Arsenal v Manchester City (2024-25)

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Arsenal v Manchester City (2024–25)

Arsenal Manchester City 5 1
HT:1–0 Report
Event	Premier League 2024-25
Date	Sunday 2 February 2025
Venue	Emirates Stadium, London
Player of the Match	Kai Havertz
Referee	Peter Bankes
Attendance	60,355
Weather	8 °C (46 °F)
← Arsenal - Girona Man City - Brugge Arsenal - Newcastle Utd Man City - L Orient →

Arsenal v Manchester City was a match which took place at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday 2 February 2025.

Team News

Arsenal

Arsenal may have to make a late decision on the fitness of goalkeeper David Raya, who missed Wednesday's win at Girona because of a muscle injury.

Myles Lewis-Skelly is available, with his red card against Wolves having been overturned, but Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus are still sidelined.

Manchester City

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has reported no new injury concerns.

January signings Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis come back into contention after being ineligible against Club Brugge in midweek, while the fit-again Oscar Bobb could make his return.

Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Jeremy Doku and Rodri remain out.

Match facts

Head-to-head

• Manchester City won 12 consecutive Premier League games against Arsenal between 2017 and 2023 but are winless in the subsequent three meetings (D2, L1).
• The Gunners are vying to record back-to-back home league wins against City for the first time since a run of four victories between October 2005 and April 2009.

Arsenal

• Arsenal can extend their unbeaten run to 14 Premier League games, which would be their best run under Mikel Arteta. They last went 14 top-flight games undefeated between August and December 2018 when Unai Emery was in charge.
• Last weekend's 1-0 win at Molineux means Arsenal have the chance to claim successive clean sheets in the top flight for the first time since August.
• The Londoners have scored a league-high 12 set-piece goals this season (excluding penalties), while five of their last 10 goals versus City have come via corners.
• The Gunners have received 19 Premier League red cards since Arteta's first game in December 2019, more than any other side in that time.
• They are the only team in Premier League history to have won more games than they have lost when having a player sent off, claiming 38 victories compared to 35 defeats.

Manchester City

• The reigning champions are vying to win consecutive away league matches for the first time since August.
• City have scored 18 Premier League goals since Christmas, more than any other side prior to the latest round of fixtures, and are unbeaten in their past six league matches, claiming four wins.
• They have earned 17 points from losing positions in the Premier League this season, more than any other side.
• Five of their 12 league wins this term have come after conceding the first goal.
• They have conceded two top-flight goals from set-pieces this season (excluding penalties), a joint low with Brentford.
• Squad members aged 30 or over account for 39.6% of the total minutes by City players in the Premier League this season. It's the second highest such percentage the club has recorded in a season, behind Pep Guardiola's debut campaign in 2016-17.
• Savinho has been directly involved in five goals in his last six appearances in all competitions, scoring two and assisting three - one more than in his first 23 games for City.

Match Report

Arsenal moved to within six points of Premier League leaders Liverpool by thrashing Manchester City at Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners, who knew only a victory would suffice with Liverpool opening a commanding lead at the top of the table after winning at Bournemouth, responded by overpowering the fading champions in emphatic fashion.

Arsenal have played a game more than Liverpool, but this impressive victory at least means they remain in touching distance of Arne Slot's pace-setters.

City, as they had done against Chelsea eight days previously, gifted their opponents an early lead, this time inside two minutes when defender Manuel Akanji lost possession, Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard then steering in Kai Havertz's pass.

Arsenal were wondering whether they would regret Havertz's dreadful first-half miss when Erling Haaland headed City level after 55 minutes, but their lead was restored within two minutes when Thomas Partey's shot was deflected wide of keeper Stefan Ortega off John Stones.

And the points were made safe after 62 minutes as 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly fired home his first goal for Arsenal, Ortega getting a hand to his powerful shot but failing to keep it out.

As City crumbled once more in this season of turmoil, Havertz made up for his earlier miss by steering a precise left-foot finish into the far corner past Ortega with 14 minutes left.

It got even better for Arsenal as 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri, picked out superbly by Declan Rice, bent a fabulous shot into the far corner.

Arsenal are playing the role of hunters rather than hunted in this Premier League title race as they try to keep pace with Liverpool's relentless form at the top.

If there such a thing as a "must-win" game in early February, this was arguably it as Arsenal knew they could not afford to drop points.

Defeat would have left Arsenal nine points behind Liverpool having playing a game more. When they needed someone to step up, it was teenager Lewis-Skelly who settled any lingering nerves.

Having excelled with some powerful surges from defence in the first half, he allowed Arsenal to establish a two-goal cushion with his goal.

Erling Haaland demanded to know "who are you?" when he clashed with the youngster at the end of a fractious 2-2 draw at Etihad Stadium in September, when Lewis-Skelly was booked while warming up before coming on as a late substitute.

If Haaland did not know who Lewis-Skelly was then, the Norwegian marksman certainly knows now.

The manner and margin of Arsenal's win will surely fuel their self-belief as they try to chase down Liverpool.

And the second-half goal rush allowed Havertz to feel both relief and elation after a first-half miss, shooting wide with the goal at his mercy, that started to feel like a defining moment when Haaland levelled matters.

Instead, Emirates Stadium was a scene of raucous celebration at the final whistle as Arsenal's title bid received a real turbo charge.

Manchester City's alarming habit of crumbling was on show again. Just as against Paris St-Germain in the Champions League last month, four second-half goals were conceded in an extraordinary collapse.

This was a side who won an historic fourth successive Premier League title last season. Has an elite team's form ever fallen off a cliff to such an extent?

City had brief hope when Haaland equalised, but their demise was embarrassing once Arsenal quickly restored their lead, manager Pep Guardiola looking nonplussed and powerless in his technical area.

The injury to Rodri in the first meeting between these two clubs in September, which ruled the world-class midfielder out for the season, is understandably cited as a pivotal moment in the season - but it does not explain the sheer scale of City's capitulation both at home and in European competition.

City were shambolic in the closing half-hour, Arsenal threatening to score every time they went forward, the final whistle a merciful release from the beating being inflicted on them.

They face holders Real Madrid in the Champions League play-offs for place in the last 16. On this evidence, Kylian Mbappe and company will be licking their lips in anticipation.

Match

Details

2 February 2025 16:30 GMT	Arsenal	5–1	Manchester City	Emirates Stadium, London Attendance: 60,355 Referee: Peter Bankes
	Ødegaard  2' Partey  56' Lewis-Skelly  62' Havertz  76' Nwaneri  90+3'	HT:1–0 Report	Haaland  55'

Arsenal

Manchester City

22 David Raya 12 Jurriën Timber 25' 02 William Saliba 06 Gabriel 49 Myles Lewis-Skelly 90' 08 Martin Ødegaard 84' 71' 05 Thomas Partey 41 Declan Rice 11 Gabriel Martinelli 29 Kai Havertz 90' 19 Leandro Trossard 84' Substitutes: 03 Kieran Tierney 15 Jakub Kiwior 17 Oleksandr Zinchenko 20 Jorginho 23 Mikel Merino 84' 30 Raheem Sterling 90' 32 Neto 33 Riccardo Calafiori 90' 53 Ethan Nwaneri 84' Manager: Mikel Arteta

18 Stefan Ortega 27 Matheus Nunes 05 John Stones 25 Manuel Akanji 24 Joško Gvardiol 20 Bernardo Silva 08 Mateo Kovačić 47 Phil Foden 72' 07 Omar Marmoush 72' 26 Savinho 09 Erling Haaland Substitutes: 10 Jack Grealish 17 Kevin De Bruyne 72' 19 İlkay Gündoğan 22 Vitor Reis 33 Scott Carson 45 Abdukodir Khusanov 75 Nico O'Reilly 82 Rico Lewis 87 James McAtee 72' Manager: Pep Guardiola

Man of the Match: Kai Havertz Assistant referees: Eddie Smart Nick Greenhalgh Fourth official: Anthony Taylor VAR: Paul Tierney Assistant VAR: Craig Taylor

Match rules 90 minutes, no extra time or penalties. Three points awarded to winner, none to loser. One point awarded to each in the event of a draw. Nine named substitutes Maximum of five substitutions

Match Stats

Arsenal	Manchester City

Possession ball
45%	55%

Shots
12	7

Shots on target
7	4

Corners
5	2

Fouls
6	7

See also

• 2024–25 Premier League: Match day 24

External links

• Match report at BBC.co.uk
• Match report at Premier League.com

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