After Liverpool, Man City fall victim to Arsenal grit
Arteta’s men put up perfect defensive display, backed by Aubameyang’s brilliant brace
NEWDELHI: It was exactly a month before Saturday’s FA Cup semifinal against Manchester City that Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal had visited the Etihad to face Pep Guardiola’s side. The lasting memory from that game is David Luiz’s two blunders, one in each half. Both led to goals, the second resulted in a red card for the Brazilian, and Arsenal lost 0-3.
It was the first game since Premier League’s resumption after the break due to Covid-19 and City were quicker off the blocks than the rusty Gunners. Arteta was handed a bitter lesson by his mentor’s team. He had worked as assistant manager to Guardiola for over three years when the former Gunners player was hired mid-season to revive a team in disarray.
Saturday night showed the apprentice had learnt his lessons from last month’s loss. Arsenal’s performance in the 2-0 win over City at Wembley was in sharp contrast to the error-laden showing at the Etihad.
While Arsenal frequently exposed chinks in City’s defence in the first half—they would have gone ahead by more than one goal if they had taken the chances—the second half was about shutting out the Blues’ formidable attack. The approach was sharply different and the maturity Arsenal showed to execute attack and defence must have surprised even Guardiola.
The game’s broadcast feed showed the Catalan tactician in animated discussion with his assistants towards the end of the first half. The manner in which Arsenal controlled the flow of the game, having soaked up early pressure, seemed to have rattled the City bench.
The first goal from PierreEmerick Aubameyang came off an 18-pass move that would have made Guardiola envious. Yet, for most of the game, it was City who dominated possession. Once they took the lead, Arsenal seemed to shake off a mental block that had grown over the course of seven straight defeats to City.
It was in the semi-final of the 2017 FA Cup that Arsenal had last tasted victory over City. Only once in their last seven games against City had Arsenal conceded less than three goals. And there were few signs before this game that Arsenal would manage to do what they did.
DIFFERENT ARSENAL
Only the previous week, Arsenal had conceded late goals against Leicester and Tottenham. Draw in the first game and defeat in the next meant losing momentum to secure a Champions League spot. Even in the surprise 2-1 win over newly-crowned champions Liverpool that followed, the Gunners pounced on two defensive errors and rarely seemed in control otherwise.
But they were a different team on Saturday as they held fort against City’s waves of raids in the second half. It was redemption for Luiz, who put in arguably his best performance as an Arsenal player. When a reporter in a post-match interview asked Luiz about criticism of Arsenal defence after the loss at Etihad, Luiz quickly corrected him: “A lot of criticism on (sic) me, no? You can say that.”
He didn’t put a foot wrong in the game. He was ably assisted by teammates in an organised defensive effort which City failed to break through in the second half. Granit Xhaka played arguably the game of the season, marking his presence on all parts of the pitch. Questions about his temperament and future with the club seem to have been laid to rest.
There he was filling positional gaps left by centre-backs, making blocks, clearing shots from the goalmouth, sweeping up stray balls, and then circulating the ball forward. Kieran Tierney,
Shkodran Mustafi, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Hector Bellerin, Dani Ceballos and Emiliano Martinez, standing in for the injured Berndt Leno in goal, all contributed immensely to the defensive effort.
Up front, Nicolas Pepe and Alexandre Lacazette were drawing out defenders with Aubameyang finding himself in space on a few occasions.
The second goal was a swift counter that took the wind out of City’s sails. The FA Cup holders did have their chances in between, but the efforts were mostly subdued in the face of a disciplined Arsenal.
“They defended well. It happened (when Arsenal played) against Liverpool too, so we knew it. But we were not good,” Guardiola said. Praise from his previous boss would no doubt please Arteta. There is no reason not to be. After all, this is a team that has been criticised throughout the season for a fragile defence.
“We’ve beaten probably the best two teams in Europe. I’m really pleased with the players, the way they are fighting,” Arteta said. “There is great chemistry between them (the players) and they really believe in what we are trying to do.”
Confidence will be high in the red half of north London after a superb week. But Arsenal must ensure they don’t squander the gains as it has happened often in the past.
A look at the league standings lends perspective on the gap between Arsenal—they lie 10th with two games left—and the top two teams they beat in the last week. The young Arsenal manager is one win away from a title in his first season, which will seal a Europa league spot.
His main task, once the delirium of these wins settles down, is to rebuild a club that has flattered to deceive in the league for 16 seasons.