City were not at their fluent best here but it is perhaps a sign of how far they’ve come that we might expect more from a game in which they beat Arsenal with room to spare. For Arsenal it’s the same old story – they never really looked like pulling off an upset, as they rarely do on the road to the best teams in the Premier League. That’s all from me, thanks for reading – and may I point you in the direction of Chelsea v Manchester United. Bye!
Updated
Full-time: Manchester City 3-1 Arsenal
The whistle blows and City march on, now eight points clear of Manchester United and Spurs and 12 ahead of Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea.
90+4 min Mesut Ozil barges unnecessarily into Delph and it sums up Arsenal’s day that it is one his most notable contributions.
90+1 min Gundogan takes a hit this time, from Wilshere, who might be lucky not see yellow. This has been a frustrating afternoon for Arsenal.
89 min A free-kick to Man City in an attacking area, after Kolasinac clattered David Silva, who is handed man of the match by Alan Smith on Sky. The set piece comes to nothing.
88 min City steal it and charge. They work it quickly to De Bruyne and suddenly it’s two against one. All he has to do is square the ball for Jesus to finish, but for once De Bruyne gets it wrong and hands the ball over to Koscielny.
Updated
86 min Silva does indeed come on, replacing Leroy Sane who gets a friendly clap on the chest from Pep Guardiola.
85 min Bernardo Silva is tucking his shirt in and receiving instructions from someone in a tracksuit holding a clipboard, the surest sign of an imminent substitution.
@lawrenceostlere In fairness to Xhaka? What did you have for lunch? What about playing to the whistle and then arguing?
— Morgan Leafy (@Morgan_Leafy) November 5, 2017
83 min ‘What did you have for lunch’ is my new favourite phrase. Though Morgan is right – several Arsenal defenders stood there with arms raised rather than reacting and it was a pretty ugly way to concede.
81 min Walker makes a typically surging run down the right but his arcing cross is overhit. A moment later Wilshere shows some nice touches on the ball and he’s wiped out by Jesus as punishment.
79 min Wenger makes a couple of changes: Wilshere and Giroud go on, Iwobi and a fuming Xhaka come off.
Updated
That decision...
Hmmmm... pic.twitter.com/DGnVRTGoFy
— Planet Fútbol (@si_soccer) November 5, 2017
Updated
77 min In fairness to Xhaka, who was booked in the aftermath of the goal, he stepped up cleverly to play Silva offside and it was probably one the assistant should have spotted.
76 min Sterling is replaced by Gundogan.
Goal! Manchester City 3-1 Arsenal (Jesus, 74)
Was Silva offside? That is the question Arsenal are asking and Xhaka has been booked for his protestations. Fernandinho found the Spaniard down the right of the box who was suddenly in acres. Arsenal arms went up but meanwhile Jesus reacted, charging into the six yard box to turn home Silva’s cross. The replay shows... yes, he was slightly offside.
Updated
70 min The game is opening up a little – it feels like there is still something more to come.
69 min Sanchez cheekily finds Kolasinac on the overlap with a no-look pass, who finds Ozil but the Germany midfielder doesn’t make anything of the opportunity. He is having one of those very quiet days.
67 min Brilliant by Cech, who slides across his goalline like a superhero to deny a low powerful strike from Gabriel Jesus, who had been lurking at the back post at the corner. Moments earlier Sane had slammed a close-range volley which was well blocked. City have turned it up a notch.
65 min Shocking that the £50m striker with a brilliant goalscoring record might get a goal. He had been on less than 10 minutes, but why didn’t he start?
Updated
Goal! Manchester City 2-1 Arsenal (Lacazette, 64)
Suddenly they have one back – Lacazette is freed on the right side of the box, and takes one touch to control before firing a low shot past Ederson into the far corner.
Updated
62 min Gabriel Jesus has still not lost a single game in English football, a remarkable run of 27 games which probably isn’t going to end this afternoon. I seem to remember Gareth Bale had the opposite run at Spurs.
61 min Sergio Aguero makes his way off and he doesn’t look delighted by the decision. He trudges away to an ovation from the crowd, offering a little salute before handing over to Gabriel Jesus.
59 min Arsenal are having to commit higher up the field and it is resulting in some joy, pinching the ball in good positions. But they are struggling to make it count and subsequently City look like they might break at any moment.
57 min “Is shoulder to shoulder not ok anymore, didn’t see much wrong with the tackle for the penalty,” emails Mel Lynam in Berlin. I thought it was a little more clumsy – and from behind – than just shoulder to shoulder.
56 min The first change of the match: Coquelin comes off and Lacazette replaces him, which presumably means Arsenal are switching to a back four.
55 min Ederson survives a potentially disastrous moment, dropping a routine catch behind him. He manages to turn and prevent the ball bouncing over his line before Ramsey cheekily pushes him into the goal and concedes a foul.
53 min The City fans find their voice and their team suddenly look in the mood. Silva tries one of those long arcing low passes which De Bruyne has pulled off a few times this season, but it’s a touch overhit and he can’t pick out Sterling on the opposite side.
51 min Assuming it was deliberate, De Bruyne just played one of the most extraordinary passes of the season, volleying a looping ball on the spin over his head to David Silva. It didn’t matter much and it didn’t get much attention, but it was mighty audacious.
Goal! Manchester City 2-0 Arsenal (Aguero pen, 50)
Chasing back after a ball over the top of the Arsenal defence, Monreal clatters into Sterling dribbling into the box who was about to have a clear sight of goal. It’s a booking, and Sergio Aguero scores from the spot via the post.
Updated
48 min Penalty to Manchester City!
Updated
47 min The way Otamendi and Stones fizz passes through midfield to Silva and De Bruyne is brilliant to watch. This time Silva plays a first-time pass wide for Delph who advances down the left, but the move comes to nothing. Re our half-time Sterling discussion:
to his reaching his potential. He's a much more disciplined player than is understood: great appreciation of what is required for the team.
— paul ewart (@paulewart23) November 5, 2017
Kick-off!
Arsenal get things back under way at the Etihad. No changes by either side at the break.
Alexis Sanchez, meanwhile, seems a way from the striker who scored 24 league goals last season.
@lawrenceostlere Is Sanchez already playing for city in his mind? I've lost count of the amount of times he's just given the ball away
— James Buffery (@jamety91) November 5, 2017
Watching a replay of that De Bruyne goal, it really was reminiscent of his strike against Chelsea, working a one-two at high speed before leathering his left foot through the ball into the right corner of the goal. Not brilliantly defended, admittedly, but yet another example of his supreme talent.
A half-time email from Richard Harris: “How many years do you think it will be before pundits stop talking up Sterling’s potential and conclude like most have now done with Walcott that he’s never reached it?” I think that might be a little harsh on a 22-year-old having a very good season so far. He was not quite at it in the first half but I wouldn’t bet against him having a say in the second.
Half-time: Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal
De Bruyne’s well-taken goal is the difference at the break. Arsenal have had their moments, but if Sterling and Sane had been a little more clinical in the final third City might have been out of sight. An interesting half to follow.
45 min And then out of nowhere Ramsey almost equalises! His low shot is well saved but Ederson at his near post, the sort that might not have been kept out last season.
44 min Silva fouls Iwobi in the middle of the pitch. It’s all gone a bit quiet.
43 min A scrappy couple of minutes. Arsenal look the more likely to make one last chance before the break.
41 min Another Arsenal corner leads to another City counterattack. They might be safer kicking all set-pieces off for a City throw-in.
39 min Coquelin puts Monreal under pressure on the edge of Arsenal’s box with an underhit pass. City pinch it and come forwards but Silva delivers a rare miss which ends up in the stands.
37 min I have been informed via Sandipto Dasgupta on Twitter that Guardiola’s yellow ribbon is in support of Catalan political prisoners. On the pitch, meanwhile, City have another half chance but Koscielny does well to prevent Sane getting on the end of another one of those low flashing crosses, this time by Kyle Walker.
35 min Oh dear! This had to be 2-0 as De Bruyne, again, fed Sterling cleverly to set up a two on one in Arsenal’s half. All Sterling had to do was square to Sane but he boomed the pass beyond his team-mate, to Guardiola’s understandable ire on the touchline.
Updated
32 min That threat almost produces a second goal as De Bruyne feeds Silva under-lapping towards the byline, but Sterling decides to lurk on the penalty spot rather than gamble and can’t get to the cross.
31 min The game has quietened down slightly. This isn’t the rampant City we have come to take for granted in recent weeks but they seem in control and constantly simmering with threat.
30 min I have to admit this isn’t something I know the answer to but perhaps someone reading does...
hello @lawrenceostlere, regarding Pep’s yellow ribbon, what does it stand for please? Is it a Spanish thing for Remembrance day or Catalan?
— Marc (@_LeMarc) November 5, 2017
28 min Arsenal defend the initial corner but the second and third waves of attack quickly follow. Eventually Cech relieves the pressure, rushing off his line and sliding under Aguero to claim the ball.
Updated
27 min A moment later Sterling drifts in behind Monreal, who isn’t have much fun so far, but the defender does get back to block the cross. Corner to City.
26 min De Bruyne evades Monreal with agility, raising a roar from the home crowd. He escapes down the right wing and tries an ambitious switch to Aguero and Sane on the far side, which in fairness is well within his abilities, but slightly overcooks it.
24 min Sanchez slides a lovely reverse pass into Ozil – lovely in terms of inventiveness, but not weight, and it runs too far allowing Ederson to rush out and collect. There are not many goalkeepers in the league better placed than him to do just that.
22 min “One man’s ‘under pressure’ is another man’s ‘two handed shove in the back’” emails JR in Illinois. “Upon replay you don’t think Sterling should have had a penalty there in the 10th minute?” I don’t think there was enough in it for a penalty, personally, especially as a push from behind would surely have helped Sterling reach the ball which was just out of reach in front of him. It matters not now though.
20 min De Bruyne said in his pre-match interview that he took more satisfaction from an assist than a goal, but he looked like he enjoyed that one, celebrating exuberantly with just about every one of his team-mates in the corner. That’s the second time he has opened the scoring in a big game this season with the accuracy and power of his weaker foot.
Goal! Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal (De Bruyne, 19)
The ball falls to De Bruyne and he slams a right-footed volley which Cech parries away well, but a few seconds later the Belgian is coming at the Arsenal defence again. He plays a fast one-two with Fernandinho and drags the ball on to his left foot before firing a low shot across Cech and into the corner. Wonderfully finished.
Updated
16 min The last couple of minutes might be a more accurate reflection of what’s to come with all 11 Arsenal players camped deep in their own half, shuffling across to keep City out and waiting for them to spill possession.
Updated
14 min The replay of that Sterling chance shows just how close he came – a few inches – from toeing in the opening goal. If we are being hyper-critical, perhaps Sane should have taken a bit of speed off his pass.
12 min Arsenal have looked the better side so far, but Silva and De Bruyne are just starting to get their first sniffs of possession in those pockets either side of Xhaka and Ramsey.
10 min What a chance this is. Aguero controls a fizzed pass with his back to goal and spins to play in Sane perfectly. The winger slides a low cross across the six-yard box where Sterling has a tap-in but under a bit of pressure from the retreating Kolasinac he can’t quite reach it and the ball bobbles harmlessly wide.
9 min Another concerning moment for City as Ramsey does excellently to pinch the ball from Fernandinho. Ozil picks up possession in the box, shifts it on to his left and slams a low shot a yard or so wide.
8 min Sterling tries to dance his way into the box but he’s surrounded by black shirts who quickly break. Rapid counterattack appears the order of the day for both sides. This one ends when Stones claps through the side of Sanchez, and the free-kick to Arsenal, perhaps 35 yards out, is wasted.
6 min Coquelin, from his new station in the middle of defence, chops a pass to Bellerin advancing down the right. Arsenal work the ball nicely into the middle and City have to scramble via a John Stones challenge, conceding a corner. It comes to nothing but a moment later Kolasinac earns another corner when his cross is blocked. This one is dealt with just as simply, but it’s a positive start by the visitors.
4 min Arsenal’s first sight of goal falls to Iwobi after a free-kick was headed clear to the forward lurking on the edge of the City box. He swipes at a volley which flies into the Etihad crowd.
3 min Arsenal have begun with a high press with Sanchez leading the line, but as soon as City get out of their half the Gunners are retreating in numbers. I still find it slightly baffling that Wenger would leave £50m Alexandre Lacazette on the bench for such a game, but there we are.
Updated
2 min Arsenal win a corner and it is the platform for City’s first attack, flashing forwards in numbers on the break. De Bruyne finds Aguero who probably should hit the target but fires just over from a tight-ish angle.
Updated
1 min Interesting – Arsenal starting with a back three, with Coquelin in the centre of defence. That is not necessarily a sentence to inspire hope.
@lawrenceostlere Arsenal are the underdogs today. But worth remembering that they will be fresher, with second string for Europa League.
— George Burn (@georgermburn) November 5, 2017
Kick-off!
Sergio Aguero fires a pass back to Fernandinho and Arsenal go chasing after it.
A minute’s silence ahead of Remembrance Day, beautifully observed.
Updated
“It’s unlikely that there are any Arsenal fans among that 10%,” emails Charles Antaki. “At least, not as actively supporting the other side. But yes, there will be many who have consigned this one already to the memory-hole, and are simply praying to be spared crushing, abject humiliation. In other words, the usual pre-match jitters.”
This is a lovely touch by Manchester City – Sergio Aguero is handed a nice shimmering blue boot trophy to celebrate his feat of breaking the club’s goalscoring record. The players shake hands and kick-off is imminent.
Updated
This presenting format unnerves me.
Pep Guardiola speaks! And immediately qualifies his bold opening gambit. “Today we play one of the best teams in the Premier League from the last 10, 15, 20 years, so we need a good performance. You let them play, they can play without doubt, with Ozil, Ramsey, Xhaka, Alexis. They are fast. They change today, with four at the back.” Was that a surprise, Guardiola is asked. “A little bit, yeah,” he says with the rueful smile of a man who has spent all week preparing the humiliation of a three-man defence. “But most of the teams play with that system so it’s not a problem.”
Regarding Arsene Wenger’s intriguing notion that 90% of the Premier League is behind Arsenal today, keen mathematician David Flynn emails. “Sadly, the 10% of people not supporting Arsenal today are City fans and a large portion of Arsenal fans.”
Sky are showing a chat between Jamie Redknapp and Kevin De Bruyne in the Tactics Truck. These things can be a bit overblown but it is genuinely fascinating to hear De Bruyne articulate his thoughts on the pitch. He says he watches a lot of NBA and admires LeBron James’s emphasis on the team, and insists he enjoys pulling off a beautiful assist more than scoring a goal.
Full-time at Wembley...
Arsène Wenger speaks! “The main thing is always to adapt. They are a team who likes to have the ball so the counterattack will be important. Today 90% of the Premier League will be behind us because nobody wants to see one team run away at the top so early in the season.”
So it looks like Arsene Wenger has switched to a back four, abandoning the in-vogue back-three which I’m fairly sure was only an elaborate ploy to look relevant, like when my mum bought an iPod. As Graham Fulcher emails: “So the team for which Wenger unveiled the 3 man central defence becomes the team against which he first drops it.”
The teams!
Manchester City (4-1-2-3): Ederson; Walker, Otamendi, Stones, Delph; Fernandinho; De Bruyne, Silva (c); Sterling, Sane, Aguero
Subs: Bravo, Mangala, Gundogan, Bernardo, G Jesus, Danilo, Yaya Toure
Arsenal (4-5-1): Cech; Bellerin, Koscielny, Monreal, Kolasinac; Coquelin, Ramsey, Xhaka, Ozil, Iwobi; Sanchez
Subs: Macey, Debuchy, Elneny, Wilshere, Walcott, Lacazette, Giroud
Preamble
For a club who never seem more than one good hiding away from a crisis, and who have an abysmal recent record on the road against top-six rivals, you suspect there are plenty of places Arsenal would rather visit this afternoon than the Etihad. Manchester City are playing a brand* of football not seen before in the Premier League, new levels of speed and precision which today conjure images of a harrowed Granit Xhaka standing hands on hips having been nutmegged by Kevin De Bruyne in the buildup to City’s sixth (a blast into the bottom corner by Leroy Sané celebrated with a wagging finger).
So is there any cause for Arsenal optimism? They have certainly perked up since Troy Deeney questioned their cojones, winning four and drawing one of the five matches since, albeit with a persistent undercurrent of vulnerability. Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Özil have found form while Alexis Sánchez may have some extra motivation given the opponent. And let’s not forget they are the last team to have beaten City, in the FA Cup semi-final in April. It is a chance for Arsenal to show they are still part of the reckoning and can produce something on the road against the top six. City, of course, have the supreme qualities to dismiss the notion of a top six altogether.
Kick-off: 2.15pm GMT
*Awful word. Sorry. There will be other awful words because I’m quite tired after my late-night Uber driver initially took me within a few hundred yards of my house, admittedly, but on the wrong side of a large river (Thames) which took 45 minutes to circumnavigate culminating in a 4am bedtime. Please view the ensuing collection of awful words and typos as a postmodern art installation mirroring society’s flaws or the Brexit talks or something. Thank you.
Updated
