Manchester City ignited the Premier League title race with a thrilling 2-1 victory over Arsenal at the Etihad, thereby narrowing the gap with the leading team to 3 points thanks to Erling Haaland's decisive goal in the second half.
The first half was dramatic. Kai Havertz took advantage of Gianluigi Donnarumma's mistake to equalize for Arsenal just 107 seconds after Rayan Cherki scored the opening goal with a beautiful solo strike.
Both teams created chances in the second half. Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes both sent the ball into the post, while Haaland also once hit the wooden frame before scoring the decisive goal in the 65th minute.
Arsenal almost got 1 point in the final minutes, but Havertz's close-range header from Leandro Trossard's pass in the 90+5 minute went over the crossbar, causing Mikel Arteta to collapse in the technical area.
Arteta's disappointment may be even greater as Man City is facing the opportunity to rise to the top spot if they defeat Burnley at Turf Moor in the middle of this week.
Man City deals a huge psychological blow
Both teams still have a chance to win the championship, but at this time, Man City clearly has the advantage in terms of spirit.
If they beat Burnley in a rescheduled match, Pep Guardiola's team will surpass Arsenal in the standings thanks to goal difference or at least equalize all advantages. The current gap is very close, but the psychological boost that it brings will be huge, especially when The Gunners have held the top spot for most of the season.
Arsenal has been second in the last three seasons, and the risk of falling back once again when the season is only 5 rounds away will certainly be a big challenge in terms of bravery. However, they can still draw hope from their energetic performance, especially their pressing ability in the first half.
However, the "Gunners'" advantage is facing the risk of completely disappearing.
Havertz performed well, but Haaland was the one who decided
Arteta's choice of Havertz instead of Viktor Gyokeres for this big match may initially be controversial, but considering the actual developments, it is a reasonable decision.
Gyokeres once could not help Arsenal escape pressing against Man City in the Carabao Cup final, and despite scoring 18 goals this season, he still leaves questions in top matches. Meanwhile, Havertz - a Champions League champion - is highly appreciated by Arteta for his intelligence both when in possession and when out of possession.
Havertz's pressing ability was clearly shown in a situation that forced Donnarumma to make a mistake, leading to an equalizing goal for Arsenal. That was also his first goal in the Premier League this season.
But this is also a painful reminder of Arsenal's limitations when they still lack a center forward capable of finishing the match. Havertz had two very good chances - one in the 60th minute from Martin Odegaard's pass, one in the last minutes of injury time - but both could not be converted into goals.
In the opposite direction, Haaland showed a different class with the decisive goal, bringing his total number of goals this season to 23. Meanwhile, Gyokeres only has 12 goals. Arsenal possesses strikers who can perform different tasks, while Man City has Haaland - who can do everything.
Donnarumma and Cherki reflect the differences of Man City
Haaland is the hero with the decisive goal, but Donnarumma also plays a key role in the defensive aspect.
After the mistake at the beginning of the match leading to the equalizer, the Italian goalkeeper showed signs of losing confidence. But he quickly stood up strongly. Donnarumma made an important save against Havertz's finish at a time when the match was tied 1-1, and then initiated the situation leading to the second goal with a bold throw to Nico O'Reilly.
This quick handling eliminated half of Arsenal's squad, creating conditions for O'Reilly to rush forward before Haaland finished neatly in the penalty area.
If Donnarumma stood out in the second half, Cherki was the biggest highlight in the first half. The French player scored the opening goal beautifully and many times made the Arsenal defense confused with personal technique. He left the field with loud applause from the home fans.
Odegaard and Zubimendi play too safely
Arsenal missed Odegaard very much during his injury period, but in this match, their captain did not play his role as the creator of difference. He played too safely, just like his partner Martin Zubimendi.
Arteta needs Odegaard to become a source of creativity in midfield, finding space to open up opportunities for the attack. Instead, the Norwegian midfielder too often chooses simple passes, lacking breakthroughs. That may be a sign of lack of confidence, because when reaching his peak form, Odegaard is one of the players with the best ability to tear apart the opponent's defense in the league.
Zubimendi played deeper and rarely pushed high. But when both prioritized passing horizontally and back instead of taking risks, Arsenal lost the necessary sharpness to penetrate Man City's defense.
If they want to win big titles under Arteta, Arsenal must be more adventurous, especially in players who are expected to make a difference.
Arsenal and Arteta lose momentum again in April
Once again, Arsenal declined right in April - the time when Guardiola's Man City usually accelerates most strongly.
The Gunners" have lost 4 of their last 6 matches in all competitions. Statistically, April is Arsenal's worst period under Arteta since he took office in December 2019, with a win rate of only 41% and an average of 1.48 points/match.
Conversely, this is Guardiola's strongest month since he led Man City. The blue team achieved a winning rate of 80% and an average of 2.53 points/match in April - a gap that shows why they always take the lead at the decisive moment.
