HO , HOPERS Gunners gift Pep win in 200th game
way to bring in charge.
Guardiola made four changes to the side that lost last week’s Manchester derby and recalled Benjamin Mendy, Nicolas Otamendi and Ilkay Gundogan, while there was a first Premier League start of the season for Phil Foden.
The Gunners, meanwhile, made two changes to the side that beat West Ham last Monday, with Sead Kolasinac and Matteo Guendouzi replacing the injured duo of Granit Xhaka and Kieran Tierney.
Considering the recent frailties of both sides, few expected this to be a dull affair – and it wasn’t.
The home side could have gone ahead inside the opening 40 seconds when Gabriel Martinelli twisted and turned past Otamendi and up his 200th game
Fernandinho, only to see Ederson block his shot. In the blink of an eye City charged to the opposite end and opened the scoring themselves before some home fans had even taken their seats.
Fernandinho fed Gabriel Jesus into space behind the home defence before the Brazilian picked out De Bruyne, who leathered an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net to make it 1-0.
It was the second-fastest goal, 89 seconds, the Gunners had conceded in the Premier League at the Emirates but they barely had time to get over the shock before letting in a second one in the 15th minute following more woeful defending.
City had all the time in the world to play through the Gunners, with Foden, Jesus and De Bruyne all combining before the latter found the unmarked Sterling for the simplest of finishes as Kolasinac and Sokratis stood like dummies.
The Gunners had no passion, desire or intent. In short, they were an absolute shambles.
The moment that summed them up best came before half-time when the hosts failed to send on Bukayo Saka for the injured Kolasinac, leaving them a man down as De Bruyne made it 3-0.
The Belgian maestro then hit the post as the carnage continued.
How the scoreline finished like did was baffling.
Looking on with a mixture of pleasure and pain was Guardiola’s assistant Mikel Arteta, who is in the running to become the next Gunners boss. If he still wants it, that is. it (circled)