Live football on TV schedule at 2sport.tv
Live football on TV schedule at 2sport.tv
Man City temporarily took the top spot in the English Premier League table with a 3-1 victory over Arsenal in a rescheduled match.
Prior to their matchup at the Emirates Stadium, Man City trailed Arsenal by three points in the standings (with one more game played than their opponents). If the defending champions lost, the gap would widen to six points, and potentially nine points if Arsenal won their rescheduled game.
Man City's unfavorable position in the title race meant they had to win to keep their hopes alive. Fortunately for the Manchester side, star striker Erling Haaland returned from an injury sustained in their match against Aston Villa. On the other hand, Arsenal were without Thomas Partey due to injury and had to replace him with Jorginho.
The absence of Partey weakened Arsenal's midfield. While Partey is one of the top ball-playing midfielders in the Premier League, Jorginho is not as strong at intercepting the ball. Man City consistently applied pressure in the midfield, using quick passes to control the game even though they were playing away from home.
Every time Arsenal had the ball, the visitors created great pressure. From a standard pressing situation like that, Arsenal took the lead. In the 24th minute, Takehiro Tomiyasu made a non-ideal back pass, which Kevin de Bruyne intercepted and quickly shot with his left foot to score into Arsenal's empty net.
Unfortunately for Arsenal, the goal happened just after Edward Nketiah's off-target header less than 2 minutes earlier.
Arsenal rallied after the goal and created significant pressure on Man City's defense. After several missed chances, the "Gunners" had a golden opportunity in the 39th minute. Nketiah used his speed to surpass Kyle Walker, forcing goalkeeper Ederson to commit a foul in the penalty area. From the spot, Bukayo Saka beat Ederson with a decisive left-footed shot.
The 1-1 draw opened up the game for both Man City and Arsenal in the second half. The visitors played slightly better and gradually took control of the game with their playing style.
In the 72nd minute, defender Gabriel's poor pass allowed Man City to launch a quick counterattack. Haaland passed the ball across to Gundogan, who smartly left the ball for Jack Grealish to finish with a dangerous shot, increasing the score to 2-1. Therefore, both of Arsenal's conceded goals came from costly mistakes.
The game was sealed in the 80th minute. Gundogan made a strong breakthrough before passing the ball to De Bruyne, who marked his effective performance with a precise cross to set up Haaland's goal, making the final score 3-1 in favor of Man City.
With the victory over Arsenal, Man City and Arsenal now both have 51 points, but Man City temporarily takes the top spot in the table thanks to a better goal difference (+36 compared to +26). Arsenal still have one game in hand to regain the top position, but if they fail to improve their form, the "Gunners" could potentially lose the chance in the English Premier League title race.
Let's look forward to the Champions League upcoming Man City vs Leipzig match. And don't forget to follow 2Sport to update more interesting news and watch football live stream.
