Arsenal vs Manchester City fallout: 3 talking points as Gabriel Martinelli earns hard-fought win for Gunners

Arsenal vs Manchester City fallout: Arsenal ended their losing run against Manchester City with a hard-fought 1-0 win at the Emirates following a goal from Gabriel Martinelli. The Gunners are now joint-top of the table alongside their rivals Tottenham Hotspur with 20 points each while City are behind with 18 points. 

Arsenal vs Manchester City: 3 key talking points from the game 

How was that not red? 

Mateo Kovacic was lucky to get away with not one but two poorly timed tackles in the first half, only being shown a yellow card. The Croatian lunged into a challenge from behind, and was unable to get the ball on either occasion. 

In spite of being checked by VAR, Kovacic was not sent off. Ironically, other players in the Premier League (most recently, Malo Gusto of Chelsea) were sent off for very similar challenges. 

Martinelli the difference maker 

The tightly contested game looked set to end in a draw unless either team produced a moment of brilliance. And after being introduced at half time, Gabriel Martinelli proved to be the difference maker. 

The Brazilian was lively on the left flank and his shot, deflected massively by Nathan Ake, helped Mikel Arteta’s side earn all three points. 

Haaland kept quiet as City lose consecutive PL games 

Erling Haaland didn’t register a single shot on goal during the match against Arsenal, which goes to show how tightly the hosts defended. Both teams played very cautiously and the absence of Kevin De Bruyne was felt strongly as City’s attack felt blunt and void of ideas at times. 

City have lost consecutive Premier League games for the first time since 2018, which is cause for worry considering the sky-high standards they have set for themselves. And with the international break to follow, they will have ample time to reflect and analyse what is going wrong internally and how they can overcome the obstacles.