Manchester City vs. Arsenal: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
After wiping out the eight-point lead Chelsea had established in November, Manchester City slipped five points behind the west Londoners after their 2-0 home defeat to Arsenal at the Etihad on Sunday.
A Santi Cazorla penalty and an Olivier Giroud header won it for Arsene Wenger’s side, who move above Tottenham into fifth and look a rejuvenated side after some impressive recent results. It was a superb away performance that saw Wenger outwit his counterpart, Manuel Pellegrini.
Here are the winners and losers from the Premier League’s big game of the weekend.
Winner: Santi Cazorla
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Santi Cazorla was the Man of the Match by some distance.
He is often seen as a hit-and-miss player, the kind who can bring both brilliance and frustration to the table. At the Etihad, though, he was peerless throughout.
He was neat and tidy in possession and produced a number of surging runs, running himself into the ground during a selfless, technically brilliant 90 minutes that significantly aided his side’s win. He was given licence to roam in a central position, and his enthusiasm to contribute to both attack and defence was mesmerising.
Daniel Taylor of The Guardian offered the following praise for Cazorla after the match:
"Santi Cazorla’s performance, combining high skill and indefatigable running, could have been set to music and, in the process, he and his team-mates blew a gaping hole in City’s aspirations of making it three titles in four seasons. ...
... Cazorla delivered a masterclass in midfield, always wanting the ball and having the supreme football intelligence to know what best to do with it.
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In short, Cazorla deserved to be on the winning side after quite a brilliant display.
Loser: Vincent Kompany
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There’s no doubt Vincent Kompany is City’s finest defender, one who leads by example and produces match-winning moments of brilliance.
Yet it is becoming increasingly clear that he is also capable of overplaying and looking to do too much, which ultimately harms his side.
It may seem somewhat ruthless to criticise him for his performance against Arsenal given he is only just returning from an injury layoff. However, it was a game in which his rashness and susceptibility to being sucked in when opposition players advanced towards the City goal were fully evident.
The penalty was harsh given the ease with which Nacho Monreal went down in the box, but Kompany’s movement towards the defender was unnecessary and gave referee Mike Dean a decision to make.
City need him back to his best, especially with a trip to Stamford Bridge looming at the end of the month, when his presence and experience will be vital if City are to maintain their hold on the title.
Winner: Arsene Wenger
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Tactically, Arsene Wenger came out on top in the battle of the two managers, and he will quite rightly take a large portion of the plaudits for this win.
His side sat deeper than they often do, soaking up the home side’s pressure and hitting them on the break. City saw far more of the ball, but Arsenal used it more intelligently and were superb on the break.
He’s often accused of operating with simply an open, attacking brand of football. Against City, though, he showed that he is capable of switching tactics and bringing a new dimension to Arsenal’s play.
It worked wonderfully.
Sam Dymond of The Independent quoted Wenger as saying:
"We were disciplined, well-organised and very quick to come out at the start. We kept good control of the game, and could have even done better on the counter attack.
We played high up in their half, and very deep in our half.
It worked because we knew we wanted to make space very tight in our third, especially in front of the box where (David) Silva is so influential. We did it well.
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Loser: Fernando
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A first half in which he put out fires with his defensive nous suggested Fernando was in the midst of a solid display. His tackling appeared to be well-tuned, and his passing, although far from perfect, looked quick and decent.
However, his technical limitations were all too clear by the end of the match, and question marks remain over his quality. After two superb games at the start of the season that set the pulses racing, he has failed to fully convince since.
In the absence of Yaya Toure, City need Fernando more than ever. This is why they bought him.
Winner: Jose Mourinho
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Chelsea had established an eight-point lead by mid-November, but a wonderful 14-game unbeaten run saw City wipe it out.
This defeat, coupled with Chelsea’s comfortable win over Swansea on Saturday, means Jose Mourinho’s men are now five points clear of City.
It’s a significant margin. Will Mourinho allow his side to lose another lead of that size?
Loser: Jesus Navas
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Jesus Navas is often a scapegoat when things go wrong at City. He’s become something of a boo boy in recent times, with some City fans almost willfully ignoring any positives in order to highlight his negatives.
After his performance against Arsenal, though, it was difficult to defend him.
For all his running, he showed little quality in the final third, with a series of crosses failing to beat the first man or trouble the Arsenal defence in any way.
It was a poor display, and there was credence to the argument that he should have been substituted first, not James Milner.
