Arsenal 5-1 Manchester City: 5 Talking Points as Gunners run riot against Cityzens | Premier League 2024-25

A dominant second half performance lifted Arsenal to a 5-1 win over Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday, February 2. The Gunners are now six points behind league leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.

The Gunners were boosted by the availability of Myles Lewis-Skelly, whose suspension for the red card against Wolves was rescinded. They made one change overall as Martin Odegaard came in for Ethan Nwaneri.

City were coming off a win over Chelsea last week and made three changes. Stefan Ortega, John Stones, and Savinho came in for Ederson, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Ilkay Gundogan.

It was the dream start for the hosts as Odegaard opened the scoring inside two minutes. Kai Havertz capitalized on a mistake at the back from Manuel Akanji and played in Odegaard, who made it 1-0.

Both teams created chances in the first half but were unable to add to the scoreline. Manchester City found the equaliser early in the second as Erling Haaland headed home to level the scores. He was in the right place to knock home an accurate ball from Savinho.

However, City's lead did not last long as Arsenal immediately pulled themselves back up. Thomas Partey's long-range effort deflected off John Stones and found the back of the net, restoring their advantage.

It was all Mikel Arteta's men from then on as they put Manchester City to the sword. Lewis-Skelly was first to add to the scoreline, scoring with a great effort in the 62nd minute.

Havertz made up for missing a great chance early on by bagging the side's fourth. Set up by Gabriel Martinelli, the German's well-struck effort made its way past Ortega.

Ethan Nwaneri came off the bench and put the icing on the cake with the best effort of the night. The youngster cut in from the right and unleashed a dipping effort, leaving Ortega rooted to his spot.

The result sees Arsenal keep the pressure on Liverpool in the title race as the Reds prepare to play their game in hand midweek. Manchester City, meanwhile, find themselves out of the top four and will be concerned about their chances of finishing in the UCL spots. Here are the talking points:

Arsenal vs Manchester City Talking Points

#5. Kai Havertz blows hot and cold

Much has been made of Arsenal's decision to not sign a striker in the winter transfer window yet, leaving them with only Havertz as their established option there following Gabriel Jesus' injury. Their qualms with the German seemed to have extended when he missed a simple chance in the first half, but he silenced his critics with a good second half, scoring the side's fourth goal.

#4. Manchester City exposed on counters again

Pep Guardiola's side have shown a pattern of being poor in transition and exposed on the counter-attack this season. It was on show yet again as they were out of shape and way too open after it became 2-1, allowing the hosts to score freely and add three more to the tally.

#3. The Hale End boys stamp their mark

Injuries to senior defenders and Bukayo Saka has seen Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri take on more responsibility than expected this season. The former has been excellent at left-back and grabbed his first Premier League goal of the season. The latter also returned from a setback and scored, indicating the talent being produced at Arsenal's academy.

#2. The Arsenal vs Manchester City rivalry grows deeper

The two sides have enjoyed a heated rivalry over the past few seasons, with the Gunners emerging as the most credible threat against City's dominance. It came to the fore with some interesting moments in the game on Sunday. Gabriel appeared to celebrate in Haaland's face following the first goal while Lewis-Skelly copied the Norwegian striker's celebration after his strike, adding some tension to the clash.

#1. The title race might just not be over yet

Arsenal cut Liverpool's lead at the top to six points with the big morale-boosting win and look set to go on a winning run. While Arne Slot's men have looked prolific and ruthless for most of the season, things could get interesting if they drop a few points with Arteta's men right in the thick of things.