Watch: Gianluigi Donnarumma gaffe costs Manchester City early lead as Havertz jumps on mistake
Manchester City took an early lead on Arsenal thanks to a bit of brilliance from Cherki, but gave one right back with a terrible mistake from their keeper.
A feverish pace to the biggest match of the season was only topped by a brilliant goal followed by an inexplicable mistake by Manchester City keeper Gigi Donnarumma.
Donnarumma’s nightmare touch
Both teams created early chances as the match from the Etihad was broken wide open from the opening kick off. It took just over a quarter hour to break the deadlock, and it was Rayan Cherki’s individual bit of brilliance that did the trick. He danced past defenders in the area and finished with a class touch to beat Arsenal keeper David Raya.
For as brilliant as the first goal was, the equalizer from Arsenal jaw dropping for another reason. A pass back to keeper Gigi Donnarumma seemed about as routine of a play as the Italian will see all day, but a loose touch and a slow reaction allowed Kai Havertz to pounce. He stuck a foot in, deflected the clearance goalward scored one of the luckiest goals of his career.
It gave shades of Loris Karius for Liverpool against Real Madrid in the Champions League final. The stakes are high in this match from the Etihad, and sometimes a gaffe like that can have a lasting effect on a keeper.
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