Manchester City 3 Arsenal 1: Gunners 12 points off title pace after City brush them aside

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James Benge5 November 2017

Arsenal were handed a humbling lesson from Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s league leaders secured a convincing 3-1 win at the Etihad Stadium.

Kevin De Bruyne’s superb first-time strike and a Sergio Aguero penalty handed City a two-goal lead within 50 minutes and though a fine goal by substitute Alexandre Lacazette raised hopes of an unlikely comeback they were soon snuffed out by Gabriel Jesus.

Though pre-match Arsene Wenger had seemingly ditched his back three by replacing Per Mertesacker with Francis Coquelin it soon transpired that the Frenchman had been placed in the heart of a defence tasked with holding City’s formidable frontline at bay.

Unsurprisingly he was found wanting, though half a dozen centre-backs would have struggled to keep City out when they hit their heights. Arsenal did not help themselves, throwing far too many men at an early corner and getting caught out by an electric counter led by Raheem Sterling. Only a wayward strike from Aguero saved them a second minute deficit.

Lacazette gave Arsenal brief hope in the second half
REUTERS

To their credit Arsenal looked threatening when they ventured forward but only at the cost of leaving space in behind. Leroy Sane exploited that but his low cross was inches ahead of Sterling, who repeated the trick later in the first half as he wasted a two-on-one.

Though the front three were wasteful De Bruyne was anything but, hammering City into a 19th minute lead moments after his volley had been saved by Petr Cech.

Arsenal failed to clear their lines and De Bruyne picked the ball back up, combining with Fernandinho as he drove into the area and slashed a low strike past Cech.

Meanwhile Alexis Sanchez’s audition for a summer move to City was going horrendously. Tasked with leading the Arsenal line on his own he went missing, literally as well as figuratively. When the visitors needed a focal point he rarely delivered.

On the one occasion he did Arsenal had their best chance of the first half, Aaron Ramsey driving through Nicolas Otamendi’s legs and drawing a fine save out of Ederson seconds before half-time.

That did not inspire Arsenal to raise their game in the second half but to plumb new depths as Nacho Monreal clumsily bundled down Sterling for a penalty four minutes in. Cech has never saved a penalty as an Arsenal player and could not end that record as Aguero’s spot-kick went in off the post.

As is their wont Arsenal were much improved when the contest seemed over, the introduction of Lacazette for Coquelin and a move to the back four giving the visitors greater options in attack. Iwobi and Ramsey combined ably in midfield to release Wenger’s record signing, who fizzed a powerful strike through Ederson’s legs.

Aguero celebrates after scoring from the spot
PA

That served to wake the slumbering beast and Arsenal were soon on the rack again. This time Cech came to their rescue, somehow blocking a powerful volley from Jesus at point-blank range.

Their luck finally ran out 16 minutes before time as an offside David Silva was not flagged. A statuesque Arsenal failed to obey the basic rule of playing to the whistle as Jesus tapped home.

The visitors and their manager remonstrated with officials over the goal but they could have no complaints over the scoreline as City made plain the gulf that has opened up between Arsenal and the Premier League’s elite.