Do not adjust your screen - Arsenal have won away at Manchester City, who are five points behind Chelsea, thanks to the perfect away performance. Goals from Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud won it for them and how they deserved it. They squeezed the life out of an anaemic City, in particular David Silva, and played with maturity, discipline and authority, defending well and attacking at the right moments. This is the blueprint Arsenal must follow in these games from now on. Maybe a team of son-in-laws isn’t so bad, after all. Thanks for reading. Bye.
Full-time: Manchester City 0-2 Manchester City
That’s your lot!
Updated
90 min+1: There will be four minutes of added time. City’s unbeaten run is going to end here.
90 min: Flamini - Flamini! - pops up behind Clichy and outmuscles the City left-back inside the City area. He looks set to roll it across to Giroud for a tap-in, but it’s diverted behind for a corner. Giroud is aghast.
89 min: Aguero wins City’s 16th corner. Kompany heads it wide at the near post.
88 min: Dzeko’s shot from an angle is held comfortably by Ospina.
86 min: Aguero is booked for tugging back Kieran Gibbs.
85 min: Koscielny slices a clearance from Clichy’s cross over his own bar. Do City have anything left in the tank? No.
Updated
84 min: Tomas Rosicky dribbles and dribbles and dribbles and then wafts a shot over the bar. That’s the cue for Arsenal to bring on Kieran Gibbs for Alexis Sanchez and Mathieu Flamini for Aaron Ramsey.
82 min: Ramsey is down with knackerdness. He drags himself off the floor eventually to defend a City corner.
80 min: A set of lobs and prods on the edge of the Arsenal area works Jovetic behind the Arsenal back four, but his snapshot is deflected just wide. Ospina claims Silva’s corner.
76 min: Cazorla is in excellent form. He wins a tackle on the edge of the Arsenal box and then embarrasses a sequence of Arsenal players with flicks, tricks and nutmegs, before throwing himself into one last whole-hearted tackle, which ends with a City throw. Edin Dzeko comes on for Jesus Navas.
74 min: Almost a calamitous moment for Arsenal. Lampard dinks a harmless box into the six-yard box, where indecision reigns. Ospina comes and Monreal should leave it to him; instead he slices a volley just over the empty goal.
73 min: The ball falls to Navas in the Arsenal area. He shoots straight at Ospina and the crowd howls. They don’t sound particularly enamoured with the Spanish winger.
72 min: Alexis Sanchez scoots past Lampard and tries to place a shot to Hart’s left from 20 yards. Hart parries it away.
71 min: What is it about this City team that makes them so prone to these bouts of lethargy?
68 min: This is the third consecutive home match in the league in which City have conceded twice.
GOAL! Manchester City 0-2 Arsenal (Giroud, 66 min)
Victory is in sight for Arsenal! Just before Rosicky came on, they won a free-kick around 40 yards from goal. Cazorla curled it into the City area and Giroud peeled away from Fernando and glanced a lowe header past the exposed Joe Hart from close range!
Updated
66 min: Tomas Rosicky replaces Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for Arsenal.
64 min: Lampard is immediately involved, finding Zabaleta, but his cross is easily claimed by Ospina.
63 min: Jovetic skips past Bellerin and wins a corner, which is the cue for Frank Lampard to replace Fernandinho.
61 min: Frank Lampard will be on imminently.
60 min: City can’t believe they’re not level. The probing Silva rolls a pass to Navas and his low ball just takes a nick off Koscielny and evades Aguero and Jovetic, both of whom were waiting for a tap-in.
59 min: City scream hopefully for handball against Ramsey. It was his chest that blocked Jovetic’s pass.
56 min: There may be joy for Arsenal on the break. It’s end-to-end now. They pour forward and Sanchez and Giroud interchange beautifully, before the latter squeezes a pass to Ramsey on the left. He slashes high and wide from an inviting position. That attack over, Hector Bellerin is booked for an earlier foul on Silva.
54 min: Fernandinho is booked for stopping an Arsenal counter. “Enough about Chelsea, Jacob,” orders Henry Watts. “City and Arsenal fans couldn’t care less about Chelsea.”
Too right, Henry, talking about City’s title rivals is utterly unacceptable.
53 min: Sanchez turns brilliantly away from Zabaleta but then gets carried away and tries to score from a difficult angle. Throw-in to City.
Updated
51 min: City break at a furious pace, Fernando feeding Navas on the right. He runs at Monreal and hammers a shot goalwards. Opsina beats it away. But Arsenal are rocking. Silva diddles into the area. He’s halted. But the ball breaks to Jovetic. He misses his kick. To Fernandinho, then. His volley is deflected over. The corner is cleared. Just. “I think the Arsenal were better off going in at halftime only 1-0 up,” says William Marzouk. “At 2-0 it’s too easy to switch off, invite pressure, etc. 1-0 is nice and taught. B/t/w that’s Bully down there! (the oft pierced gentleman).” The Arsenal Pirate.
49 min: There’s a better tempo to City’s football now. Arsenal are going to have to have their game faces on. “It’s all going far too well for Arsenal,” says Charles Antaki. “But what price their two yellow cards being converted to reds before the evening is out? Even this somnolent Man City side ought to score against 9 men, if only by accident.”
48 min: The corner is taken short. Navas’s cross is cleared. Moments later, the ball is lost in a dangerous position and falls to Aguero. His shot from the edge of the area is blocked. “On one level, Arsenal wearing their away kit unnecessarily is a disgrace, but we (Arsenal fans) shouldn’t complain too much given that these presumably contract-stipulated diktats from Puma lead to the deal which has allowed us to sign the likes of Sanchez, who is pleasingly good at doing football,” says Angus Chisholm. “And, is it just me, but is Bellerin also quite good at doing football? (albeit in a different way).”
47 min: City are already better. Aguero dashes down the right and cuts inside before letting fly. It takes a deflection and whooshes past the far post. Corner.
46 min: We’re off. Stevan Jovetic has replaced James Milner for City. That’s the right change. “Even taking into consideration Chelsea’s form so far i think it’s a bit too early to make comments such as “this could be the afternoon the title slipped away for good” - 5 points gap, 16 matches to go (provided City lose), i guess you can sense my argument...” says Oliver Loksa.
City go to Chelsea soon. Lose there and it’s eight points. Chelsea have got most of their difficult away games out of the way. Their manager is Jose Mourinho.
Half-time: Manchester City 0-1 Arsenal
Arsenal deal with one last Manchester City corner before Mike Dean gives it a toot of his whistle. Arsenal have been professional and resilient in a big away game and deservedly lead thanks to Santi Cazorla’s penalty. If City don’t rouse themselves sharpish, this could be the afternoon the title slipped away for good. As it stands, Chelsea will be five points clear.
Updated
45 min: “Is it irrelevant to complain that Arsenal are wearing their change kit (Michael Thomas throwback version) for no reason aside from trying to get people to buy replicas of it?” says Lou Roper. It’s not as bad as West Ham’s special purple FA Cup kit.
43 min: City should take off one of Navas or Milner and get Stevan Jovetic on. This is too easy for Arsenal.
42 min: Cazorla whips the subsequent free-kick into the City area; Giroud heads wide.
41 min: It’s not been a great first half for Vincent Kompany, who doesn’t look that fit. Giroud is able to muscle Zabaleta and then pluck the ball out of the sky, before drifting past Kompany, who brings him down and earns a booking. Kompany is livid.
40 min: A high ball is popped over Monreal for Navas to chase. Navas’s cross is deflected behind for a corner by Monreal, working back hard. Arsenal deal with a couple of crosses into the box, though they’re just looking a little more frantic at the moment.
38 min: Ramsey is booked for a trip on Aguero in the middle.
36 min: And it comes to nothing. Sanchez heads away. City attack again, however, Clichy zapping a low cross into the area. Cleared. It comes to Milner. His floaty cross is harmlessly headed wide by Aguero.
Updated
35 min: Aguero’s persistence earns a corner for City on the right. He won it out of nothing.
34 min: “Why are Arsenal so disciplined all of a sudden?” says JR in Illinois. “Why aren’t their defensive players running around like headless chickens? Very disappointing. And boring.” Bring back the silliness, Arsenal, it’s what the people want.
32 min: Sam Allardyce would sort this City lot out at half-time.
31 min: Arsenal are threatening to play City off the park here. Jose Mourinho will be enjoying this.
29 min: A stat flashes up on the screen: City have not had a shot on target yet. “Perhaps it is just the television production in the US, but it seems like the atmosphere is rather flat at the Etihad for the visit of a top-four rival,” says Daniel Schulwolf. “I get that Arsenal haven’t recently been competitive on road trips to other top teams, but at this point the fans are treating the occasion with all the nonchalance of a Champions League match.”
27 min: Arsenal smell blood. Aaron Ramsey charges through the middle but hangs on to the ball too long and by the time he releases it, Giroud is offside.
25 min: Will that be the wake-up call City need? They aren’t offering much at all. There’s a lack of creativity in the central positions.
GOAL! Manchester City 0-1 Arsenal (Cazorla pen, 24 min)
Santi Cazorla gave Arsenal the lead from the spot at West Ham. Can he do the same here? He can! It’s a brilliant penalty. Hart went the right way but Cazorla’s effort, crisply struck with his right foot and high into the corner, was far too accurate! Arsenal lead. Who’d have thought?
PENALTY TO ARSENAL
23 min: Arsenal have been causing problems down the left and now they’ve got their reward! Nacho Monreal looked to play a one-two and was dumped over by Kompany before he could get to the return ball! Mike Dean points to the spot immediately.
Updated
21 min: Neville has noticed that Silva is being marked out of the game. Francis Coquelin may well be the new Makelele.
19 min: The corner is driven in high by Cazorla and headed into the air and into the six-yard box. It should be Hart’s, easily, but he seems unsettled by the presence of Mertesacker and punches it away. The home fans are unamused.
18 min: Sanchez attempts a solo burst through the middle. He beats one or two men, but he’s halted by Demichelis, as so many have been in the past. Moments later, a chance for Giroud. Oxlade-Chamberlain seizes on to a sloppy pass on the right and drives forward, before knocking a cross to the near post. Giroud heads wide, but claims a corner off Kompany. After much consultation, a corner is awarded.
15 min: I can never quite work out how highly to rate Jesus Navas. Here, he ruins a promising attack with a poor pass that Coqeulin cuts out. He has the raw materials and is a threat, but the end product is lacking at times.
13 min: Not much is occurring. Arsenal are keeping City quiet.
11 min: Arsenal enjoy a decent spell of pressure and Cazorla threads an astute pass inside Zabaleta and through to Sanchez on the left. With little support in the middle, however, he ends up taking too long and loses it to Zabaleta.
Updated
8 min: Arsenal have settled down a bit now. Their shape is nice and compact. Then it’s a case of whether they can use the pace of The Sanch and The Ox on the break.
6 min: “Congrats on the West Ham result,” says Allan Castle. “Against my better judgment I’m up early here on Vancouver Island to watch Arsenal get clobbered against a top team again. But the power’s out! So my link to the game is solely your MBM, as long as my lady’s iPhone battery holds out (mine’s dead). What chance we turn the tide today?” There’s always a chance. It’s a slim chance. But it is a chance.
5 min: A neat, zippy start from City. They’re moving the ball proficiently.
3 min: Arsenal have started badly. They’re not tracking runners. Fernandinho moves away from Cazorla and then beats Koscielny, who dumps him over. Advantage is played, however, because Aguero is clear on the right. He delays crossing, however, and eventually settles for a corner. Before that can be taken, Koscielny is booked for his rashness. Then the corner is headed away.
2 min: “Here in Chile I can tell you that my mate (with the big telly) didn’t make it home from a wedding last night so I shall be with you here on MBM,” says Henry Buckle.
Henry, you’re going to have to keep us updated about your mate with the big telly. Did he take it with him to the wedding?
And we’re off! But not before Gary Neville pre-emptively tells Arsenal off for making mistakes in big games. Then City, all in blue, get the ball rolling. They’re kicking from left to right in the first half. Obviously Arsenal are wearing their yellow away kits. Because red clashes with blue. Obviously,
Here come the teams! They’re both wearing tracksuit tops.
Updated
When did Graeme Souness grow his beard? Has he done it to take attention away from Henry?
BREAKING NEWS
Words are coming out of Thierry Henry’s mouth.
“Spine-Chilean drama then?” says Patrick Cullen. “I’ll get my things, I was heading out anyway...”
Fans of spooky thrillers - your attention please. Manuel Pellegrini is Chilean. Alexis Sanchez ... is Chilean. It is written. Pellegrini to score the winner.
“The Fernando and Fernandinho partnership in City’s midfield evoke wonderful memories of alliterative duos of the past - not excluding the classic Renee and Renato,” notes Charles Antaki.
Or Cheech and Chong.
Updated
So what does it all mean? For City, Martin Demichelis starts alongside Vincent Kompany instead of Eliaquim Mangala, while Fernando and Fernandinho are at the base of midfield, with Yaya Toure not available. Samir Nasri is also out, but Sergio Aguero is back; he’ll be supported by James Milner, David Silva and Jesus Navas. Frank Lampard is still trying to work out how to get to New York and will spend much of the game mulling that conundrum over while sitting on the bench, before coming on in the 67th minute and scoring twice.
As for Arsenal, Mathieu Debuchy’s shoulder injury keeps him out. Hector Bellerin starts instead of Calum Chambers at right-back, while Nacho Monreal gets the nod over Kieran Gibbs at left-back and Aaron Ramsey starts for the first time since 9 December, replacing Tomas Rosicky. Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil are on the bench. Danny Welbeck, Jack Wilshere and Mikel Arteta are all missing. So’s Abou Diaby.
The teams!
Man City: Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Clichy;
Fernandinho, Fernando; Jesus Navas, Silva, Milner; Aguero. Subs: Sagna, Dzeko, Kolarov, Caballero, Lampard, Mangala, Jovetic.
Arsenal: Ospina; Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Ramsey, Coquelin, Cazorla; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Giroud, Sanchez. Subs: Szczesny, Gibbs, Rosicky, Ozil, Walcott, Flamini, Chambers.
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
Updated
Preamble
Afternoon. So. Let’s get straight to it. Arsenal. Arsenal in a big away game. What will it be? Are they going to do something out of character and surprise for us or, as many people suspect, will it be the usual nonsense whenever they travel to one of their rivals? Graeme Souness thinks so, earlier decrying them as a team of son-in-laws on Sky, and not even a fun son-in-law like Phil Dunphy. He just thinks they’re very nice, that there’s not enough edge, and that’s borne out by their record in this type of game. Last season it was 6-0 at Chelsea, 6-3 at Manchester City, 5-1 at Liverpool, 3-0 at Everton and even 1-0 at Manchester United, while this year it’s 2-0 at Chelsea, 2-0 at Southampton and 2-0 at Borussia Dortmund, while there have also been defeats at Swansea City and Stoke City. They were also poor in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool, conceding a last-minute equaliser from a corner against 10 men, although they did win impressively at West Ham last month.
We know what the problems are: an unfortunate tendency to commit horrendous defensive errors at inopportune moments, a susceptibility to being caught on the break, doziness at set-pieces and a general impression that, quite simply, they are not hard to play against. They play good football, as Arsene Wenger’s teams do, but there is never the sense that they particularly relish the other side of it, that important bit about stopping the other lot doing whatever they like. I think Arsenal will score today. They have Alexis Sanchez in rampant form and they have given City problems in attack. But do they have enough about them to stop City scoring, well, more? Yaya Toure is away and Samir Nasri is out, but Sergio Aguero is back and City, five points behind Chelsea, are bound to be bang up for this.
Kick-off: 4pm.
