Arsenal pull off a rare scrappy win against City at the Emirates
Arsenal have finally broken the pattern and defeated their pesky rivals 1–0 in a dramatic fashion to go top of the league. Here’s how the game unfolded:
How both teams lined up
Both Arsenal and City lined up in a back 4 with traditional fullbacks as opposed to using inverted fullbacks and used a double pivot system during their build up phase.
- Both teams almost canceled out each other by playing quite narrow and protecting the center of the pitch, making sure the pivots are not allowed easy build up through the middle.
- As a result City and Arsenal both often relied on their fullbacks to provide width where more space was available.
An interesting tweak in City’s system was made in the absence of Rodri where Guardiola deployed Bernardo deep, playing as a 6 forming a double pivot with Kovacic during build up while Rico Lewis was pressing higher up the field alongside Erling Haaland when out of possession.
Lackluster quality in Final third from both sides
- Despite the hype for this game it might have been a tad bit boring for the fans as Arsenal could manage only 0.39 xG from 2 shots on target vs City’s 0.48 xG from just one single shot on target!
- A lot of this can be simply explained by the fact that both teams were missing their key players. No Rodri and KDB for City while Arsenal were missing the likes of Saka who was out injured and Martinelli who was benched and came on in the second half.
- Instead of focusing on their wing play Arsenal lined up with Trossard and Jesus as narrow forwards to press high and protect the center.
David Raya’s nervy first half
- David Raya is looking like Arsenal’s first choice keeper this season but he almost gifted City a goal early on in the game as he succumbed against City’s high press and was chased down by Julian Alvarez. Fortunately the ball hit the side netting and the Gunners could breathe a sigh of relief.
- Raya looked out of place at times with his improper distribution under pressure with his searching long balls not able to find anybody. Also during set pieces he looked very uncomfortable in commanding his own box (first half) and collecting crosses which again could’ve cost them another goal if not for Declan Rice’s goal line clearance.
- Though he made amends for his shaky start and improved on all fronts in the second half by making pinpoint long passes to Jesus to clear City’s high press and was a lot more bold in his decision-making inside the box.
Substitutions
- Substitutions helped breathe life into a cagey game where both teams made triple substitutions to turn the game around. City brought Matheus Nunes, Jeremy Doku and John Stones who played his first Prem match this season.
- Meanwhile Arsenal put Kai Havertz, Thomas Partey and Gabriel Martinelli whose availability in this game was doubtful.
- It was Arsenal however who got the final say thanks to a lucky deflection from Nathan Ake from Martinelli’s long range effort just 4 minutes from Full Time. Interestingly, this chance involved all 3 of Arsenal’s substitutions as Havertz teed up Martinelli for the winner after Partey’s long ball from deep.
Key players & Talking points from the game
- Jesus recorded the most touches(76) out of any Arsenal player since most of Arsenal’s attack was focused down the right flank. But playing out of his usual position he didn’t look as threatening in the final third as Bukayo Saka who is out injured.
- Arsenal’s solid centre-back partnership between Gabriel and Saliba ensured that Haaland got no breathing space, they were robust in the aerial duels and calculated enough to not allow space for him to run in behind the backline.
- In the absence of Rodri many expected Guardiola to give Kalvin Phillips a chance of starting this game, but Guardiola instead used Bernardo as a pivot and played Rico Lewis over Phillips. Phillips’ role in this squad is still unclear depsite being a crucial starter for Bielsa’s squad in the past and Southgate’s favorite for the current English squad.
Despite their persistent efforts Arsenal always looked to struggle against Man City in the past and came up short when it mattered the most, but this time they managed to hold their own and seal a historic victory as they defeated Man City for the first time in the Premier League since 2015!
