What Mikel Arteta received proper as Arsenal smash Man City and ship Liverpool message
Arsenal thrashed Manchester City 5-1 in an emphatic display at the Emirates as they remain in the hunt for the Premier League title.
A mistake by Manuel Akanji allowed Arsenal to open the scoring early. The Swiss centre-back lost the ball just outside his own penalty area which was surrounded by Arsenal players. A squared, unselfish pass from Kai Havertz to Martin Odegaard saw the Gunners take the lead.
Man City got the equaliser in the second half with an Erling Haaland headed goal. 38 seconds later, Thomas Partey’s deflected long shot from outside the box put Arsenal back in front.
Myles Lewis-Skelly scored Arsenal’s third as he darted through the penalty area and calmly placed the ball to the right of the City keeper. Just to rub it in, he copied Haaland’s celebration. Havertz then redeemed his early miss with a goal of his own, and it was all topped of with a stunning bending effort from 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri.
With Arsenal continuing to hunt down Liverpool at the top of the table, Daily Star Sport has taken a look at what Arteta got right in his victory over Man City.
Caught Man City early
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Many Premier League teams find themselves sat back all game against Man City, waiting for a break. Mikel Arteta wasn’t going to have any of that. He had clearly told his players to attack the opposition from the start.
It paid off massively when, within the opening two minutes, defender Akanji lost the ball to a pressing Leandro Trossard just outside the City penalty box. Havertz collected the ball and squared to his skipper Odegaard for an easy goal.
Not only was it important to prove themselves to City from the first whistle, but it was just as important to get the Emirates crowd behind them early on.
Kept Haaland locked away
The last thing Haaland said to the Arsenal squad when they last faced each other was to ‘stay humble.’ It seemed that the Gunners players hadn’t forgotten about this, in fact, it looked to have been brewing inside them for a while.
When it was time for City to come to the Emirates, the Arsenal back-line were not giving Haaland any space. The Norwegian striker was only limited to six touches in the entire first half.
When Arsenal took the lead early on, Gabriel also wasted no time in getting back at Haaland, celebrating in front of his face as he ran past. Although Haaland managed to get a goal of his own, he could do no more.
Trossard was a nuisance
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Straight from the first whistle it was clear what Trossard’s job was going to be. Don’t give the City players space to breathe. If this was indeed his instruction, he nailed it to a tee.
The 30-year-old was the catalyst for Arsenal’s opening goal. In the first half again, Trossard tracked down the ball that eventually ended up in the feet of Havertz who dragged it wide.
It was non-stop from the Belgian and it’s almost certain that the City players would have despised him all game. But that’s exactly what he intented to do – annoy the opposition.
Put his faith in Lewis-Skelly
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18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly has been with Arsenal through the academy. It was only two years ago he was still with the U-19 squad. Now, he’s scoring heroic goals in front of a bustling Emirates stadium.
Not only had the youngster been a dominant force in defence throughout the match, but his attacking wit and ability to make quick moves made him a threat all game.
The movement and finish showed great skill, maturity and was fully deserved.
Blocked the passing lanes
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The Gunners were fantastic when it came to anticipating where City were going to play the ball. Trossard pressed Akanji for the first, Partey intercepted Phil Foden’s pass for the second and Arsenal won the ball in their own half that led to the counter attack for the fourth.
The possession stats were well in City’s favour. But possession doesn’t win you games, goals do, and thats what Arsenal achieved today.
