Arsenal vs. Manchester City: Winners and Losers from Premier League
Arsenal moved within two points of Premier League leaders Leicester City following a 2-1 victory over title rivals Manchester City on Monday night at the Emirates Stadium.
Theo Walcott struck in the 33rd minute to put the home side ahead, with Olivier Giroud doubling the advantage on the stroke of half-time. Yaya Toure pulled a goal back for Man City in the 82nd minute, setting up a tense finish.
The win kept Arsenal in second place with 36 points through 17 matches. Man City are four points behind in third.
Here, Bleacher Report selects winners and losers from the match.
Winners: Arsene Wenger and Arsenal
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There's no way to know for sure, but one can't help but think that the Arsenal of seasons past wouldn't have won this game. Facing the league's top sides was an exercise in futility for the Gunners in recent years, but that trend has begun to turn around as manager Arsene Wenger has shown a new willingness to show flexibility in his planning.
On this big occasion, Wenger got his tactics right. For most of the match, Arsenal defended well, maintained discipline and took their chances efficiently on the counter. Instead of going gung-ho, the Gunners were more reserved.
And it worked. Until a few nervy moments at the end, at least. Over the final 10 to 15 minutes, Arsenal made themselves vulnerable as they searched ambitiously for a killer third goal.
That ambition almost backfired, but Wenger's side held on in the end, clinching a victory that could prove immensely valuable for multiple reasons. In addition to putting Arsenal four points ahead of Man City, the win also strengthened belief within the ranks that this really could be their year.
"We believe in us," Mesut Ozil told Sky Sports (h/t BBC Sport). "We know our quality—if we play our game, we can win the league. We will give all the season our best."
At Football Insider, Wayne Veysey wrote:
"Suddenly, Arsenal look the team to beat in this most fascinating of title races. City have the stronger squad, Manchester United the more expensively assembled group, Leicester the momentum, Chelsea the champion players and Liverpool and Tottenham the most exciting managers. But it is the Gunners who appear to have the best balance between defence and attack.
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Up next for Wenger's title challengers is the crucial holiday period. Arsenal play at Southampton—where they lost 2-0 last season—on Boxing Day and then host Bournemouth just two days later. Following a home date with Newcastle United on Jan. 2, the Gunners will welcome Sunderland to the Emirates for the FA Cup's third round.
If Wenger and his players can balance the demands of those two competitions simultaneously, they would set themselves up for a potentially special season. But even after beating Man City, there's plenty of work to do.
Loser, Even After THAT Goal: Yaya Toure
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For 75 minutes or so, Yaya Toure played poorly. The Ivorian midfielder looked disinterested, failing to provide cover for his back line and making far too little impact for a player of his talents.
That changed in the 82nd minute, when he produced an unbelievable finish from the edge of the box to pull a goal back for City. From then on, Toure dominated, pulling the strings as the visitors threatened to nick an improbable draw.
But as impressive as those last few minutes were, imagine how differently this game would have turned out if Toure had turned up for the full 90 minutes. That damning what-if scenario makes him a loser here.
"Yaya is a bizarre player," Stan Collymore tweeted. "Either unplayable or looks like an old pensioner walking around. Strange how he goes from one to the other."
Winner: Mesut Ozil
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Mesut Ozil handed out two more assists on Monday night, raising his total to 15 this season in the Premier League alone. That's the best in England's top flight—and the most for any player in any of Europe's top five leagues.
The first, a simple pass to Theo Walcott, was not his most incisive contribution in an Arsenal shirt. But the second, as the Gunners countered just before half-time, was absolutely ruthless. On both, he picked the right pass at the right time—and directly contributed to both of his team's goals.
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry holds the single-season Premier League record at 20 assists. On this form, with more than half of the season left to play, Ozil seems certain to blow past that mark.
"He sees things that nobody else does," Arsenal goalscorer Theo Walcott told BBC Sport. "You just have to make that run. When you have special players on the pitch it makes our jobs so much easier."
Loser: Manchester City's Away Form
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Monday's match continued two disturbing trends for Man City. Firstly, manager Manuel Pellegrini's side once again failed to keep a clean sheet in the absence of captain Vincent Kompany. Secondly, the Sky Blues' winless run away from home is now five league games.
City have lost three of those five, including each of their last two. During those five winless matches, they've scored just twice. Before Yaya Toure's late strike on Monday, City hadn't scored away from home in league play since Sept. 26 in a 4-1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur.
So should City panic? Not necessarily. Pellegrini has plenty of time to turn both trends around, and the gap to Leicester is only six points. But City won't win the title unless something changes.
Winner: Theo Walcott
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Theo Walcott opened the scoring in the 33rd minute with an exceptional curling strike from the edge of the box, extending his run of good scoring form. As Orbinho pointed out, Walcott has scored 13 goals in his last 17 Premier League starts for Arsenal.
While Olivier Giroud continues to score in his central role, Walcott's contribution on the left is great news for Arsenal. With his versatility, the latter also provides an option at centre-forward, making his value even greater to Arsene Wenger.
Winner: Ruthless Arsenal
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A sporting cliche tells us that the finest margins can make the biggest difference at the elite level. On this day, those words rang true.
In the 32nd minute, Manchester City came within inches of scoring the game's opening goal. Kevin De Bruyne raced down the right before rifling a low shot narrowly wide of the far post. One minute later at the other end, Theo Walcott set Arsenal on the path to victory with his wonderfully curling strike.
In just a few seconds that separated the two incidents, the game changed. But it wasn't luck. Arsenal deserved their goal for being ruthless at the attacking end moments after Per Mertesacker made a subtle defensive contribution.
On first glance, De Bruyne's off-target shot appeared to be a simple miss. But on replay, one could see Mertesacker positioning himself perfectly to narrow De Bruyne's shooting angle while also closing down the Belgian's opportunity to pass to an unmarked David Silva.
City supporters probably still expected De Bruyne to do better, but Mertesacker deserves credit. And at the other end moments later, a ruthless Walcott gave Arsenal the lead.
The hosts showed that same merciless streak in first-half stoppage time. Countering quickly after a City giveaway, Arsenal doubled their lead as Mesut Ozil set up Olivier Giroud, who shot through 'keeper Joe Hart's legs.
At full time, an unenlightened observer might have expected a different result based on the stats. City held 63 percent of possession and outshot their hosts 20-6, per ESPN FC. But Arsenal were ruthless, and their attacking efficiency meant they fully deserved the victory.
