If Arsenal were looking for a turning point to change the course of the season, the 5-1 win over Man City in round 24 of the Premier League was it. The explosion of emotions was felt to the fullest by the Gooners in the stands, especially when Myles Lewis-Skelly curled a classy shot into the net.
The victory over Man City also multiplied Arsenal's pride many times when young stars from Hale End such as Ethan Nwaneri or before that Myles Lewis-Skelly shone. Those masterpieces showed that the "Gunners" still have the strength to decide their own fate this season in the context of the storm of injuries that is leaving too many consequences.
Arsenal were so tired, it seemed like they were giving up in the title race with Liverpool. They celebrated like crazy when they beat Wolves in round 23 despite having been downed. Then came the magnificent defeat of Man City at the Emirates, The Gunners fans were living in celebration. Their team beat themselves at Molineux and crushed the reigning champions at the Emirates in just 7 days.
If Arsenal were a bit timid in the first half of the match against Man City, Arteta's team bravely attacked in the second half. Thomas Partey's goal to make it 2-1 came just 1 minute after Erling Haaland equalized for the visitors. The following goals were all masterpieces or angry finishes from Kai Havertz.
Arsenal played as if they owed Man City a penalty and they paid it all back. This 5-1 victory will be mentioned many times in the future before every confrontation between the two teams.
"To be able to work at this level, the emotional state of each person is a very important factor. It's how you feel about yourself, about what your team has. Confidence and what you have and assessing the opponent really accurately.
It took a few years and a lot of decisions to get to this point. Today, the players did very well. When they play with such determination, there is a huge belief in winning. Therefore, they are ready to face the opponent directly, which is great" - Mikel Arteta shared after the win.
In the last two seasons, every time they competed with Man City, Arsenal were directly or indirectly outclassed by their opponents. There were defeats that made The Gunners realize they were still far behind The Citizens. Although playing at home at Emirates Stadium, it has been a long time since Arsenal was considered superior to Man City. It took 18 years for the "Gunners" to have such a resounding victory over City.
Goals from Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly will give Arsenal more confidence for the rest of the season as other key players such as Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka are yet to return. Mikel Arteta took a risk with young talent and it has paid off.
Arsenal need to overcome Newcastle in the second leg of the League Cup semi-finals after losing 0-2 in the first leg. If they cannot, Arteta and his team will have more reason to focus all their efforts on the remaining journey of the Premier League, and further on the Champions League to seek the most brilliant glory.
