Mikel Arteta said Arsenal needed to be more “ruthless” and lamented that “luck” was not on their side as Manchester City took control of the Premier League title race with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Gunners in a frantic clash at the Etihad.
City still trail their title rivals by three points but if they win their game in hand over doomed Burnley in midweek, they will leapfrog the Gunners at the top with just five games remaining.
Perhaps predictably, Erling Haaland was the hero as he expertly swept home with 25 minutes remaining and Pep Guardiola‘s side clung on despite Arsenal hitting the woodwork on multiple occasions in the second half, through Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes, and Kai Havertz rippling the roof of the net deep in injury time.
Although Gabriel was “lucky” to avoid a red card for pushing his head towards Haaland’s, Arteta reflected that the title race showdown could have gone either way. “I don’t think there was any difference between the two teams,” he said. “There is an element of luck, whether the ball goes in or not. We were close, not close enough.”
Relive all the action from Man City v Arsenal, below
Premier League title race: Do Arsenal or Man City have the easier run-in?
The Gunners travelled to the Etihad on Sunday with a six-point lead at the top of the table but that has now been cut to just three points, and with City holding a game in hand Mikel Arteta’s side could see their lead wiped out by Wednesday.
Arsenal are bidding to finally end their 22-year wait for a league title but they could well face a shootout for this season’s trophy, with goal difference potentially deciding the destination of the title.
Why was Gabriel not sent off for Erling Haaland ‘headbutt’?
Haaland and Gabriel were involved in a long-running battle at the Etihad but tensions spilled over in the 83rd minute. It was sparked when Haaland gave Gabriel a push from the side after he had been fouled from behind by the Arsenal defender.
Gabriel reacted by putting his head towards Haaland’s and they stood for a moment with their foreheads touching. But Gabriel then made a another movement and pushed his head towards Haaland’s for a second time.
How Erling Haaland inspired Man City to a massive momentum shift over Arsenal
The league table never lies, apparently. It may do now. A supposed title decider ended with the side still in second nevertheless possessing the advantage. It has been Arsenal’s title to lose for months, but perhaps this defeat means it is being lost.
“Maybe they played more direct than at Wembley,” says Guardiola on the differences in Arsenal from the cup final.
“Gyokeres is also strong and, especially the second balls, they are so good,” he adds on whether Havertz is better at holding up the ball.
“It’s good delivery from Raya. But we know the speed that they have and the set pieces. When we concede a lot of corners, free-kicks and they are top.
“They had four or five strikers and Gabriel at the end, and good delivery as well.
“Sometimes it is difficult to control because we are tired. At the end I’m happy because we can extend the hope and, maybe until the end, we will try,” he added.
Guardiola: ‘It was a good advert for the Premier League’
“It was a good advert for the Premier League,” says Pep Guardiola on Sky.
“They don’t allow you to go through the process, they’re so aggressive. They are good in the duels and one of the most competitive teams I ever faced in my career in terms of duels and one against one, long balls with Havertz and Rice, second balls – fantastic.
“We had momentum, they had momentum, we had chances, they had chances. At the end in these type of games, it is little margins,” he explained.
On the quality of the game, he added: “Absolutely, both teams are good – really top managers! And really top players for both sides.
“I’ve been so demanding but the reality is, it’s just one game. They are top of the league with one goal difference [better than City].
“We have to enjoy it, celebrate it, take the good things but don’t lose the focus. The focus is in three days, we go to Burnley.”
Here’s Mikel Arteta speaking to Match of the Day:
“At the end it’s the result we came to conquer. We did a lot of things right to take the game where we wanted. We had the best chances in the game but we didn’t put them away and that’s the reality,” he explains.
On whether the belief is still there, he says: “100%. I said to the boys we have to look in the mirror and the team we played in the moment, the history they have, to come back from a goal down. There’s a lot of things to take. The difference was in both boxes that’s for sure.”
“Every game is a different approach. Need to evaluate the state of the team. We are missing some big big players. We need them back as soon as possible because we need to be stronger and better.
“The Premier League starts again almost. They have a game in hand, we are three points ahead, five games to play so game on,” he added as he finished.
Keane on Gabriel & Haaland
“I enjoyed that battle [between Haaland and Gabriel]. The ref let them get on with it. It’s part of the game, the physicality,” says Roy Keane on Sky.
“City do seem to peak at the right time. What I like about this City group and Pep is the hunger, they want to win,” he added.
The two major problems facing Arsenal after Man City take control of title race
Manchester City stood up in the way champions tend to, to set up a sprint to the finish. The great question is again how a deflated Arsenal are going to respond, but the great concern is that they are now in a shoot-out with a team who simply score more. On Wednesday, City can go top by beating doomed Burnley.
That higher quality in attack ultimately told and the game distilled multiple recent trends. While Arsenal’s one goal came from reactive opportunism, City’s two were from attacking incision.
More from Odegaard
Here’s more from Odegaard:
”The high press was really good. Looked dangerous. Sometimes you end up deep but I thought we did really well apart from the goals. Maybe lacked a bit of composure on the ball sometimes. Overall a decent performance. We’ve got to learn from that and move onto next game.”
On his fitness, he explains: “It was a tight call but I felt OK in the game. Bit tired in end but good to be back and hopefully I can be back with the team until the end.”
“There’s always that, always pressure always noise. That’s part of being a football player at this level. We’ll keep going, stay focused and look forward to the next game and move on. You have to live with that.”
“Of course,” he says when asked whether he still believes Arsenal can win the title.
Odegaard: ‘That’s football at this level’
Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard was speaking to Sky Sports, and here’s what he has to say:
“Disappointed not to win. Obviously we wanted to get a result and we were really up for it today. We played a good game, we pressed really well.
“Especially in the second half we looked dangerous, big moments in front of goal. Small margins to decide a game like this and we weren’t sharp enough in front of goal and that’s why we go home with nothing.
“That’s football at this level. It was always going to be like that. Very intense, very tough. Small margins. Frustrating but a lot of good things in the game from us. Now it’s about looking forward to the next game to bounce back.”
