The fourth-round match at Etihad Stadium was decided by Nathan Ake’s 64th-minute goal, and the outcome may continue to have an impact throughout the remainder of the season.
In the FA Cup on Friday, Manchester City defeated Arsenal 1-0 to make a statement of intent.
The fourth-round match at Etihad Stadium was decided by Nathan Ake’s 64th-minute goal.
The outcome may continue to have an impact throughout the remainder of the season.
At the top of the English Premier League, Arsenal is five points ahead of City.
But City, which has won three straight games in all competitions, ended Arsenal’s seven-game winning streak.
On February 15, the Emirates Stadium will host a league matchup between England’s two best teams. Pep Guardiola has gained an advantage over his former assistant, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, for the time being.
I am aware of how challenging it is to defeat Arsenal. They only lost one Premier League game, so I know how hard it is,” Guardiola stated.
After curling a low shot past goalkeeper Matt Turner, Ake, the defender, won the match, which seemed unlikely.
While enjoying the majority of the first half, Arsenal had chances. Takehiro Tomiyasu and Leandro Trossard made City goalie Stefan Ortega make saves, and Eddie Nketiah missed a close-range shot.
When City came back after the break and Ake scored the game-winning goal, the visitors paid the price.
Arteta stated, “I’m really disappointed.” We could have gained significantly more from the game. You need to stand out in important matches in the big moments.
It was impossible to ignore the larger context of a match between the teams that are the front-runners in the league race, despite the fact that a spot in The cup’s fifth round was at stake.
With 50 points from 19 games and a level of confidence not seen since Arsene Wenger’s title-winning teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s, Arsenal has been in outstanding form.
Both Guardiola and Arteta left key players out of their lineups as if to emphasize that winning the cup is not the top priority for either team.
Ederson, Kyle Walker, Joao Cancelo, and Bernardo Silva were benched by Guardiola. Ben White, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, and Aaron Ramsdale were all left out by Arteta.
Trossard, an Arsenal newcomer who signed from Brighton last week, got his first start.
In spite of the adjustments, Arsenal had better chances in the first half but was unable to convert them.
After the break, City took control of the game, but they didn’t create many clear opportunities until Ake broke the deadlock.
Alvarez, a substitute, scored from outside the box, beating Turner but rebounding off the post. Ake made his first attempt with a low shot into the corner after Jack Grealish received the rebound.
Arsenal will have one less thing to worry about as it tries to win the title, and Arteta wants to improve his team before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.
Moisés Caicedo, a Brighton midfielder, has been linked with the London club for $74 million, but Arteta wouldn’t say anything specific about the player.
We’ve been pretty busy in the market. He stated, “We need some things.” The club is willing to try to do something else if it is reasonable, and hopefully, he will be a player who can improve our squad.