Three players who really let Arsenal down as Man City demolish them in the title clash
Arsenal went into Wednesday night's match against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium knowing that a win was crucial for their title ambitions. However, they were no match for Pep Guardiola's unstoppable team, who were already favorites to clinch the Premier League title. The match was dominated by Kevin de Bruyne, who set the tone for the evening by scoring the first goal in the seventh minute. John Stones scored the second goal just before halftime, and De Bruyne added a third after the break, leaving Arsenal's title bid in tatters. Rob Holding managed to score a consolation goal for Arsenal, but it was not enough to prevent City from scoring their fourth goal, courtesy of Erling Haaland.
Martin Odegaard, who had been leading by example as captain, was almost invisible in this crucial match. The Norwegian midfielder, who had been praised by Guardiola before the match, failed to create the glut of goalscoring opportunities that Arsenal's frontline had become accustomed to this season. Arsenal's midfield failed to gain any control of the match after De Bruyne's early goal, and Odegaard was replaced by Emile Smith Rowe in the 71st minute.
Meanwhile, Thomas Partey was tasked with the crucial role of stopping De Bruyne from making City tick. However, the Ghanaian midfielder was left chasing shadows for most of the night as De Bruyne dominated the game. Partey was also directly responsible for City's third goal, which De Bruyne scored following a neat one-two with Haaland.
Unfortunately for Arsenal, Rob Holding was unable to contain Haaland, who had already outperformed him in a previous match earlier in the season. Holding was left on a hiding to nothing on a damaging night for Arsenal.
Overall, Arsenal's big players failed to deliver in this crucial match. They lacked the creativity and control that they had shown earlier in the season, and were no match for a dominant Manchester City side. The defeat leaves Arsenal with a mountain to climb in their pursuit of the Premier League title, and they will need to improve significantly if they are to have any chance of winning it this season.
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