Manchester City 5-0 Arsenal
The Arsenal team talk would have been a simple one: play with caution (even if that meant initial lack of ambition), don’t allow your opponents any one-on-one chances and keep it simple.
You could picture Michael Arteta addressing his players ahead of this daunting trip to the reigning Premier League champions in the wake of two opening league defeats in which his side had conceded four and were yet to score.
So, to go a goal behind inside seven minutes and then concede a second just five minutes later must have gone against everything Arteta and his coaching staff had told the players in red and white.
From that point onwards, it was quite clear to most, including this SBOTOP observer, that the match was already over as a contest and Arsenal would not be showing any of the fighting spirit and character previous teams had displayed.
Getting rid of this promising young manager (Arteta) is probably not the answer – although the Premier League betting odds on him staying in charge are slashed with each passing defeat –as it seems a culture change is needed among some Gunners.
They were truly shocking at the Etihad and have now lost their opening three fixtures of a league campaign for the first time since the 1954-55 season.
Highlights of the game
After starting the season with surprise defeat at Spurs, since when they have been forced to give up in their quest to sign England captain Harry Kane (at least this season) Manchester City were certainly in no mood to let another North London opponent off the hook – even one as poor as Arsenal.
Indeed, manager Pep Guardiola named the same side that thrashed Norwich 5-0 last weekend.
After back-to-back defeats which meant the road for Arteta and Arsenal was only getting bumpier, four changes were made from the Gunners’ 2-0 loss to London rivals Chelsea.
Martin Odegaard, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Calum Chambers and Sead Kolasinac came in, with Bukayo Saka fit to play despite hurting his knee in the midweek League Cup win over West Brom.
From the first whistle, the Premier League highlights all belonged to City.
Seven minutes in and, after a driving run from midfield from Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus delivered a pinpoint cross and Ilkay Gundogan was left unmarked to head home with ease.
Just 12 minutes had elapsed when Cedric Soares missed Silva’s ball into the box and it squirmed through to Ferran Torres who tapped in.
When the undisciplined Granit Xhaka was dismissed 10 minutes before the break for a two-footed tackle on Joao Cancelo – although he didn’t make contact with his opponent – the visitors’ misery was clear.
Yet it wasn’t over as Jesus added a third just before the break, again left unmarked.
City were in cruise control, Arsenal were in disarray.
At that point I may as well have filed my report.
Yet there was still another 45 minutes to come and there was always likely to be more goals. Indeed, but for Bernd Leno, making his 100th Premier League appearance for the club, it could have been worse.
Sure enough, eight minutes after the restart and Rodri swept a curling right-foot shot expertly into the bottom right corner.
Then, six minutes from the end, more shocking defending as Torres nodded in the fifth from close range.
That was set up by substitute, Riyad Mahrez, as if further outlining City’s strength in depth.
As strange as it may seem after a second successive 5-0 romp, and despite what some pundits will have you believe, I do not believe City will retain their title without an out-and-out centre forward.
That discussion will be off the agenda though for a while. All the talk after this will be about the embarrassment of Arsenal. Three league games in: none scored, nine conceded, rock bottom of the table.
Key statistics
City are unbeaten in their last 12 league matches against Arsenal (won 10, drawn two).
This was Arsenal’s ninth consecutive Premier League defeat against City, a new record for their longest top-flight losing streak against a single opponent.
Arsenal fell 2-0 behind within 12 minutes against City, which is the earliest they have conceded twice from the start of a Premier League match since December 2017 v Manchester United (11 minutes).
City have opened the scoring in each of their last 11 Premier League meetings with Arsenal, with eight of those opening goals coming in the first 20 minutes.
Since the start of the 2016-17 season, no player has been sent off more often in the Premier League than Xhaka (four, level with Fernandinho and David Luiz).
City have not lost two of their opening three league fixtures since the 2004-05 season.
Guardiola’s side have won their last three home games 5-0. The only other team to win three consecutive Premier League home matches by five goals or more was Chelsea in 2010.
What’s next?
After the international break, City travel to FA Cup winners Leicester in a repeat of this month’s Community Shield before hosting Southampton a week later.
That is sandwiched between their first Champions League match against RB Leipzig in Group A as they aim to go one better in the competition than last season.
For the first time in a quarter of a century, Arsenal do not have to worry about Europe. They should find some respite, and perhaps some returning key players, with a home match against newly-promoted Norwich next before a trip to Burnley on September 18.
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