Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Manchester City

Manchester City

Arsenal

3 ( Samir Nasri 20, Alexandre Song 65, Nicklas Bendtner 88)

Arsenal secured their fifth win over the Premier League season and moved back into second place with an emphatic 3-0 away win against a predominantly ten men Manchester City side.

In what was destined to be an eventful, physical, thrilling encounter, the game lived up to its hype from the opening moments with City going dangerously close in thanks to neat interchange between Carlos Tevez and David Silva; however, Arsenal shotstopper Lukasz Fabianski made a reflex save.

Arsenal looked vunerable in defence early on before in the fourth minutes the Gunners found their attacking rhythm in the fourth minute when captain Cesc Fabregas played a scintillating, inch perfect pass through the City defence onto the onrushing Marouane Chamakh, only for the Moroccan to be brought down by a rash challenge from youngster Dedryk Boyata.

The challenge had halted a definite goal scoring scenario for Arsenal which subsequently ensured Boyata receiving a straight red from referee Mark Clattenburg. Wenger's men now boasted the extra man and began to scream into attacking life.

The game began to become all the more physical with a number of reckless tackles occurring and numerous cards dished out. Finally after boasting the weight of possession, Arsenal received their breakthrough through playmaker Samir Nasri, who showed great movement after combining with Andrei Arshavin, to slot home from twelve yards out.

The Frenchman showed great composure as a number of City defenders and keeper Joe Hart were closing in quickly.

Roberto Mancini's men were threatening but failed to really penetrate the Arsenal goal. Minutes before half time Cesc Fabregas was hauled down by Vincent Kompany inside the area but the Spaniard failed to capitalize and extend Arsenal lead from the spot, with Joe Hart making a relatively simple save.

It was looming that the miss may come back to hurt Arsenal with City beginning to gain momentum and pursue the Arsenal goal. However an injury sustained to captain Carlos Tevez early in the match saw him leave the field just after half time and twenty minutes after the break Arsenal had all but secured the victory when Alexandre Song poked home after a tussle in the City box.

Nicklas Bendtner added a third late on to add salt to City wounds despite the big spenders efforts to secure a consolation goal.

The win relieves pressure from Arsene Wenger and reinstates the Gunners presence as genuine title contenders. Although City can complain and possibly taunt that had they remained with 11 men and maintained fitness, three points would have stayed in the Eastlands.

Player Ratings

Lukasz Fabianski: 8.5: A superb performance by the much maligned Polish keeper. Made a number of impressive, dashing saves that ensured City were unable to find the back of the Arsenal net.

Bacary Sagna: 7.5: A strong defensive and attacking effort from the returning Frenchman. Contained the likes of James Milner and David Silva with ease alongside making a number of gallant interceptions. Furthermore contributed greatly down the right flank in attack. 

Sebastien Squillaci: 6.5: The Frenchman was caught out on occasion by the pulsating City attack but showed great experience and defensive skill to contain what was thrown at him.

Johan Djourou: 5.5: The imposing Swiss was vulnerable in defence struggling to deal with the tenacity of Tevez and the pace of Silva. Early on Djourou was lucky that poor defending didn't result in a Manchester City strike. Grew as the game wore on however.

Gael Clichy: 6.5: The French international was predominantly convincing in  attack despite being beaten by Micah Richards and David Silva. None the less a solid performance that boasted some impressive attacking moments.

Alexandre Song: 8: A tremendous performance from the Cameroon midfielder. Song showed great physicality alongside making a number of crucial tackles and interceptions that broke down the City attack. Scored the all-important second goal with a neat finish too. 

Cesc Fabregas: 8: The fearless captain may have missed a penalty but there is no denying his work ethich and attacking mobility. Orchestrated a number of Arsenal attacks and always made his presence felt in defence.

Denilson: 7: The Samba star was tidy and composed despite finding himself on the end of some strong challenges from the likes of Nigel De Jong and Gareth Barry. Contributed credibly in attack without setting the scene alight and made a number of efficient tackles.

Samir Nasri: 8.5: An outstanding effort from the French prince. A beautiful one-two with Andrei Arshavin opened the scoring and Nasri continued to cut open the City defence with a number of runs and passes. A sublime pass ensured Bendtner got the third.

Andrei Arshavin: 6.5: The Russian dynamo had a yo-yo like performance. Often wasteful and lazy but did also provide an extra dimension in attack as well as providing some useful passes. Shocked the entire stadium when he tracked back to effectively defend a Carlos Tevez run.

Marouane Chamakh: 7: Neat and tidy from the Moroccan. Completed a host of work that included piercing runs. Great control on the ball but did miss an opportunity or two.

Substitutes

Nicklas Bendtner: N/A: A neat finish saw the Danish sharp shooter find the score sheet.

Theo Walcott: N/A: Promising signs for the returning speedster.