DECRYPTION – After Manchester City’s victory (2-1) against Arsenal in the Premier League, find out what pleased and displeased the editorial staff of the Figaro.
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Cherki the magician
Rayan Cherki once again showcased his immense talent during Manchester City’s decisive victory against Arsenal (2-1) on the 33rd day of the Premier League. The Frenchman first found the post at the very start of the match (5th), his shot being blocked by Gabriel. The former Lyonnais then opened the scoring with a brilliant slalom, mystifying the Brazilian defender before deceiving David Raya with a well-placed shot into his small right net.
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After humiliating Arsenal’s solid defense, Rayan Cherki did it again shortly before the break (42nd) by multiplying his leg passes to disrupt Gabriel, before transmitting to Antoine Semenyo at the right tempo. The 22-year-old tricolor gradually faded away in the second half but it is his attitude that must be highlighted. When he lost an avoidable ball in the 71st minute, the Frenchman started to press hard, encouraging his teammates to follow him. Exemplary behavior which must have pleased his trainer Pep Guardiola.
Doku en grande forme
Jérémy Doku contributed to Manchester City’s victory at the Etihad Stadium this Sunday. The Belgian continued to torment the Arsenal rearguard on his left side, well helped by an imperial Nico O’Reilly defensively, and who saved him from a few back and forths. The 23-year-old winger put the Gunners to torture on several occasions, so much so that Mikel Arteta preferred to place two of his players on his back to limit the damage.
Doku was not rewarded statistically but he could have if Haaland had not completely missed his shot after a nice back pass from the Belgian (27th). The Norwegian did honor to his teammate by finishing the job in the second half (65th) following a move orchestrated by… Jérémy Doku. He came off in the 88th minute after a high-flying match.
Bernardo Silva indestructible
Bernardo Silva did not deliver his best match technically but was very valuable for Manchester City. As a good worker in the shadows, the Portuguese used his aggressiveness to fill in the holes. His masterful defensive intervention on Kai Havertz, while the German could offer himself a face-to-face with Gianluigi Donnarumma (78th, even if he was finally flagged offside), is to be highlighted. If the Citizens become champions of England again, they will be able to thank Bernardo Silva, who will leave at the end of the season. Pep Guardiola will need a player of his caliber next year.
FLOPS
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The Gunners’ bad luck
Arsenal’s attackers created a number of chances during the 90 minutes but only scored once, thanks to an error from Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italian goalkeeper then recovered very well by interposing perfectly to counter Havertz’s shot before diving in front of Martinelli and Odegaard to prevent them from shooting into the half-empty goal (60th).
If they were sorely lacking in success by hitting the post twice, the Gunners were overall less enterprising than their opponents of the day. An eloquent statistic proves it: the balls in the opponent’s area. Manchester City hit 40 compared to just 12 for Mikel Arteta’s men.
Semenyo in difficulty
Antoine Semenyo was much less sharp than his attacking colleagues this afternoon in Manchester. The 26-year-old Mancunian winger has multiplied missed passes, slips at the worst moment (when he could find himself face-to-face with David Raya, 20th) and even missed shots. The Englishman also took too long to strike after a number from Cherki at the edge of the area (42nd) and saw his cross blocked shortly after the break (47th). Worse, Semenyo wasted another opportunity by missing his control when he could still find himself alone against the Arsenal goalkeeper (51st). A tricky match for the former Bournemouth player.
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