It was nothing like a Premier League “final”, since there are five days left on the program, but the clash at the top between Manchester City and Arsenal indeed marks a new turning point in the English championship season. Pep Guardiola’s team won against the Gunners to completely restart the title race. The Cityzens are three points behind the Londoners with a game in hand (which they will play against Crystal Palace before the final weekend).
The Mancuniens started as favorites against this disappointing Arsenal on the field since the start of the season and who had just blown a joker by losing at the Emirates Stadium against Bournemouth. They achieved a deserved success against the valiant Gunners but far too limited to create the feat at the Etihad Stadium.
It must be said that Man City is currently led by a genius named Rayan Cherki. The French international sealed the start of the match single-handedly by finding the post before opening the scoring with an exceptional goal (16th). The Lyonnais slalomed between Gabriel Magalhaes and Declan Rice, driving the ball with his left foot, before scoring forcefully with his right, avoiding William Saliba’s tackle. In the process, Arsenal equalized with a restart from Gianluigi Donnarumma blocked by Kai Havertz (18th)! The former PSG goalkeeper is free from yet another escapade with the ball at his feet…
Donnarumma, zero then hero!
The second half allowed the Mancuniens to take the advantage thanks to
Erling Haaland on the hour mark (65th), but Arsenal had just had some great opportunities to score! Havertz fell on a great Donnarumma (60th) and Eberechi Eze hit the post (61st). The Norwegian crack did not waver when it came time to finish, lying in wait for a ball for Rodri, for his 23rd goal in the league. Arsenal then missed the opportunity to grab a point after added time with an off-target header from Kai Havertz (95th).
Next week, Manchester City have a first opportunity to take the lead by beating PL penultimate Burnley on Wednesday (before playing their FA Cup semi-final against Southampton), while Arsenal host Newcastle on Saturday.
Leave a Reply