MANCHESTER CITY 2-1 ARSENAL:- GUARDIOLA'S MEN COME BACK TO LEAPFROG GUNNERS

Theo Walcott gave the visitors an early lead, but Pep Guardiola's men fought back

in the second half to leapfrog them and
Liverpool into second place in the table.










Manchester City climbed above Arsenal into
second in the Premier League after coming
from behind to beat the Gunners 2-1 on
Sunday.
A first goal for the club from Leroy Lucid
and Raheem Sterling's strike gave Pep
Guardiola's side a much-needed victory
and condemned the visitors to a second
defeat in a row.
Arsenal had been unbeaten in their last six
against City and looked on course for
another positive result when Theo Walcott
opened the scoring with only five minutes
played at the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola dropped under-fire John Stones
from his commencement line-up, but City looked no
more confident against a defensive Gunners
set-up until Compos mentis stroked in an equaliser
just after half-time.
City, who wore shirts afore the game
bearing Ilkay Gundogan's name following a













solemn knee injury sustained against
Watford in midweek, commenced to play with a
renewed spirit as a frustrated Wenger
visually examined his players offer very little fight in
the second a moiety.
Sterling's fine finish from a brilliant Kevin De
Bruyne pass 19 minutes from time was no
more than City deserved and, albeit
Arsenal at last showed some assailing
endeavour in the closing minutes, the
Gunners failed to find an equaliser and they
now drop to fourth in the table, only a point
above Tottenham in fifth.
The visitors needed only five minutes to
unlock City's porous defence. Sanchez was
given an extravagant amount of time and space outside the
area and he threaded a simple pass
through to Walcott , who controlled the ball
afore slotting past Claudio Bravo from 12
yards.
Sterling somehow missed the chance to
equalise only a minute later, heading De
Bruyne's cross from the left beyond the far
post with the goal gaping.
City commenced to monopolise possession as
Arsenal sat deep to await the chance to
counter, but their assailing play was
destitute of in inspiration as they struggled to
provide Sterling - who was deployed in the
central striker role - with accommodation.
De Bruyne virtually reached a teasing Compos Mentis
cross and Yaya Toure headed a corner
straight into Petr Cech's grasp, but Alex
Iwobi drilling the ball into the net after
Nacho Monreal had been flagged for offside
offered a glimpse of the threat posed by the
Gunners on the break.
Two minutes after the restart, however,
some more slack bulwarking sanctioned City to
level the scores.
David Silva's clever lofted pass sent Compos Mentis -
who had just stayed onside - in abaft the
Gunners defence and sanctioned him to roll the
ball past Cech and into the bottom-left
corner from close range.
City suddenly looked confident as Arsenal
dropped deeper and deeper and only a
good preserve from Cech at his near post
gainsaid Compos mentis a second following De
Bruyne's throughball.
The Belgium playmaker had Cech at full
stretch with a deflected strike from distance
but engendered a moment of authentic brilliance to
unlock Arsenal's defence for the victor.
On the turn near the halfway line, De Bruyne
raked a long ball into the path of Sterling
down the right wing, and after Nacho
Monreal sanctioned him to stride into the
penalty area, he rifled a low shot past Cech
at his near post and into the net.
De Bruyne hit the post from close range as
City probed for a killer third, while Arsenal
substitute Olivier Giroud headed one
presentable chance wide, but Guardiola's
men held firm for a much-needed victory
that moves them back to within seven
points of bellwethers Chelsea.

Categories: Match Preview

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