Manchester City - Arsenal summary: score, goals & highlights, Premier League
Manchester City - Arsenal: as it happened
Let's leave it there.
Thanks for joining in with the coverage of what was, once again, another fascinating twist in this sensational race for the Premier League.
Joe
Full time thoughts:
It's advantage Liverpool who are the 'winners' on the day and sit 2 points ahead of Arsenal and 3 in front of City.
Pep Guardiola's side had the better chances as Arsenal went for carefulness over mindlessness and chose to sit back forlarge swathes of the game.
City did what City do, and passed the ball from left to right and back again, probing like a curious alien but there was no joy to be had and no Haaland to be found.
The biggest gasp from the fans came precisely from Erling in the second half: as City pressed, the wires got crossed inside Haaland's Skynet system and he missed the ball from just a few yards out: chances other than that for the Norwegian were few and far between.
A couple of through ball from Ødegaard had the potential to be dangerous but both sides danced the tactical tango perfectly well for 95 minutes, giving Klopp's side a reason to smile on Easter Sunday.
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 67 | 29 | 20 | 7 | 2 |
| 2 | 65 | 29 | 20 | 5 | 4 |
| 3 | 64 | 29 | 19 | 7 | 3 |
| 4 | 59 | 30 | 18 | 5 | 7 |
| 5 | 56 | 29 | 17 | 5 | 7 |
FULL-TIME!
The points are shared at the Etihad Stadium.
Martinelli latches onto Rice's long ball but Gvardiol pressures well and the Brazilian watches it dribble out for a City goal kick.
We're into the final 90 seconds... Arsenal have the ball at the back and are in no rush to move it forward.
Arsenal are doing well to stifle City in the final moments and have their fans furious in the stands.
Haaland gets on the end of the City corner but the header is weak and Raya collects.
Back underway. 5 added minutes.
Good news, City fans. The Norwegian machine is back on his feet.
Haaland is receiving treatment on the pitch.
Haaland is down with what looks like a head injury.
CHANCE. Ødegaard slides Trossard through the lines towards Trossard on the left.
The winger opts against squaring to Martinelli and goes alone, eventually seeing his shot towards Ortega saved from a tight angle.
What a waste from the Arsenal forward.
HUGE CHANCE. A city corner is headed towards the far post where Haaland is waiting all alone... his internal computer system glitches and he misses the ball completely!
Trossard opts to let the cross drop over his head at the far post as Grealish whips in.
Luckily, Doku thinks he's going for it and a result the ball bounces awkwardly off the winger when he could've had the perfect chance to shoot. Gasps from the City crowd, who knew that was a great chance.
Ødegaard mis-hits his pass through the lines towards Havertz and City recover the ball after a momentary second wind from their opponents.
Martinelli's first touch is a shot from the edge of the box and Dias does well to get a big header on the effort, sending it away from goal.
Into the final 10 minutes...
Another change for Arsenal:
OFF: Saka
ON: Martinelli
Doku sends his shot over the bar as City come again. The counter is led by the floppy mop of De Bruyne who burns past his marker on the left before smashing a typical cross from one side of the pitch to the other.
City really have Arsenal pinned back now as close in on the final 15 minutes. Crosses and flying in from left and right as the home side pick up the pace.
Blink and you miss it. Arsenal race forward and win a corner from nowhere. City were caught completely off guard as the game restarted quickly following the substitution.
Arsenal change:
OFF: Jesus
ON: Trossard
Twenty to go as City push. Watching Arsenal's defensive block is like watching a flock of starlings during murmuration. I don't quite know who's leading it and what shape they're in, but it's mesmerising.
CHANCE. I think. City get onto the edge of the Arsenal box but they can't get the final ball poked through the gap as legs in white and red shorts are swinging wildly to clear everything. First it's Bernardo, then Rodri, then Grealish. All blocked.
Jesus gets booked for being a naughty boy on his special day.
Let's see how those changes affect the game. For now, it's City with the ball as Arsenal's pressure has just dropped off.
Arsenal make changes:
OFF: Jorginho, Kiwior
ON: Tomiyasu, Partey
Silva has moved into the middle. Doku is on the right and Grealish on the left.
Arsenal manager Arteta is also planning changes.
Guardiola goes for attacking changes:
OFF: Kovacic, Foden
ON: Doku, Grealish
City win a free-kick as Ødegaard brings down Foden on the right side of the box.
It's comfortably defended by Arsenal.
City are in keep-ball mode but they're not having it their own way as Arsenal press high. Rodri fires towards goal from distance but his effort is blocked by Gabriel.
De Bruyne is caught offside on the right side and this decision forces Guardiola to almost chew the ear from Juanma Lillo's head, who is staring out into the distance.
Jesus may have cut his toenails too short but Declan Rice certainly hasn't.
He sticks his boot in on De Bruyne as the Belgian thunders through the middle of the pitch and the ex-West Ham midfielder's challenge to take the ball from his feet is superb!
City are not comfortable with this all-action Arsenal side who have replaced the hibernating bunnies we saw before the break.
CHANCE! The ball is fired across City's goal from the right side after a high turnover and Jesus can't get a toenail onto it!
Groans and moans and hands are on heads as Ødegaard sends a laser-guided arrow through the City defensive line towards Havertz, who doesn't read the glinting eyes of the Norwegian and the ball finds the warm embrace of Ortega.
Arsenal have upped the intensity in the first few minutes of this half and look even more like determined moles to dig their way through the City wall. There is much more of an obvious midfield battle rather than the passive style of play we saw in the first half from Arteta's side.
WIDE. Kovacic opens up his body and sends a curling effort just wide of the far post!
No changes for either side.
SECOND HALF UNDERWAY!
City get the ball rolling.
Second half coming up!
We've not seen any goals yet, or really any chances, but surely the second half will have all the entertainment!
Half-time thoughts:
It's felt more like a measured Champions League tie than a classic back-to-front Premier League bouncy ball competition.
Mikel Arteta has certainly put all of his Easter eggs in the basket of control, as Arsenal are sitting firmly on their haunches and waiting for counter attack moments as City hop around in horizontal lines ahead of them.
The best chance of the game probably fell to Gabriel Jesus, who smashed low and hard from close range, seeing his effort whizz past the post. Apart from that, it's been Kasparov vs Carlsen for 45 minutes.
HALF-TIME!
Serious faces from both sides as they head down the tunnel for the break.
Fans are furious as Saka wins a free-kick against De Bruyne as it looked like the English forward was about to race away on the counter.
2 added minutes.
City's 1,000 pass move breaks down as Foden goes for glory from the edge of the box. It's well blocked by Gabriel, who is down on the ground along with Ødegaard.
Another round of groans from the crowd as Akanji's header back towards Ortega is poor and the ball rolls out to gift Arsenal a corner.
The crowd, as I say, are not happy at this City performance as the home side can't seem to create a clear chance against TheGunners, who look solid and in no rush to get things going as we approach the break.
Rodri threw off his cape of invisibility, popping up in front of Gabriel as the cross was whipped in from the right. Another half chance goes missing for the home side who are becoming visibly and audibly frustrated, along with the crowd.
Haaland squeezes his hige frame in between Kiwior and Gabriel as the cross comes in from Foden on the left. There's no room for the Norwegian and he watches on as the ball flies out of play.
The flag goes up against Arsenal but again it's the away side with a move to put their opponents under pressure.
Jesus forgets it's a day for miracles and avoids shooting on the edge of the box despite, the space opening up as The Gunners counter again.
The ball is played towards Havertz but a red shirt is offside as the ball is flicked down the wing with City players falling over like bowling pins.
Kovacic forces the play and fires an ambitious, 30-yard through ball across the turf towards Foden on City's left. There's no chance he's getting to it and David Raya trots out to collect the ball.
WIDE. A blitzing counter attack from Arsenal is led by Ben White on the right side, who combines with every player on the pitch and in the Greater Manchester area before sending a cross towards the far post.
It's taken down and sent to Jesus on the edge of the box. The forward takes a touch, shapes to shoot and smashes a low effort wide of the near post.
Half an hour gone. No goals as of yet but lots of superb football and plenty of nervous fans.
Arsenal have been given the kiss of life after that change and are all of a sudden passing the ball around like we're used to seeing.
Back underway.
Aké went down off the ball and it looks from here like it could be a hamstring issue. We will wait and see.
City forced into an early change:
OFF: Aké
ON: Lewis
AKE IS OFF INJURED
CHANCE. Havertz slides for the ball inside the City box and looks to make contact with Ortega. It was a lightning attack from Arsenal, who had City scrambling and Jesus' ball was almost perfect for the German.
Kiwior gets a foot to Akanji's cross after the defender is sent racing down the right side by a De Bruyne flick around the corner. City are still pushing...
Arsenal have had 27% possession so far. Their counter-attack game plan is clear.
A couple of sloppy passes from City, first from Akanji and then Foden, allow Arsenal to recover the possession and break away at speed. Juanma Lillo and Pep Guardiola are having strong words on the bench.
A sublime challenge from Gvardiol takes the ball from Saka who had recovered possession and was on a one man mission to threaten Ortega in the City goal. What a delightful moment of defensive timing.
City have Arsenal squeezed back into their defensive third as they try different shaped keys in the lock.
Eyebrows are raised around the ground as Arsenal try a fancy training ground routine, placing all their players at the far post before running into their pre-planned positions. It's all for nothing as Ortega catches the ball.
SAVE. Ake gets a head on the corner whipped close to goal. Raya looks down and sees it has unbelievably landed at his feet.
Arsenal attack and win a corner of their own.
Gvardiol takes one touch too many against Saka and ends up with a corner after bursting down the left side.
Ortega comes off his line to catch White's cross after Arsenal broke quickly down the right. No danger for the German.
Arsenal's narrow lines are doing their jobs well as City continue to tap, tap, tap from one side of the pitch to the other. No breaks in the forcefield just yet.
Gabriel sweeps up a through ball towards Haaland. Calm concentration from The Gunners.
City are doing well to keep the ball as Arsenal shuffle from left to right and left again in their defensive block. Guardiola's side are probing like curious aliens.
CHANCE. Jesus strikes low and hard towards the near post after controlling White's cross from the right on his chest. His shot skims just wide fromclose range.
A nice move from the away side and that's the first attack they've had.
It's a strong start from City, spurred on by the screaming fans. Arsenal need to keep their cool and ride through the pressure.
CHANCE. Gvardiol collects the clearance and charges down the right where he lofts a cross towards Haaland, but it floats agonisingly over his head.
The ball is swung towards the far post where Haaland is waiting, but White gets a head on the cross to play it behind for a corner.
Bernardo comes at Arsenal and skips past Kiwior on the right wing before being brought down by Jesus on the right corner of the box.
Free-kick to City.
An early shout for a penalty as Gabriel sticks a foot in on Haaland who races in behind, but the flag is up for offside against the Norwegian.
City immediately put Arteta's side under pressure and win the ball back, beginning their possession game around the back line.
And we're off!
The away side get us rolling from right to left on the pristine pitch.
Here come the players!
What an atmosphere inside the stadium as the players make their way out of the tunnel and onto the pitch!
Fans protesting against prices
A fan-made banner that referenced 'record prices' has reportedly been taken down inside the stadium.
THE PLAYERS ARE IN THE TUNNEL
We're minutes from kick-off and almost ready to go!
Today's subs:
CITY: Carson, Stones, Grealish, Doku, Álvarez, Gomez, Nunes, Bobb, Lewis
ARSENAL: Ramsdale, Zinchenko, Tomiyasu, Vieira, Partey, Smith Rowe, Martinelli, Trossard, Nketiah
As tight as you can get!
The voting stops in just over 10 minutes, which is exactly how long we've got until kick-off. Get your vote in and drop us your score prediction in the replies!
Pre-game prep underway
Both sides are finishing their warmups ahead of kick-off. Arsenal, for their part, are wearing an incredibly interesting shirt.
Eek, look away Arsenal fans
It's not pretty viewing for The Gunners ahead of the game today, as their record against Pep Guardiola is terrible.
The Spaniard has won all of his games at home against Arsenal, keeping 3 clean sheets and scoring 19 goals.
Both teams are out on the pitch!
As the fans pack the stadium to the rafters, the atmosphere is building and the players are out on the pitch going through their warmup routines.
Here's the table ahead of kick-off
With Liverpool's narrow win over Brighton, they sit 3 points clear of Arsenal and 4 points ahead of Manchester City.
That means a win for either side won't change who leads the race, but it will have a huge impact on the title chances for both teams. The win for Klopp's side certainly increases the pressure to perform as the clock ticks towards kick-off...
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 67 | 29 | 20 | 7 | 2 |
| 2 | 64 | 28 | 20 | 4 | 4 |
| 3 | 63 | 28 | 19 | 6 | 3 |
| 4 | 59 | 30 | 18 | 5 | 7 |
| 5 | 56 | 29 | 17 | 5 | 7 |
A reminder of the starting XIs:
MANCHESTER CITY
GK: Ortega
DEF: Akanji - Dias - Ake - Gvardiol
MID: Rodrigo - Kovacic - De Bruyne - Bernardo - Foden
ATT: Haaland
ARSENAL
GK: Raya
DEF: White - Saliba - Gabriel - Kiwior
MID: Rice - Jorginho - Ødegaard
ATT: Saka - Gabriel - Havertz
Kovacic has a massive job on his hands
The Croatian has a huge task today helping Rodri in the middle of the park as City are without both Stones and Walker in defence.
The ex-Madrid midfielder has shown his talent for plenty of years in the Premier League and he's been called upon today by Guardiola to play in the heart of the City system.
Here's a lovely graphic from the boffins at BeSoccerPro for you to drool over as we count down to kick-off.
Full time at Anfield!
Liverpool are the Premier League leaders for the weekend after beating Brighton by 2 goals to 1.
FT | Liverpool 2-1 Brighton
Welbeck 2'
Díaz 27', Salah 65'
Here's a reminder of all the television and streaming info you need if you want to watch the game today at the Etihad Stadium.
We've got a lovely kit battle as well!
I was slightly worried that we'd end up with fluorescent Arsenal today, but luckily The Gunners will be playing in their classic red and white strip for the tie.
DAVID CLIFF / EFE
Who to watch: Kai Havertz
The German has had a constant question mark floating over his head, ever since he first moved to England to play for Chelsea, with nobody quite sure where his best position was on the pitch.
Now, however, it seems that he's in the form of his life and has scored in each of his last four Premier League appearances - his best record to date.
Could he be the man to keep City off Arsenal's coat tails?
Less than ten to go in Liverpool vs Brighton
Liverpool are on the ropes as the clock ticks down and Brighton are pressing for what would be a late earthquake on the Premier League table.
Did you know???
Arsenal have lost their last seven games against City, which is their worst losing run in over 60 years.
The last time they lost so many on the bounce was against Leeds United between the years of 1958 and 1968. They probably got more cuts and cruises back then, as well.
How things look at the top:
It’s as tight as a duck’s tail feathers at the top with all of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City separated by mere atoms as they fight it out for the title.
Liverpool’s result against Brighton, with 10 minutes to go, means that they would stay top unless Arsenal win today.
We’re splitting hairs behind Klopp's side, with City on 63 and Arsenal on 64; Arteta’s team do have - perhaps surprisingly - a better goal difference than their northern rivals: +39 to City’s +35.
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 67 | 29 | 20 | 7 | 2 |
| 2 | 64 | 28 | 20 | 4 | 4 |
| 3 | 63 | 28 | 19 | 6 | 3 |
| 4 | 59 | 30 | 18 | 5 | 7 |
| 5 | 56 | 29 | 17 | 5 | 7 |
Pep Guardiola pre-game quotes:
People cannot imagine how difficult it is – can’t figure this out for one second. To fight for one title that you haven’t won for many years is ‘wow, it is easy'.
But now being for many, many years still being there [competing] is ‘wow’. The benchmark for the new generations in this club, for what we have done is really, really good.
The quality Liverpool have, Arsenal too to win, I don’t know how many games in a row, score a lot of goals, the quality they play so I don’t think so.
I know my team when it’s close to the end, they do everything – they [Arsenal and Liverpool] will do too. So that’s why Sunday is the final absolutely.
Both sides arrive at the Etihad Stadium...
The two squads have arrived at the stadium as the fans also make their way through the turnstiles and into their seats. The atmosphere is building with just under an hour to go!
ARSENAL STARTING XI!
Jesus returns! The Brazilian is back into the side to replace Trossard in Arteta's line up.
CITY XI REVEALED!
Haaland lines up ahead of De Bruyne in a strong XI for the home side, but there's no Ederson, who misses out.
SCORE UPDATE:
Mo Salah has put Liverpool ahead against Brighton.
Liverpool 2-1 Brighton (65 mins played)
Welbeck 2'
Díaz 27', Salah 65'
A reminder of the team news:
We've got just a few minutes to go before the two starting XIs are announced, so here's a reminder of who is ready - or not - to play:
CITY
OUT: Stones, Walker
FIT: Manuel Akanji, Kevin de Bruyne and Matheus Nunes, Ederson
ARSENAL
DOUBTS: Gabriel, Bakayo Saka & Gabriel Martinelli
OUT: Timber
Arsenal recent trips to the Etihad
· 14 Dec 2013 Manchester City 6-3 Arsenal
· 18 Jan 2015 Manchester City 0-2 Arsenal
· 8 May 2016 Manchester City 2-2 Arsenal
· 18 Dec 2016 Manchester City 2-1 Arsenal
· 5 Nov 2017 Manchester City 3-1 Arsenal
· 3 Feb 2019 Manchester City 3-1 Arsenal
· 17 June 2020 Manchester City 3-0 Arsenal*
· 17 Oct 2020 Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal*
· 28 Aug 2021 Manchester City 5-0 Arsenal*
· 26 Apr 2023 Manchester City 4-1 Arsenal*
*With Arteta as manager
City stat breakdown:
City's Twitter account have provided us with a handy graphic packed with stats. Get them into your eyes as we await the team news!
Liverpool vs Brighton is back underway...
I'll keep you updated with any score changes in that game.
Want to watch the game? Here is all the television and streaming info you need if you want to watch Pep Guardiola’s City host Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal on Premier League match day 30.
Mikel Arteta pre-game press quotes:
It’s a massive game for both teams, that’s for sure, because it will give us a huge push again if we go there and win it, but I still feel there is a long, long way after to make all the ground to win it.
We have to embrace the moment, we need to go day-by-day, train really well and prepare for every match and see where this can take us.
We’ve done a lot already to be in the position that we are in and now we have to embrace and enjoy the moment and go for it.
MATTHEW CHILDS / Action Images via Reuters
Who's the ref?
You can tick off Anthony Taylor from your Premier League Referees: A Spotter’s Guide today as he is the man in charge of this crucial title decider.
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Assistants: Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn
Fourthofficial: Tom Bramall
VAR: Jarred Gillett
AssistantVAR: Darren Cann
PREMIER LEAGUE SCORE UPDATE:
Liverpool are currently level with Brighton at the break, meaning they are just one point ahead of Arsenal and two in front of City.
1-1 Welbeck 2', Díaz 27' | HT
Easter Sunday is serving up some delicious football
Whether you celebrate on the street, love a chocolate egg or just watch James Bond all day, you can be sure that plenty of people's Easter Sunday plans are revolving around the Etihad Stadium this afternoon.
And don't worry, I'll leave any religious puns to the commentators with the microphones, who are champing at the bit...
SOLD OUT!!!
The Etihad Stadium is the venue for today’s game. The 53,400-capacity arena is the 6th largest football stadium in England and has seen incrediblelevels of success on the field since its opening in 2003.
While it might not have the best atmosphere in England week after week, the City faithful are as loyal as they come and we’re definitely expecting a rock and roll noise once the ball starts rolling this afternoon!
Here's how things look before the storm...
It's Manchester, so rain is extremely unlikely. If you're not used to the weather in England's north-west, please be advised that rain is exceedingly infrequent and this cold weather is but a mirage.
Wait, when's kick-off?
Great question.
With clocks going backwards, forwards and sideways in some sort of Einsteinian Netfilx mini-series, here’s a reminder of what time we get rolling today.
The game is set to start in around 90 minutes from now, at 11:30 a.m. / 8:30 a.m. PT.
Arsenal team news
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta told the media ahead of kick-off that "there is a chance" that all of Gabriel, Bakayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli will be fit and firing for the game.
Timber is the only longer term absence for the London side.
Manchester City team news
Good news, Arsenal fans (not for the rest of us watching), as Manchester City are without a couple of key players for the game.
Manager Pep Guardiola announced ahead of the game that John Stones and Kyle Walker are indeed out of contention today with injuries that they picked up while on international duty with England.
The good news is that Manuel Akanji, Kevin de Bruyne and Matheus Nunes have been given the green light, as has Ederson who is likely to start the game.
ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP
Arsenal mini catch-up:
But this time, City are not running the race to the finish line on their own!
Arsenal have been around to play and they’re here to stay for the season, looking to go one better than their nearly-campaign last season. Arteta has his side well-drilled and playing some sublime football, well worthy of their position in the table to keep City on their toes.
And we can’t forget Liverpool, who will be watching the game with keen eyes and nervously chewed fingernails, hoping for no points to be awarded to either side for accidentally going too far with the Premier League branding and fielding a real-life lion.
DARREN STAPLES / AFP
City mini catch-up:
As usual, Manchester City are making the Premier League run to the title look like a walk in the sponsor-filled neon lion part of the zoo.
Pep Guardiola has raced towards the top with his star-studded squad who look as ferocious as ever; the Champions League and FA Cup dreams are also alive with the elusive treble they managed last season a possibility yet again.
Injuries have hit City hard across the campaign which has added an extra layer to the Premier League onion, but for now they're making a good meal of fighting on all fronts.
We have a huge game ahead of us...
Arsenal travel to Manchester City’s Etihad stadium.
Can City close the gap and overtake the Gunners, or will Arsenal pull off the unthinkable, beating Guardiola’s side on his own patch and pushing them further away from the finish line?
Welcome to the Manchester City - Arsenal live coverage!
Rejoice! The international break is over!
Well, well, well, here we are, football fans. It does not get much bigger than this.
In what might be the best title race we’ve seen in the last decade or more, two of the teams at the top go head to head in the Premier League.
It's Joe here to guide you through the fun and games as the action unfolds.