VOLLEY GOOD CITY QUICK TO EXPOSE LAME LUIZ
HAPLESS DEFENDER SEES RED AS STERLING IS AN INSTANT HIT
It was quite the hattrick for David Luiz. At fault for the first goal, gave away the penalty for the second goal, and sent-off. Given his contract expires this month, this may well be his farewell appearance for Arsenal. It’s been quite a ride.
Much as it was for Mikel Arteta, returning to the Etihad Stadium for the first time since being prised away from Pep Guardiola’s side. His old friend greeted him with a hearty pat on the back and then remembered he was supposed to be social distancing. Everyone else got an elbow bump, and then the slap in the chops that usually follows when two teams are as poorly matched as this.
If Manchester City lose, Liverpool could win the league at Everton on Sunday. that was the narrative. Fat chance of that. Arsenal were outclassed after a cagey opening 30 minutes, City could have led by plenty at half-time, and Luiz did the rest. Having erred for the first goal, he made such a hash of the second he became a rare victim of double jeopardy.
these days, football shies away from the award of a penalty and a red card. It only happens if a referee judges a player to have behaved particularly foolishly. We can presume Anthony taylor made such a judgement of Luiz. Having lost Riyad Mahrez to a move begun by a long ball from Ederson, he had several good goes at taking him out before the City man tumbled to the ground. the penalty was never in doubt, the red card was hardly necessary. the way Luiz was playing, taylor might have punished Arsenal more severely by keeping Luiz on. the penalty was a formality – much like the outcome. Kevin De Bruyne put the ball right, Bernd Leno went left. It was only a two-goal margin, and just four minutes into the second-half, but Arsenal were already written off.
It was in injury time that City gave the scoreline the distance it deserved. Sergio Aguero, on as a substitute, played a fine one-two with Raheem Sterling, before hitting a post, but Phil Foden was quickly onto it it, his first league goal oal of the season.
So Liverpool willill have to do it the hard way.way It has not been the best title defence from City but they are not about to offer gifts. the fact Ederson brutally took out his own defender Eric Garcia with ten minutes left shows the commitment Guardiola inspires from his men. It looked an appalling collision and Garcia required lengthy treatment. the absence of a crowd just added to the eerie stillness and concern.
Still nobody could accuse City of lacking desire. It was one of the many qualities that Arsenal lacked. City have their own issues, but Arsenal looked as far away from being a major force as at any time this century.
there is a reason Arsenal went to such great lengths to prise Arteta from City. Guardiola’s style is what they seek, the same artistry, the same beauty. they don’t want to pay for it, as City did, the players don’t tend to work for it, as Guardiodiola’s do. So it is hard to see how they will evere achieve it; unless AArteta is a genius. Even geniugenius has its limits, mind. It is hard to see what Guardiola would achieve given the players at Arteta’s disposal. Pepe, the big summer signing that former manager Unai Emery didn’t exactly want, couldn’t make the starting XI; Mesut Ozil couldn’t find his way onto the bench. As for PierreEmerick Aubameyang, he played last night as if he had one eye on a different game, and probably a different club, too. He ran, in search of goals, which is the least a striker can do – but when the pursuit took him into physical conflict with an opponent, the speed seemed to leak from his legs.
A weak squad was further debilitated by early injuries which brought Luiz into the game. He is almost certain to leave this summer and some might argue it isn’t soon enough. He had been on the field 21 minutes when he cost his team a goal.
De Bruyne was the provider. He had tried his luck on several occasions hitting perfect passes to team-mates, but nothing came of it. Maybe he thought he would have more joy bringing Luiz into play instead. How right he was. It wasn’t De Bruyne’s best work, a pass from the right by-line in the direction of Raheem Sterling that came thigh-high to Luiz and should have been cut out. Instead, the ball caught a deflection, slowing it down slightly but failing to halt its route to Sterling. He had time, and could have complicated his finish. He went old school, leathering it to give Leno no chance.
It was no more than City deserved, but harsh on Arsenal’s goalkeeper. He had been superb to that point, the last line of resistance when City could have had the game won long before half-time. De Bruyne had a free-kick tipped over after four minutes but, after that, the champions – for another week at least – took their time getting a grip. As the centre was ripped from Arsenal by injury, however, so City’s supremacy grew.
First, Granit Xhaka was lost after just five minutes – eight by the time he was carried from the pitch – and then Pablo Mari on 24. It is no surprise that given the required reshuffling, City seized control. Kyle Walker had already signalled City’s danger, sprinting down the right, Mari pulling up lame in his wake, before cutting the ball back perfectly for Riyad Mahrez, who dummied it for a better placed team-mate. Unfortunately, there wasn’t one. Nobody was in a better position to open the scoring than the man who chose to leave the ball alone.
From there, City moved swiftly through the gears. In the 34th minute, Sterling cut inside from the left and forced a fine low save from Leno. then a lovely passing move
RAHEEM STERLING scored the first goal of Project Restart as Manchester City brushed aside a feeble Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium.
The England international looked like he’d never been away as he powered home just before half-time, with Kevin De Bruyne adding a second-half penalty and Phil Foden scoring a late third.
It was fitting, too, given Sterling’s stature in the anti-racism movement. Both teams at the Etihad, and earlier in the goalless draw at Villa Park, ‘took the knee’ before the game in a powerful gesture of support for Black Lives Matter following the death in police custody last month of George Floyd.
Arsenal substitute David Luiz, at fault for the first goal, was sent off after conceding the penalty for the second.