Manchester City moved eleven points clear at the top of the Premier League, thanks to a stoppage time winner from Rodri, which could prove to be vital in a week where Chelsea and Liverpool go head to head in what is a must win game for both sides as far as their title aspirations are concerned.

Arsenal were rewarded for their stellar efforts in the 31st minute as Keiran Tierney’s pass into the box was effortlessly converted by Bukayo Saka who had a brilliant game. City equalised 10 minutes into the second half when they were awarded a penalty for a foul on Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez stepped up and converted with aplomb. City clawed back a winner in the final few nail biting minutes as a mix up in the Arsenal penalty area landed at the feet of Rodri who scrappily squeezed the ball into the net. The celebrations that followed illustrated how much of a hard fought win it was for the reigning champions.

New year new Arsenal ?

Despite the outcome of the game, the Arsenal players were applauded off the pitch for their performance after the final whistle. They may have been leaving the Emirates pitch with regret and left rueing what might have been but it was without doubt a big step in the right direction for the Gunners. More recent outings against the Citizens would have typically consisted of Arsenal not laying a glove on City for the entire 90 minutes. This however was certainly not the case today. Arsenal were sprightly and energetic throughout the first half and rightly and deservedly took the lead. The pace and willingness of Saka and Martinelli to take a man on was too much for both Ake or Cancelo to handle and they endured a torrid time in the opening 45 minutes. Lacazette dropping off deep caused a headache for the Man City defenders as they didn’t know whether to go with him or leave him. This created many 1v1 situations on either flank to which both Saka and Martinelli were able to exploit brilliantly. Thomas Partey was particularly superb in midfield for Arsenal due to his ability to resist the Man City press and put Arsenal on the front foot. It was an all-action performance from the Ghanaian midfielder and typified what is needed from him on a consistent basis if Arsenal are to establish themselves as a top four side come the end of the season. This was Partey’s best game in an Arsenal shirt by far.

City find a way again

This was far from the vintage Manchester City performance that we have become accustomed to of late. They created very little in the first half and didn’t actually register a shot on target until the penalty they scored. It won’t be a concern to Guardiola though. Even the best teams deliver performances which are below par. The important thing was that they secured the three points, having ridden their luck for large periods of the game. It’s a huge win, which takes City eleven points clear of second place and it’s looking an increasingly difficult task for any team to take two points off them, let alone beat them on their present form. City face Chelsea next at the Etihad, where three points should be the priority, considering the opposition’s challenging situation with Romelu Lukaku which has caused unrest amongst the Chelsea faithful and squad.

Decisions proved to be costly

The game proved to be an enjoyable spectacle up until the penalty decision in the 57th minute. This, along with Ederson’s challenge on Ødegaard, proved to be the pivotal talking points. The idea is that both challenges should be looked at by VAR. Both are decisions which are not clear and obvious and therefore VAR should intervene. Serious questions must be asked about refereeing decisions in recent weeks. There remains a blatant lack of consistency and supporters are evidently tired of this as is demonstrated across social media on a daily basis. Arsenal felt aggrieved and from that point onwards, the game spiraled out of control for the Gunners. Martinelli’s miss following the penalty was a massive turning point in the game. If the shot had been a mere few inches on the other side of the post, Arsenal would’ve been 2-1 ahead and Gabriel wouldn’t have been walking down the tunnel. Ultimately, a combination of indecisive and unsure officiating combined with an inability to keep their composure when the game got fiery, lost it for Arsenal. If they are to keep progressing as a team, Arteta must find a way to cut out the mistakes which some of his players keep self inflicting.