Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City: What Were The Key Talking Points As The Gunners Snatch A Heavyweight Scalp In North London?

With all eyes falling on north London this weekend, Arsenal laid down a real title marker as they claimed a late 1-0 victory against defending champions Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.

Although large spells of Sunday’s meeting at the Emirates might have failed to live up to its blockbuster billing, it was Mateo Kovacic who was at the centre of the biggest talking point as the ex-Chelsea midfielder somehow managed to avoid being shown a pair of first-half bookings.

However, while chances might have come at a premium here, the returning Gabriel Martinelli scored a dramatic late winner as Arsenal extended their unbeaten run to eight matches on the bounce.

With the Brazilian international stealing all of the headlines as his late effort deflected off Nathan Ake and found a way past the helpless Ederson, Sunday’s 1-0 win was the first Premier League victory that Arsenal have collected against Manchester City since back in 2015.

Although Pep Guardiola’s men might have arrived in north London looking to claim a much-welcomed domestic boost, the Sky Blues have now lost back-to-back Premier League appearances for the first time over the past five years.

In a showdown between two sides who are expected to be at the heart of another epic title scrap this season, we have taken a look at the main talking points.

Arsenal make a heavyweight statement in north London

Suffering a Champions League collapse on foreign soil in midweek as they eventually suffered a 2-1 loss at the hands of French outfit Lens, Arsenal returned to north London desperate to lay down a heavyweight marker.

Falling at the final hurdle last season as they missed out on the chance to get their hands on a first Premier League crown since 2004, the Gunners certainly aren’t showing any signs of a hangover.

With Martinelli sending the home support into overdrive following his late winner on Sunday afternoon, Arteta’s side head into October’s international break riding a major wave of momentum.

One of just two Premier League sides that are unbeaten in any of their opening eight top-flight appearances, the one-time Manchester City coach will be most excited by the grit that his budding squad showed here.

Already mustering 20 points from those first eight top-flight showdowns and with just their goal difference keeping them behind bitter north London rivals Tottenham, Arsenal will be starting to believe that they can dethrone Sunday’s opponents this time around.

City enter the international break with a domestic stutter

While Manchester City might have put in an eye-catching Champions League performance earlier in the week as they landed a 3-1 victory away at German giants RB Leipzig, Guardiola’s side head into October’s international break in the midst of a major domestic blip.

Making real history last season as they became the first English club since 1999 to be crowned treble champions, the former Barcelona boss had his sights firmly set on making more history this time around.

However, crashing out of the EFL Cup on September 27th as they suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of a high-flying Newcastle, the Sky Blues have remarkably lost each of their previous three domestic appearances across all competitions.

Likewise, watching their stellar start to the 20223/24 campaign come to an abrupt end away at Wolves last weekend as they slumped to a 2-1 defeat, you have to go all the way back to December 2018 to recall the last time to City tasted back-to-back Premier League defeats.

Failing to find any kind of fluidity in north London on Sunday afternoon and with attacking talisman Erling Haaland enduring his longest drought since arriving from Borussia Dortmund last year, October’s international break could have come at a perfect time for Guardiola’s defining champions.

The Gunners draw a line under their nightmare record against City

Although the Gunners might have hit City with Community Shield heartbreak back on August 6th following their penalties victory at Wembley, it was no secret that Arsenal held a woeful Premier League record against the defending champions.

Hit with a 4-1 drumming when they last met Guardiola’s side at the Etihad six months ago, Arsenal had remarkably lost each of their previous 10 straight top-flight showdowns against City – a run that stemmed all the way back to December 2015.

However, drawing a line under their extended blip here, the Gunners could feel that Sunday’s 1-0 win could be a real turning of the tide in their favour.

Potentially gaining a psychological advantage heading into September’s international break, Arteta’s side would have also been excited to get the job done without the missing Saka.

Although the two title contenders might not be pencilled in to meet again until March of next year, City could take some time to recover from Sunday’s latest blip in north London.

Match Report

Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Odegaard, Jorginho, Rice, Jesus, Nketiah, Trossard

Subs: Martinelli, Havertz, Partey, Tomiyasu

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Ake, Gvaridol, Lewis, Silva, Kovacic, Alvarez, Haaland, Foden

Subs: Stones, Nunes, Doku

Goals: Martinelli (86’)

Yellow Cards: Arsenal: Jesus, Jorginho – Manchester City: Silva, Ederson, Kovacic

Red Cards: N/A

Referee: Michael Oliver