English Premier League ( EPL ) defending Champions, Manchester City beat Arsenal 3-1 to go top of the table for the first time since August. In an action-packed game that took place Wednesday 15 February 2023, a lot was at stake for the two teams. Glory and a shot at the EPL trophy.
Having enjoyed sitting at the top of the Premier League table since August, Arsenal is for the first time out of that position. They sit second on the same number of points ( 51 ). The Gunners are now trailing Manchester City by a goal difference of 10. Will they bounce back to the top this weekend or in the subsequent games to come? That remains to be noted.
The Gunners are now trailing Manchester City by a goal difference of 10
A number of pundits had termed this match as “a title decider. “. Thus the winner of this tie, Manchester City can be said to be in pole position to win the trophy despite having another waiting fixture against the same opponents – the Gunners. It’s anticipated that now that they are on top, City will not relinquish that sweet spot after wallowing in the dark for so long.
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How Manchester City beat Arsenal
To begin, credit should be given to Arsenal, they played and caused Manchester City problems. Contrary to the belief that Pep Guardiola’s team likes having possession, it’s Arsenal had the majority of the possession. As a result, they produced some clear scoring opportunities that were not utilized well.
This missing of chances proved costly as later Belgian and Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne capitalized on an error by Takehiro Tomiyasu to give City the lead in the 24 minutes. This didn’t dampen the Arsenal players’ spirit as they continued to push and press for an equalizer until it finally came.
With only 3 minutes to the end of the first half, a through-ball by Granit Xhaka unleashed Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah to spring in the box and make a shot at the goal. However, an on-rushing Ederson collided with Nketiah prompting referee Anthony Taylor to award Arsenal a penalty. Bukayo Saka cooky sent Ederson the wrong way to leave the tie 1-1 at the break.
The defending Champions went ahead to show what they are made of by Jack Freakish adding a second goal ( minute 72 ). Immediately after ten minutes, goal-scoring machine Erling Haaland added a third goal ( minute 82 ) to seal the three points—well-deserved points from a game with a lot at stake for both teams.
Jack Grealish celebrates scoring his side’s second goal.
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