Arsenal 2-2 Manchester City: Five things we learned in a result neither side would have wanted

Aguero celebrates goal

It was a strange and highly physical game at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League today as Arsenal drew 2-2 with Manchester City to further dent their hopes of a top-four finish this season.

The match started magnificently as the Citizens went ahead after four minutes through Sane’s wonderfully taken finish, and could have been two up inside 10 minutes when De Bruyne smacked the post from 20-yards out.

However, the Gunners equalised through Walcott on the 40 minute mark before Aguero’s cute goal from a tight angle put City ahead again just before half-time.

The second half was played at a slightly slower pace and when Mustafi headed Wenger’s men level from a corner just after 53 minutes it seemed like both teams were desperate not to lose the game, and the rest of the match was mostly contested in the middle of the park.

Here are five things we learned from today’s clash.

A draw was not ideal for Arsenal’s top-four hopes

Arsenal’s form going in to today’s match was not reflective of a team looking to qualify for the Champions League. Their draw with Manchester City leaves them seven points behind their rivals who occupy fourth spot in the league. Even though the Gunners do have a game in hand over Pep Guardiola’s men, they will still be four points adrift of a top-four finish and with one win in their last six now, it looks highly unlikely they will be able to bridge that gap. Arsenal face a huge month ahead and the only way they may be able to qualify for the Champions League is by embarking on a run of several straight victories.

Manchester City failed to capitalise on Chelsea’s slip up yesterday

Chelsea’s defeat yesterday to Crystal Palace gave City slight hope that they may be able to catch the Blues and pip them to the title come May. Before the game, the Citizens were 12 points behind Antonio Conte’s men with a game in hand. However, today’s draw with Arsenal has left them 11 points adrift of the leaders and it looks like Tottenham Hotspur will be the only ones who may have a chance to gatecrash the Stamford Bridge party at the end of the season. Guardiola’s first season in charge of the club will be seen as a disappointment by many, even if they manage to win the FA Cup.

Bad challenges went unnoticed

The match saw five yellow cards as challenges flew in from all angles but in truth there could have been more and perhaps we should have even seen a couple of dismissals. Referee Andre Marriner opted to only book Navas in the ninth minute after a strong, high tackle on Monreal that maybe would have resulted in a red card if it had been later in the game. Xhaka was also very fortunate to escape a second yellow card after a follow through on Toure just after half time was unnoticed by the referee and play was allowed to continue. A sending off in either of these situations and all of a sudden we are looking at a completely different game.

City need to introduce Kompany back in to the starting line-up

City looked incredible at times going forward during the match and with players such as De Bruyne, Silva, Aguero and Sterling, they will always have great opportunities to score plenty of goals. However, much like the rest of their season, the Citizens looked vulnerable in defence and mistakes were the reason they did not come away with the three points today. Sloppy play from Clichy in the 40th minute allowed Walcott to run onside and a poor challenge soon after resulted in a terrible goal to concede. Manchester City need a leader in defence and if Kompany can prove his fitness, he would be a huge assist for the club between now and the end of the season.

Wenger needs to make a public announcement on his future as soon as possible

Arsenal’s shocking recent form is no coincidence with Wenger’s failure to announce his plans for next season. The players feel under pressure from the fans to perform and the uncertainty surrounding Wenger’s future is not helping anybody at the club. It seems like the manager wants to extend his contract but announcing his decision to stay on the back of such a poor run of results could anger fans further. Wenger will likely wait until the end of the season to make a public announcement but will the damage already be done by then if they fail to qualify for the Champions League? If the North London club do not make the top four, then he surely has to go.

Arsenal: Ospina 7 – Bellerin 6, Mustafi 7, Koscielny 6 (Gabriel 6), Monreal 6 – Xhaka 6, Coquelin 6 – Walcott 6 (Giroud 5), Ozil 7, Welbeck 7 (Iwobi 6) – Sanchez 7

Unused Subs: Gibbs, Martinez, Elneny, Maitland-Niles

Man City: Cabellero 7 – Navas 5 , Stones 6, Otamendi 6, Clichy 6 – Fernandinho 7, De Bruyne 7, Silva 7 (Zabaleta 5), Sane 7 – Sterling 6 (Toure 6) – Aguero 7

Unused Subs: Bravo, Kompany, Nolito, Kolarov, Delph