Arsenal host Manchester City tonight in the biggest game of the Premier League season so far. The Emirates has arguably not hosted a match with so much on the line, with tonight’s clash pivotal in the title race.
The Gunners are in the middle of their first poor spell of the season, after an FA Cup defeat to City was followed by defeat at Goodison Park before a frustrating draw with Brentford last time out. VAR played a crucial role in Arsenal dropping two points, though that is no consolation to Mikel Arteta’s side. They are without Thomas Partey tonight in a huge blow, as Jorginho starts.
City have Erling Haaland available and starting, with Bernardo Silva potentially given the hybrid left-back role again. Pep Guardiola’s side will go top of the league on goal difference if they win tonight, with victory surely doing huge psychological damage to Arsenal. Follow all the action LIVE with Standard Sport’s LIVE blog below, featuring expert analysis from Simon Collings and Dan Kilpatrick at the ground!
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Simon Collings at the Emirates
A painful night for Arsenal as Manchester City go top of the Premier League. The Gunners undone by two individual errors, which gave City two of their goals.
First-half was impressive, but Arsenal failed to kick on after the break.
The goal that sealed it…
FT: Arsenal 1-3 Manchester City
Manchester City are top of the Premier League!
On goal difference, and having played a game more than Arsenal, but that’s a big blow to the Gunners.
90+2 mins: Five minutes added on.
Trossard looks to put a ball into the box, almost turns into a perfect shot. Just flies over the bar though.
89 mins: Plenty of the ball for the Gunners, but not doing anything with it.
Saka cuts inside and fires a ball into the box, Nketiah with a big chance but he heads wide. That really should have gone at target at least.
88 mins: De Bruyne off, Phillips on. City seeing this out.
For the first time the Arsenal fans are pretty flat now. They know this one is out, City going back to the top of the table for the first time since August.
85 mins: Jorginho slides the ball throught to Odegaard, who cuts it back into the box.
Nketiah lurking, but Rodri is there to boot it away. Haaland holds the ball up, he’s come alive in the second-half. Right up for the fight.
84 mins: White and Vieira are on for Arsenal, Tomiyasu and Xhaka making way.
Still ten minutes at least to go, but Arsenal need two goals from somewhere. They’ve found it much more difficult since the break.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-3 Manchester City | Erling Haaland 82′
THAT SEALS IT!
Ball falls for Haaland in the corner and he hammers it into the bottom corner. All came from a brilliant De Bruyne run.
79 mins: No penalty!
Trossard flicks the ball past Walker, who has gone lunging in inside the box. Referee waves it away.
Not a huge amount of contact, and Trossard wasn’t complaining too much.
