PREMIERLEAGUE 

ARSENAL 1 (Saka, pen 42)

MANCHESTER CITY  3 (De Bruyne 24, Grealish 74, Haaland 82)  

ARSENAL have relinquished top spot after yet another sobering defeat to Manchester City.

The Gunners – who have been top since the first day of the season – were the better side for most of the first half.

But Pep Guardiola’s experienced group took control in the second and ran out comfortable winners.

A crackling atmosphere before kick-off was matched by a high-intensity start in a contest that was gripping as it was revealing of Arsenal’s frailties.

The side look tired with 20 minutes to go but, unlike City, the players on the bench are not strong enough to bring on in a game of this magnitude.

Without any back-up striker, Eddie Nketiah is playing 90 minutes every game without offering enough of a threat.

Manager Mikel Arteta must be regretting letting Folarin Balogun go out on loan to Reims as the striker is currently tearing up the French league.

Nketiah did have the first meaningful chance of the match, blasting his shot at Ederson after being sent clean through on goal.

Ten minutes later he had a golden chance to head in but skewed his header wide.

Unusual for any player to get two chances like that against City in an entire match, and it felt like those two early misses would come back to haunt him at full time.

Disaster struck when an under-hit back-pass by Takehiro Tomiyasu let in Kevin De Bruyne, who looped a shot over the stranded Ramsdale.

It sapped the confidence out of the side that had been building but the Gunners battled on with the crowd chanting raising the team up.

The decibel level loudest it has been at the Emirates.

Tomiyasu had a chance to make amends minutes later, but his cushioned volley flew harmlessly over the bar.

Arsenal won what looked like a soft penalty after Nketiah was judged to be fouled during a shot that was cleared off the line.

Bukayo Saka stepped up and after a long wait he calmly sent the keeper the wrong way.

With the ground bubbling, fans sensed a come back.

City looked a little rattled having picked up three yellow cards – one for repeated time wasting by Ederson.

But it was the visitors who nearly scored just before half time, Rodri’s header bouncing down into the turf and up against the bar.

The second half began with a penalty to City that was overturned by the VAR after another overly long check.

Erling Haaland’s foot was clearly offside in the build-up.

Jack Grealish was next to pick up a yellow after talking back at the ref before Nketiah was booked for a high foot challenge.

Guardiola brought on defender Manuel Akanji for Riyad Mahrez after an hour – and the switch seemed to cement their dominance.

It was not until 66 minute that Arsenal had a meaningul chance in the second half, when Tomiyasu flashed in a low cross that Nketiah couldn’t quite get on the end of.

After a day of intense speculation, Jorginho came in for the injured Thomas Partey – and he deputised well in what is arguably the most important position in the team.

Oleksandr Zinchenko had been pumping the crowd and showboating at times.

But he almost let Haaland in after a ridiculous defensive blunder.

Grealish’s shot had an ever so slight deflection from a Tomiyasu block that just took it past Aaron Ramsdale.

It was a killer blow as the Gunners looked tired and unable to mount a come back.

Granit Xhaka seemed to take an age lining up a shot in what seemed to sum-up the picture on the rest of the pitch.

With the home side tired and stretched, City took control and seemed to cut through the midfield with ease.

De Bruyne cut back to Haaland in the box who ended the contest with a fine finish – and put City back at the top of the league.

Guardiola had arrived with statistics on his side having only lost once at the Emirates – as Barcelona manager.

His record while at City remains untouchable – winning seven out of the last eight at the Emirates.

One of those victories was the tipping point for the final departure of Arsene Wenger, after the legend’s struggling side found themselves 3-0 down at half time.

A lot has changed since then, but City are still in the ascendancy.

Arsenal: Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Jorginhi, Odegaard, Xhaka, Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli (Trossard 75).
Substitutes not used: Turner, White, Tierney, Kiwior, Vieira, Holding, Cozier-Duberry

City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Ake, Gundogan, Haaland, Grealish (Foden 77), Rodri, De Bruyne (Phillips 87), Silva, Mahrez (Akanji 61).
Subs not used: Moreno, Laporte, Alvarez, Gomez, Palmer, Lewis.

Ref: Anthony Taylor

Var: David Coate

Attendance: 60279