Manchester City vs Arsenal: Top performers and flops of the match
Manchester City delay Liverpool’s celebrations in a tactical masterclass against Arsenal
Goals from Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden help Manchester City to a 3-0 winning comeback to the Premier League restart. Arsenal was reduced to 10-men after David Luiz was sent off.
The win puts Manchester City in a comfortable position for the Champions League places with 60 points from 29 games and their run of fixtures towards the end of the season are against 6 relegation-threatened sides which means their focus will shift towards Champions League football and retaining the FA Cup.
Arsenal had one or two chances on the counter but City was better in all departments. There was a worrying injury to Eric Garcia. David Luiz gave away a goal, and then a penalty and got himself sent off signalling the end of his time at Arsenal while their top-scorer Aubameyang had a frustrating outing due to lack of quality in Arsenal midfield.
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Substitute Phil Foden netted a third for the defending champions, taking advantage of a rebound from Sergio Aguero‘s strike.
Top performers
- Kevin De Bruyne: From the first minute of the game,he showed why he is the best midfielder in Premier League and maybe even Europe. He created numerous chances for Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez,Jesus and has been directly involved in more Premier League goals than any other player this season with nine goals and 16 assists as per BBC Sports.
- Bernd Leno:Arsenal’s best player on the pitch. Brilliant first-half stops to deny Sterling, David Silva and Riyad Mahrez while also tipped Kevin de Bruyne’s free-kick over the bar. He was unlucky with the Sterling goal but overall the only bright spot in that Arsenal team.
- Ederson: Defensively solid and would have notched an assist,had Mahrez controlled the ball better. His linkup play from defence to forwards is significant for Manchester City’s attacking style of play.
- Raheem Sterling: A constant threat down the wings and might have scored more if he was fully match fit.He capitalized on Luiz’s attempts to cut out De Bruyne’s cross and fired home from a tight angle to send City into the break with the advantage.
Flops
- David Luiz: Luiz became the first player to be sent off, concede a penalty and commit an error leading to an opposition goal in a PL game. It is now 4 penalties conceded this season for Luiz,a horrible performance overall.
- Matteo Guendouzi: The Frenchman doesn’t seem to be enjoying playing under Arteta’s system and was missing throughout the match. He was subbed off after 66 mins after failing to make any impact despite chasing the ball around the pitch.
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: One of the quieter days for the Arsenal forward and missed a great chance from a loose pass from De Bruyne. His focus seems to be in looking for a new club.
Arsenal’s opportunities were limited with Nketiah and Aubameyang failing to take advantage. It is back to the drawing board for Arteta to come up with a new strategy to help Arsenal push for a late bid for Champions League spot.
Next. Liverpool: 5 players who will benefit from Premier League restart. dark
Up next, Manchester City host Burnley at Etihad while Arsenal goes to Brighton in search for redemption.