Arsenal played Manchester City off the pitch (and then some), routing the title-holders to the tune of a 5-1 scoreline. It’s a tremendous, high-point win in a season that has, thus far, been dominated by frustration, bad luck, and disappointment. The type of win you live for as a fan. We’ve been battered by Manchester City so many times in the past 10 years, edged out by them the last two seasons for the title, made worse by the still unresolved 115-plus charges of financial impropriety against City.
It seems almost inappropriate to do a traditional match recap. I just want to enjoy the vibes. Martin Ødegaard’s first open play goal this season less than two minutes into the match. Two Hale End graduates scoring absolutely cracking goals. Kai Havertz converting a tough finish after missing the net on a much easier chance.
Arsenal winning like THAT is the best part of the day. A close second, however, is Erling Haaland being made to look foolish. To me, his celebration after scoring his equalizer was a taunt aimed at the Emirates crowd. A minute later, his goal was erased. Seven minutes after that, Myles Lewis-Skelly, a player he’d so rudely dismissed with a “who are you” comment in the fracas following the 2-2 earlier this season, co-opted his (stupid) meditation goal celebration. Stay humble, eh, Erling?
I also very much appreciate Phil Foden’s commitment to being outplayed and out-shown by Arsenal academy products. We’ve known for a while, despite the best efforts of people trying to manufacture a debate, that Bukayo Saka is the better player. But just to hammer home that point, this season it’s 7G, 2A from 19 apps for Foden and 5G, 10A from 16 apps for Saka.
Today (and once again), Phil Foden was a non-factor. The Hale Enders each scored a top-class goal. Myles Lewis-Skelly’s was an incredible individual effort, a perfectly curled shot to the far post. A goal made even better by how quickly he got the shot away after shifting the ball inside to create the space and how much power he got on it. Such was the quality of the goal that I let out an involuntary, audible “oh” when it hit the back of the net. The goal makes MLS the youngest defender to score for Arsenal, edging Stewart Robson’s 1983 mark by 11 days. Lewis-Skelly is in the top 10 in the Premier League in fouls drawn per 90 minutes. Every player ahead of him on the list is a midfielder or attacker.
Ethan Nwaneri’s goal capped off a 36-pass move from Arsenal that spanned nearly two minutes, culminated by Declan Rice’s beautifully pinged switch of play. Nwaneri’s shot was so well-placed that Stefan Ortega didn’t even try to save it. He just helplessly watched it sail into the corner beyond him. It was the longest passing move leading to a Premier League goal since September 2023. Lewis-Skelly (18) and Nwaneri (17) are the first duo aged 18 or younger to score for the same team in the same Premier League match since 2007.
Thomas Partey had his best game for the club in a long while, possibly in the last two years. It was his shot that, aided by a heavy deflection off John Stones (who had a match to forget), restored Arsenal’s lead immediately after the Gunners surrendered an equalizer.
Partey’s performance was undoubtedly helped by Declan Rice being everywhere off the ball. It was a more subtle performance from Rice in comparison to recent matches. He wasn’t as involved in the attack, particularly in and around the City box. He was, however, much more involved in the press, getting much higher up the pitch to great effect. Clearly, Mikel Arteta and Arsenal had studied and set their pressing triggers. Time and again, they created turnovers in dangerous areas. It’s how they scored the first goal, how Kai Havertz could have added a second, and how they scored their second goal.
It’s mildly amusing how Kai Havertz can fail to hit the target shooting at a semi-open net in the first half but also convert a quite difficult chance in the second. It’s much easier to smile about it after Arsenal win 5-1. At the time, it felt like it could have been one of those moments that you look back on after dropped points for what could have been. It’s a testament to Havertz’s mentality and the mindset you have to have as an attacker. The only chance that should be on your mind is the next one. You’ve got to shut the previous one out, especially when it’s one you should have done better with.
No matter how his finishing is going, Kai Havertz never stops working, both with and without the ball. Contrast that with Erling Haaland, who mostly walks around the pitch and barely touches the ball. Heck, Haaland couldn’t even be bothered to attack the 6-yard box when his side were threatening at one point today. All Gabriel needed to do was lightly body him to stop his movement.
Haaland did convert the one chance he got by being quicker to the middle than William Saliba (not the Frenchman’s finest moment), but that’s not enough. For a guy as big and physical as Haaland, he vanishes against Arsenal’s centerback duo who can match (and out-duel) him for strength. It’s a joy to watch, Gabriel in particular. The Brazilian absolutely loves battling and loves defending, particularly when it comes against Erling Haaland.
Arsenal’s CB pairing being bigger and stronger than Erling Haaland neatly captures the Arsenal versus Manchester City dynamic right now. A few years ago after Arsenal had been, once again, man-handled by City, my main takeaway from the match was that they were bigger, faster, and stronger than the Gunners. They were everywhere. It looked as if they had another player on the pitch. That has completely flipped on its head. Arsenal are flying. Manchester City looked old and slow.
None older and slower than Bernardo Silva who is the outright villain to Erling Haaland’s pantomime one. Silva committed three or four yellow-card worthy challenges, including kicking Leandro Trossard on the ground after the whistle and a nasty, frustrated cleating of Ethan Nwaneri when the game was well beyond reach, but he wasn’t booked for any of them. He’s a really dirty player and has been for years.
As y’all know, I’m hesitant to talk about compete level, fight, etc., but man, Manchester City could have done with some today. It felt like they didn’t care. Have they checked out on the season already? Some of the credit for that feeling belongs to Arsenal — the Gunners were magnificent and would have made anybody look pedestrian playing like they did today. Manchester City are the Champions, though. A juggernaut team that refused to lose down the stretch for two seasons in a row to win the title. Are they so old, slow, and broken that they can’t muster anything in response to getting thoroughly embarrassed against one of their biggest rivals? Surely their genius manager Pep Guardiola can conjure up something better than whatever that was.
Mikel Arteta and Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 5 matches against Pep and Manchester City (2W, 3D). More importantly, the Gunners are 9-points clear of City in the table, a gap that given City’s form seems unlikely to be bridged. I don’t think Arsenal have much reason to be concerned about finishing in a Champions League place, but putting some distance between themselves and a competitor is never a bad thing. Right now, we own them.
And it’s 23 points before you get down the table to Tottenham.
The win also makes it a double in a day for Arsenal over Manchester City. The women won 4-3. The men won 5-1. You absolutely love to see it.
I say it every week but this Arsenal team is special. Individual moments and matches like today are special. Even if the bigger picture stuff isn’t going our way this season, it’s important that we recognize and appreciate what we’re watching. They just won’t give up. They keep battling. And they’re really, really good, too.
