Manchester City clinched a 2-1 victory over Arsenal at the Emirates to move 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
Arsenal produced one of their finest performances this season, but it was not enough to stop the Citizens, who, however,would feel a bit fortunate to claim all three points from the tie.
Mikel Arteta could not stand by the sidelines as he contracted covid, but his team executed his game plan for the most part.
Saka and Martinelli impress
The Gunners absorbed the City press well and hit Pep Guardiola’s men on the counter.
The pace and skill of Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka kept City defenders on their toes throughout the match.
Martin Odegaard thought he won a penalty for Arsenal as Ederson brought him down. The referee and the VAR official thought otherwise, though.
Martinelli drifted into the box minutes later, but failed to beat Ederson at the near post.
The home side drew first blood as Kieran Tierney brilliantly found Bukayo Saka inside the box and the 20-year-old made no mistake to send the ball into the Man City net.
Martinelli threatened to extend the lead as he broke into the City box again, but his effort this time missed the far post by inches.
Arsenal concluded the first half on a high, as they denied Manchester City a single shot on target.
This was the first time the reigning Champions failed to test the opposition keeper in the opening 45 minutes since the 2017/18 season.
Xhaka mistake costs Gunners
Granit Xhaka pulled Bernardo Silva’s shirt and conceded a penalty early in the second half.
Riyad Mahrez kept his calm and converted to bring City back into the game.
In the next few minutes, Nathan Ake made a goal line clearance, Martinelli missed an open net chance, and Gabriel saw a red card.
Arsenal almost grinded out a draw despite playing most of the second half with 10 players.
But, Rodri struck on stoppage time to secure the points for the visitors.