Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City: Gabriel Martinelli gives Gunners precious win over champions in Premier League clash
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Updated 09/10/2023 at 07:16 GMT
It was a titanic Premier League clash that had a huge amount on the line as Mikel Arteta's Arsenal side hosted Pep Guardiola's champions, Manchester City, at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon. There was nothing between the two sides for almost its entirety, but Gabriel Martinelli struck late on with a deflected effort that eventually proved decisive as the winning goal.
'Proud' Arteta says Arsenal victory over City 'sends a message'
Gabriel Martinelli's late goal gave Arsenal a 1-0 victory over title rivals Manchester City in the biggest game of the Premier League season so far.
The Brazilian's 87th-minute shot hit Nathan Ake in the face and deflected past a wrong-footed Ederson, giving Arsenal the lead and subsequently a three huge points.
Arsenal had earlier made a nervy start and could have been behind inside five minutes, but a Josko Gvardiol shot was cleared off the line and Ake blazed over from close range.
David Raya in particular was wobbly and very lucky that the ball ended up in the side netting when he was closed down by Julian Alvarez having taken too long on the ball.
A non-red card was the main talking point of the first half however, with Mateo Kovacic perhaps fortunate to stay on the pitch both for a studs-showing tackle from behind which solicited a yellow card, and then a late one minutes later which the referee decided didn't warrant a second booking.
Yet the introduction of Gabriel Martinelli gave Arsenal more life after the break, and ultimately proved the difference.
Victory lifts Arsenal to 20 points and second place in the table. They leapfrog City, who with 18 points are third.
Talking point - Arsenal finally slay the City dragon
You had to go back to 2017 for the last time Arsenal took points off Man City in the league and 2015 for their last win. In fact, defeat on Sunday would have seen City match the Premier League record for the most consecutive victories against one club, which shows how one-sided this rivalry has been of late.
Until now.
Arsenal were far from their best, as were City, but in tight games like this between title rivals it is the result which is the most important thing, and Arsenal ground out the win. A cathartic victory such as this will give Arsenal players and fans renewed belief that this could be their year.
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Gabriel Martinelli celebrates scoring against Manchester City
Image credit: Getty Images
Player of the match - William Saliba (Arsenal)
Got the better of Erling Haaland in a number of one-on-one duels and looked assured on the ball as well, which could not be said for all of his team-mates. Haaland took zero shots, which reflects how well Arsenal and in particular Saliba marshalled him.
Player ratings
Arsenal: Raya 4, White 5, Saliba 8*, Gabriel 7, Zinchenko 7, Rice 5, Jorginho 6, Odegaard 5, Trossard 5, Jesus 6, Nketiah 5. Subs: Martinelli 7, Partey 6, Tomiyasu 6, Havertz 6.
Man City: Ederson 6, Walker 6, Dias 6, Ake 6, Gvardiol 6, Kovacic 4, Lewis 6, Bernardo 5, Foden 5, Alvarez 5, Haaland 5. Subs: Nunes 5, Doku 5, Stones 6.
Match highlights
OFF THE LINE! 5' - Raya flaps at and misses a deep corner, which Gvardiol hooks goalwards but it's cleared off the line by Rice! City recycle and cross again, with the ball falling for Ake 10 yards out, and he lashes over under pressure from Saliba.
CLOSE! 17' - Alvarez closes down a ponderous Raya and blocks his clearance - but luckily for Arsenal the ball flies into the side netting. So nearly 1-0 to City.
YELLOW CARD! 28' - Kovacic comes through the back of Odegaard as the Norwegian receives the ball on halfway and is booked. It was late and studs were showing, but a VAR review confirms it as just a yellow card.
NO BOOKING! 35' - Kovacic catches Rice with a stupid, late tackle - but the referee doesn't produce a second yellow card. The fact it was deep in the Arsenal half is the only mitigating factor, and the home fans livid.
GOAL! ARSENAL 1-0 MAN CITY (MARTINELLI) 87' - Havertz lays the ball back for Martinelli on the edge of the box, and his shot is deflected en route to the back of the net! Arsenal lead out of nothing, with Ederson given no chance.
Key stats
- Arsenal have stopped a skid of 12 consecutive defeats against Man City in the Premier League, and beat them for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
- Man City have lost back-to-back league games for the first time since December 2018.
- Bukayo Saka's streak of playing in 87 consecutive Premier League games came to an end today.
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