of Rodri.; Matheus Nunes is a good signing but he does not have the same defensive awareness; and Kovacic offers nothing like Rodri’s attacking threat.
The good news for City is that Rodri’s suspension is about to come to an end and he will be able to play in their next game against Brighton and then the derby against Manchester United. The Blues better hope he stays out of trouble from now on…
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WINNER: Gabriel Martinelli
The Brazilian had not played in Arsenal’s last five matches due to a hamstring injury, but when he came off the bench here, he gave them an extra outlet and some verve. And most importantly, he gave them the winner.
This was not a classic goal and his decisive strike owed a lot to a wicked deflection off Nathan Ake. But in a game as tight and bitty as this one, sometimes you need to just ask the question and take a chance. That was what Martinelli did.
The forward also deserves praise for working hard to get back, having targeted this match as the day he would return, even against Arteta’s advice.
“He has been saying for a few weeks I am going to be there against City and I said ‘too early for you,'” said the Arsenal boss. “After 30 minutes, Leo [Trossard] felt something in his hamstring and he [Martinelli] was turning around ready to go.”
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LOSER: Premier League officials
It has been a week to forget for Premier League officials after the horrendous error made by Darren England and the VAR team last week between Liverpool and Tottenham. So the last thing the league needed was another controversial decision in the biggest match of the weekend.
Yet the officials are once more in the spotlight for the decision not to send off Kovacic in the first half. The Croatian could have been shown a red card for raking his studs against Martin Odegaard’s leg, leaving the Arsenal captain writhing in pain.
It was a similar challenge to the one which saw Curtis Jones sent off against Tottenham, but referee Michael Oliver only gave Kovacic a yellow card. VAR chose not to overrule Oliver. Fair enough.
But what was truly baffling was that Oliver kept both cards in his pocket when Kovacic went flying in again moments later on Declan Rice, also catching him with his studs. It simply had to be a second yellow card, and Arteta was fully justified in displaying his disbelief on the touchline.
In the end Arsenal still won the game, so the decision will not get the scrutiny it deserves. The PGMOL should send Martinelli a box of chocolates for sparing them yet more criticism.
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LOSER: Erling Haaland
Whenever you begin to doubt the prolific Norwegian, you risk getting egg on your face. But Haaland’s goalscoring blip is now turning into a bit of a slump. It is not just the fact that the City striker has not scored for three games running; it is the fact that he is not looking himself.
Haaland was wasteful against RB Leipzig, but in his last two Premier League outings he has just looked toothless. He had just one shot against Wolves and here, in the biggest game of the season, he had no attempts at all.
The strangest thing was seeing Haaland pull out of a headed opportunity in the first half. He didn’t attempt to meet the cross and in the second half he barely even got into dangerous positions.
Haaland said this week that he plays football like a zombie, often appearing to zone out right before he is about to strike. But today he did not resemble the walking dead. Indeed, he looked utterly lifeless.
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WINNER: Title-race neutrals
Arsenal fans weren’t the only ones celebrating when the final whistle came at the Emirates. Anyone who wants to see a team that is not City win the Premier League title will be feeling relieved after seeing proof that Guardiola’s treble-winners are beatable.
City began the season in ominous form by winning their first six matches despite numerous obstacles, but now they have lost two in a row. And when Rodri is out, they almost look like an ordinary team. Almost.
This tight, scrappy match might not have been the blockbuster encounter the Premier League might have hoped for, but the outcome is a shot in the arm for title-race neutrals and for the league’s claim to be the most unpredictable competition in Europe.
City have won the last three titles and no side in the history of English football has ever won four in a row. If City’s dominance continues, the Premier League runs into danger of being seen as the new Bundesliga. But results like this – and Wolves’ shock victory last week – gives everyone else hope.
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LOSER: David Raya
It has been a bad couple of weeks for goalkeepers brought to top clubs for their supposed skills with the ball at their feet. Manchester United’s Andre Onana has been harpooned for his suspect passing against Galatasaray, and David Raya is facing plenty of scrutiny for his sloppy kick outs.
The Spaniard was partly culpable for Lens’ winning goal in the Champions League on Tuesday after sending the ball straight to the opponents, even if he was beaten by an unstoppable strike from Elye Wahi. And he almost made the goalkeeping gaffe of the season here when he failed to see Julian Alvarez close him down and smashed the ball against the Argentine, watching in horror then relief as it flew back just wide of the goal.
However, he did recover from the near miss and Arteta praised his goalkeeper after the game. The Arsenal manager said: “It is my fault, they can boo me because I ask him to do that and I think he was excellent, the way he dominated his box.”
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