DAVID A REAL LUIZ CANNON
Hapless Gunners defender hands win to City on plate
ON ALL previous showings, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have not needed a helping hand to ease past Arsenal.
Yet on a night when football returned to an empty Etihad after 104 nights away, David Luiz gave them two to ensure the home side sunk their visitors without breaking sweat.
Guardiola’s former assistant Mikel Arteta can console himself that he was right in not starting the hapless Brazilian.
But after two early injuries forced him to throw on Luiz for Pablo Mari, 25 calamitous minutes saw him first gift Raheem Sterling an opener.
Four minutes into the second half he hauled back Riyad Mahrez, received his marching orders and gave away a penalty which Kevin De Bruyne despatched. Two goals hardly reflected City’s dominance in this match as both teams go their campaigns back up and running.
Unlike Arsenal who will still have much to play for, aside from the FA Cup there is little remaining of interest domestically for City this season.
Their focus remains on Europe, first in court of Switzerland where their appeal against a two-year Champions League ban will be decided next month and in the Champions League where they remain a game away from the last eight finals in Lisbon in August.
With the cups in mind Guardiola will want to see continued focus from his players and they returned looking sharp last night. It was not easy to feel revved up either. There will have be medical operations performed in less sanitised conditions than those which City and Arsenal took to the field last night. Disinfected stands draped in branded tarpaulins helped echo the shouts drifting across the pitch. A heavy thunderstorm just before kick off further dampen the atmosphere. City’s announcer did his best when enthusiastically announcing the teams to themselves. One benefit was a perfectly poignant minute’s silence observed for those lost during the pandemic followed by both sets of players taking a knee to show solidarity with Black Lives Matter. For the home side Eric Garcia made just a third Premier League start alongside Aymeric Laporte. Gabriel Jesus was preferred to Sergio Aguero through the middle.
Arteta, who had no place in his matchday squad for Mesut Ozil, was forced to shuffle his pack not once but twice in the first quarter.
Both Granit Xhaka and Mari departed with ankle injuries.
Their loss robbed Arsenal of balance as well as much-needed steel. Had it not been for Bernd Leno, City might have been three up after the half-hour mark. Kevin De Bruyne provided the scalpel for most of City’s incisions.
The midfielder was aiming for Sterling in behind Luiz in the right channel but should never have reached him. Luiz’s attempt to clear looped tamely up off his thigh and was gratefully hammered past Leno by Sterling from close range.
Four minutes after the break Luiz was given a straight red for hauling back Riyad Mahrez, referee Anthony Taylor indicating he was the last man.
De Bruyne slotted home and it was game over, with Phil Foden claiming City’s third.