Manchester City return in style as Arsenal pay for David Luiz’s errors
Manchester City’s impressive victory ensures Liverpool cannot break their 30-year title drought by beating Everton on Sunday and the sole sour note for the hosts was a nasty late injury to Eric García, who was clattered by Ederson, the keeper rushing out to head a through ball.
The game was delayed for 11 minutes before the 19-year-old was taken off on a stretcher, an oxygen mask fitted. “We are really concerned,” said Pep Guardiola, City’s manager. “He responded quite well but we have to wait.
He is conscious which is a good sign. We will make another test because it is his head.”
This 19th league win of the season was decorated by an imperious display from Kevin De Bruyne and suggests Pep Guardiola’s team can be optimistic about retaining the FA Cup and their tilt at a first Champions League glory. Arsenal, though, look what they patently are: a work in progress under their relatively new manager, Mikel Arteta, who will lament the David Luiz mistakes that led to City’s first two goals plus a red card for the second error. Notably, the manager had found no place in the 20 for Mesut Özil. “It was a tactical reason,” said Arteta.
There had been hilarity beforehand at the empty stadium when the PA announcer stated: “Please welcome the Arsenal goalkeepers for their warm-up.” This was followed by a sheepish wave from them and sheepish applause from the watching media corps: a moment to sum up the quasi-surreal atmosphere. Then, before kick-off, rain poured hard and all 22 players plus officials took a knee to support the Black Lives Matter movement.
Guardiola offered terse words. “We should send a thousand million messages for the black people,” he said. “I’m embarrassed and ashamed of what the white people have done to the black people – the last 400 years. How people can think they are different? Everything we can do to make it conscious [we should], it is not acceptable.”
Raheem Sterling said of the kneeling: “I see it as a massive step for the Premier League to allow something like that to happen. It shows we’re going in the right direction.”
An incident-rich contest began with Granit Xhaka enduring a nightmare resumption to the season, having to go off injured, apparently the result of a collision with his teammate Matteo Guendouzi. This meant Dani Ceballos was on after eight minutes and Arteta had used one of the three allotted substitution windows.
After Kyle Walker’s pace left Pablo
Marí a statue, the latter was next to be forced off, pulling up sharply when chasing back – David Luiz his replacement on 24 minutes – and this meant Arsenal had only one more opportunity for changes.
When De Bruyne failed to find Riyad Mahrez along the right an agonised Guardiola “ooh” could be heard and as the half-hour passed it meant 120 minutes and zero goals, following the 0-0 draw in the day’s opening match at Villa Park. Sterling came close to ending this when roving in from the left, hitting a curving shot Bernd Leno did well to steer out in a warning City
were approaching high gear.
Sterling had not scored since December but on the stroke of halftime he did so. Walker found De Bruyne down the right and he flipped the ball towards the attacker. A classic David Luiz mis-kick allowed Sterling in and he smashed home his 12th league goal of the season.
This put City firmly in control and the sense was that with a second goal Arsenal would surely be sunk. They were yet to discover any real rhythm and when City instantly occupied their territory in the second half it did not augur well.
At the base of midfield Ilkay Gündogan hit balls left and right to Benjamin Mendy, Silva, De Bruyne and Mahrez and when David Luiz pulled down the last of these inside the area a double-whammy followed. Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot, then produced the red card. Off wandered the Brazilian and in went the penalty, De
Bruyne hitting it to his right as Leno guessedwrong.
From the restart City showed a ruthlessness that will have pleased Guardiola. Sterling snapped at Shkodran Mustafi and brought the defender down with a scream. Taylor was not interested in a booking and Mustafi could continue, but it was a long way back for the visitors. The sight of Leroy Sané, Sergio Agüero and Rodrigo warming up will hardly have cheered Arsenal, who were drifting into damagelimitation mode.
City were cruised. De Bruyne skated in from the right and unluckily slipped
then Sterling and Silva combined and Walker should have been put in down the right. De Bruyne – as irrepressible as he can be – was pulling strings only he can locate with clever passes or a glide past an opponent made to look static. “He was marvellous,” said Guardiola.
City continued to steamroller Arsenal and the manager was able to take off De Bruyne and also protect Aymeric Laporte, following his injury-disrupted season. In added time the substitute Phil Foden slotted City’s third.