Analysis Proves Arsenal Were ‘Ultimate Winners’ Despite Draw With Manchester City
- Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and his players could not hide their pain after their valiant display against Manchester City
- While their efforts merited a positive outcome, the Gunners could only muster a point after playing out a 2-2 draw on Sunday
- YEN.com.gh provides a detailed post-match analysis, shedding light on why Arsenal should not be crestfallen after splitting points
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Arsenal will feel a sense of frustration after letting a potential victory slip away in their 2-2 draw with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Despite battling fiercely, they will look back on key moments and realise they could have secured all three points.
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Arsenal and City share the spoils
The match began in dramatic fashion, with Erling Haaland opening the scoring in the ninth minute, continuing his relentless form for City, per Besoccer.
However, Arsenal quickly found their rhythm. Riccardo Calafiori, making his full debut, levelled the score with a thunderous strike.
Soon after, Gabriel Magalhães put the Gunners ahead with a trademark header from a corner, sending their supporters into raptures.
According to Sky Sports, the game took a sharp turn just before the break when Leandro Trossard was controversially shown a second yellow card for delaying the restart, leaving the Gunners to play the entire second half with 10 men.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, they were moments away from their first win at the Etihad since 2015, but John Stones poked home deep into stoppage time, rescuing a point for the reigning champions.
Detailed post-match analysis of Man City vs Arsenal
In analysing the match, performance analyst Fiifi Manfred provided key insights in an interview with YEN.com.gh.
"It was the numerical disadvantage that really cost Arsenal," Fiifi explained.
"They [Arsenal] initially set up well, with Calafiori inverting alongside Partey and Rice to control the midfield during buildup play."
Discussing City’s opening goal, Fiifi pointed to a rare lapse in Arsenal’s normally solid defence.
"The space between Saliba and Gabriel was too wide, and Haaland exploited it perfectly, bagging his 100th goal in just 105 games for City."
On Arsenal’s response, Manfred, who works with Nhyira FM, praised the club's execution, particularly their attention to detail.
"The Gunners capitalized on a quick free kick for the equalizer, thanks to Calafiori’s technical brilliance. Their second goal came from a well-rehearsed corner, a testament to their preparation."
Trossard’s red card shifted the momentum. Fiifi commented,
"Playing with 10 men against City is always tough, but Arsenal did well to limit them for most of the second half.
"They dropped into a 6-3-0 low block, with only Rice, Partey, and Havertz pressing ahead. This made it incredibly difficult for City to break them down, especially without key players like Rodri and De Bruyne."
The popular voice on Nhyira FM's Power Sports show also gave credit to Pep Guardiola for his game-changing substitutions.
"Pep’s late changes made the difference. The short corner leading to Stones’ equaliser was the result of those tactical tweaks.
"In the end, Arsenal should see it as a point gained, considering the circumstances. On another day, City could have easily taken the win, but Arsenal showed resilience and grit despite the adversity."
Ultimately, while Arsenal left with a sense of what could have been, their performance demonstrated their growing maturity and ability to compete with the very best, even under pressure.
Mikel Arteta fumes at Trossard's red card
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was visibly furious after Leandro Trossard received a reckless red card during their Premier League match against Manchester City.
Read also
Manchester City vs Arsenal: Mikel Arteta 'loses his head' after Leandro Trossard's red card
The Belgian forward was sent off for kicking the ball away in the final moments of first-half stoppage time.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
