09:06 PM
GOAAAAAL! Arsenal 1 Man City 2
City retake the lead! Grealish it is! And it’s another defensive error from Arsenal.
Gabriel passes straight to Bernardo Silva, who finds Haaland running through to the edge of the box, he squares it to Gundogan, who then steps over it to leave Grealish in space 15 or so yards out on the left of the box. His shot is deflected, which takes it beyond the outstretched right arm of Ramsdale…
A bit of luck? Yes. But Arsenal have been looking dodgy at the back this half.
A pretty big celebation from Grealish, there.
09:04 PM
71 mins – Arsenal 1 Man City 1
This game is increasingly tetchy and disjointed.
09:03 PM
68 mins – Arsenal 1 Man City 1
Zinchenko makes a mistake on the edge of his own box… not sure what he was trying to do but he dallied and couldn’t find his team-mate.
Bernardo collects the ball, plays in Haaland but the Norwegian can only take it right and away from goal before Ramsdale collects. Danger and Arsenal living a bit close to the line now.
09:01 PM
67 mins – Arsenal 1 Man City 1
City now have a free-kick about 10 yards out from the left corner of the box. Grealish was fouled. De Bruyne stands over it.
The ball comes in, the ball is headed by Rodri, saved by Ramsdale, and then the follow-up shot is cleared off the line!
09:00 PM
65 mins – Arsenal 1 Man City 1
A good chance for Arsenal! Tomiyasi crosses from the right after a through-ball from Odegaard, Nketiah checks his run but can’t quite get to the ball as he slides in at the six-yard box.
08:59 PM
63 mins – Arsenal 1 Man City 1
It’s all getting bitty now. Grealish booked, and then Nketiah booked for a late challenge. This game has all the vibes of a Clasico from around 10 years ago. Great game for the first half, then it gets to the hour mark and Sergio Ramos does his best to make a hundred fouls and Sergio Busquets starts rolling around on the floor for three minutes.
08:54 PM
61 mins – Arsenal 1 Man City 1
Mahrez off and Akanji on for City.
08:54 PM
59 mins – Arsenal 1 Man City 1
Haaland wipes out Gabriel with an elbow to the back of the neck as the ball came over. He saw where he was and, whether he meant it or not, that is definitely a foul and should be at least a yellow. Doesn’t appear to be, though.
08:50 PM
56 mins – PENALTY TO CITY? NO.
Gabriel tussles with Jesus and pulls down Haaland as they enter the box on the right, though it started before. Anthony Taylor points to the spot… but it looks like Haaland is just offside.
They do a Var check and it is confirmed he was offside. Gabriel’s booking is wiped off. Unbooked as it were.
08:49 PM
55 mins – Arsenal 1 Man City 1
Grealish looking dangerous charging forward with the ball at his feet but his pass to Mahrez on the right wing is poor and overhit.
08:47 PM
53 mins – Arsenal 1 Man City 1
Arsenal try to counter but lose the ball with a sloppy pass. The crowd really up again here, especially after Arteta’s little intervention on the touchline. Odegaard thinks he’s fouled by Bernardo Silva on the left touchline but he’s not, he’s really not. The ball goes out for a City throw.
Still fairly intense early in the second half. Very enjoyable, though.
08:45 PM
50 mins – Arsenal 1 Man City 1
Martinelli to Zinchenko on the left, but he hesistates in getting a cross or pass away and Mahrez steals the ball, only for Haaland and De Bruyne to lose it. They do win a throw, though.
A bit of argy-bargy with Arteta, who moves the ball away from the Belgian with his feet. The City player wants to take the throw quickly and then shoves the Arsenal manager, who was being a bit pesky there.
08:42 PM
48 mins – Arsenal 1 Man City 1
Grealish dances back towards his own penalty box but eventually finds a blue shirt at the end of it, starting a move from deep. City recycling the ball in the early part of this half.
08:41 PM
47 mins – Arsenal 1 Man City 1
Tomiyasu booked, for timewasting, I think.
08:39 PM
KICK OFF: Arsenal 1 Man City 1
We’re back under way again. Bernardo Silva is still on the pitch. Will he end the game on the pitch? Probably not, one way or the other.
08:39 PM
Apologies to Bukayo Saka
Earlier I wrote that he was fouled again by Bernardo Silva “and rightly so”. I (obviously) meant Bernardo Silva was “rightly” booked for fouling Saka again, which I failed to mention.
08:32 PM
Arsenal look the more likely to win this game as it stands
It’s probably going to be a case of who takes their chances, though. Aside from the City goal it’s not like they’ve had a bagful of good chances. But they are always going to be dangerous.
08:27 PM
More detailed match stats at half-time
08:26 PM
Sam Dean’s half-time verdict
This is a brilliant game. Two teams going for it, trying to play through their opponents and pressing high. Arsenal are more than holding their own against the champions and, on the overall balance of play, have surely been the better side.
For those who are interested in such things, here’s the possession and pass count from the first half:
Possession: Arsenal 60 – 40 City
Accurate passes: Arsenal 218 – 172 City
08:24 PM
HALF-TIME: Arsenal 1 Man City 1
Well, that was a half that was deserving of the billing.
08:22 PM
45+4 mins – Arsenal 1 Man City 1
Haaland wins a free kick in a dangerous area. From the left side, just outside the box. The cross comes in from Mahrez, the ball bounces to Rodri, who heads the ball down, it glances off Ake and onto the crossbar and behind for a corner as Ramsdale clears the danger.
08:19 PM
Watch: the penalty incident
What do you reckon? Yes or no.
08:18 PM
45+2 mins – Arsenal 1 Man City 1
Six minutes of added time here. City come again through De Bruyne, whose cross from the left is overhit and misplaced.
08:17 PM
45 mins – Arsenal 1 Man City 1
Did Arsenal deserve that? Yeah, probably. Saka has been kicked all over the place tonight.
Arsenal counter through Saka on the right… he has Tomiyasu for support to his left… and Saka is fouled (again!) by Bernardo Silva, who is booked. Rightly so.
08:12 PM
GOAL! Arsenal 1 Man City 1
Saka sends Ederson the wrong way, slotting into the left corner of the net with the inside of his left foot!
All square at the Emirates…
08:11 PM
39 mins – PENALTY TO ARSENAL!
Arsenal nearly have the ball in the back of the net after Nketiah slides a low shot through goalwards, chasing onto a through ball. Ake clears off the line, but the referee Anthony Taylor points to the spot!
It’s Ederson who clattered into Nketiah after he shot, that’s why… seems fair. He’s already been booked but escapes a sending off here.
Saka to take…
08:08 PM
Sam Dean on that Tomiyasu mistake
Takehiro Tomiyasu was the surprise inclusion tonight, with Ben White dropping to the bench, and the decision has not paid off. It’s not an awful error by the Japanese international but it was all that City and Kevin De Bruyne needed… that’s what they do: one mistake and you’re dead.
The Emirates crowd sings Tomiyasu’s name in response.
08:08 PM
37 mins – Arsenal 0 Man City 1
Arsenal still looking pretty determined and dogged. Plenty of stray passes from both sides in a game of high intensity.
08:06 PM
35 mins – Arsenal 0 Man City 1
A bit of a lull in procedings as Arsenal try to regroup after going down. They had a couple of good chances immediately after going down and have been, on balance, the better side. But still they trail.
Ederson booked for time-wasting after a City free-kick in their own box.
08:04 PM
33 mins – Arsenal 0 Man City 1
Walker is back up and will rejoin play. He does so a little early, kicking the ball before he is officially back on the pitch and picks up a booking. All a bit silly.
08:03 PM
31 mins – Arsenal 0 Man City 1
The Emirates crowd are up, if a little nervous after that. Walker wins a free-kick after Martinelli nudges him into his back and sends him head over heels almost as he was goign for a header, landing flat on his back. A definte foul, whatever the protests are. Should be in the book in my book.
Walker is down for a bit… looked like his head hit the ground.
08:00 PM
28 mins – Arsenal 0 Man City 1
Another good chance for Arsenal. Or it should have been…
Odegaard finds Saka on the right edge of the box, but he takes too much time and cannot get a shot away as blue shirts swarm around him and City clear the danger. Think he was offside, though, on replay.
07:59 PM
27 mins – Arsenal 0 Man City 1
Martinelli sends in the ball from the left, it’s deflected to Tomiyasu who is in space 12 yards out… it’s coming from high but he cannot get over it and fires it over the bar. Should have done better but a difficult chance.
07:57 PM
GOAAAAAAL: Arsenal 0 Man City 1
City break down the left… Tomiyasu appears to have the danger sorted, though Grealish is hassling him… apart from his ball back to Ramsdale is a long way short and Kevin De Bruyne takes it right in his stride, lifting it first time over the Arsenal keeper from 23 yards with his left foot. A wonderful finish and a howler from the Arsenal defender.
07:53 PM
22 mins – Arsenal 0 Man City 0
Odegaard with a lovely touch to find Martinelli in the middle, the play comes through a second phase, Zinchenko sends in a superb cross to Nketiah who is unmarked and just yards from goal… he gets his head on it but sends it painfully wide!
That’s poor, really poor. He has to score there.
07:51 PM
21 mins – Arsenal 0 Man City 0
Saka just caught by Ake on the follow-through of a pass? No. I think the Arsenal player just goes over on his ankle a bit but looks fine.
07:49 PM
19 mins – Arsenal 0 Man City 0
Haaland with another burst down the left but he is stopped by Zinchenko and Arsenal regain possesion. Arsenal probably marginally the better side… well, maybe not, but City currently look the better side.
07:47 PM
15 mins – Arsenal 0 Man City 0
Mahrez pings a ball into Haaland from the right corner of the box. The big Norwegian breaks into space, past Tomiyasu at the far post. Haaland gets a left boot on it to try and direct it goalwards but instead it runs across the face of the goal. Danger for Arsenal, there.
07:44 PM
13 mins – Arsenal 0 Man City 0
Cries for an Arsenal penalty as Ake dives in low to head the ball away as he challenges Nketiah for a cross in. It goes the other way though, despite the Arsenal man ending up on the floor.
The boot wasn’t really that high, and Ake was diving… but I think Nketiah would have seen that when he went to challenge. Hmmm. Maybe a tad harsh. Definitely not a penalty, though. In this universe or any other.
07:42 PM
10 mins – Arsenal 0 Man City 0
Tomiyasu gives the ball away in the City half but City do not then do much with it and Arsenal come again.
07:40 PM
Sam Dean from the Emirates
Bernardo Silva’s positioning today will be fascinating. Nominally he’s playing as a central midfielder, but when Arsenal have had the ball so far he’s been the man closest to Bukayo Saka.
Bernardo as a makeshift left-back? Seems unlikely, and probably unwise. And yet here we are. As the game goes on, it will surely be Nathan Ake who takes the lead in dealing with Saka… but perhaps not.
07:39 PM
9 mins – Arsenal 0 Man City 0
This time a foul by Bernardo Silva on Saka is picked up.
07:38 PM
7 mins – Arsenal 0 Man City 0
Corner to City comes after Grealish picks up the ball the ball and drives through, trying to find a blue shirt in the box but it’s knocked behind for a corner. Probably a foul on Saka by Bernardo Silva in the build-up though and that was not spotted or given.
07:36 PM
6s min – Arsenal 0 Man City 0
City’s first attack comes through Haaland, who gets past Gabriel and Zinchenko with ease and strength on the right touchline, but then the attack breaks down soon after.
07:35 PM
4 mins – Arsenal 0 Man City 0
The two teams line-up quite high as the ball is put down. Odegaard lifts it in with his left foot but it’s headed away by Kevin De Bruyne and there is no real follow-up threat from the red shirts.
07:34 PM
3 mins – Arsenal 0 Man City 0
Arsenal with the vast majority of the ball in this opening few minutes. Tomiyasu drives down the left. Diaz is penalised for a foul on Nketiah and it definitely was, through the back. It’s on the right, probably about 36 yards out.
07:32 PM
1 min – Arsenal 0 Man City 0
A half-chance for Arsenal… Martinelli plays in Nketiah on the left of the box, it’s blocked and deflected out to Xhaka, whose shot from 16 yards or so is overhit and goes nowhere near the goal.
07:31 PM
KICK OFF: Arsenal vs Man City
City get the game under way. Again, I’ve said it before, nice to see both teams wearing their traditional home kits. Including white shorts on both. None of that “have to have different coloured shorts” nonsense that we seem to see so much of these days.
07:28 PM
Kick-off approaches
Predictions? 2-1 City, for me.
07:25 PM
Haaland is a key man tonight
Plenty of goals for him so far this year… any more tonight? I am going to say… yeah. Two.
07:20 PM
A reminder of the line-ups with 10 minutes until kick-off
07:16 PM
And how big a miss will Partey be?
07:12 PM
How much of an impact can this man have tonight?
07:06 PM
Arteta won’t be able to do this on the pitch today
But he will be hoping for a reason to celebrate after 90 minutes this evening.
07:01 PM
Arsenal’s recent league record against City is bad
It makes for grim reading for Arsenal fans, especially in the league. Arsenal have only taken two points since the start of 2016, and have lost their last 10 league games against City.
The aggregate score for those 10 games would be 26-3, with the last time Arsenal beat City in the league coming in December 2015.
06:54 PM
Man City’s form since the start of the year
W 0-1 vs Chelsea (A)
W 4-0 vs Chelsea (H) (FA Cup)
L 2-0 vs Southampton (A) (EFL Cup)
L 2-1 vs Manchester United (A)
W 4-2 vs Tottenham Hotspur (H)
W 3-0 vs Wolves (H)
W 1-0 vs Arsenal (H) (FA Cup)
L 0-1 vs Arsenal (A)
W 3-1 vs Aston Villa (H)
Six wins, three losses. So/so.
06:48 PM
Pep Guardiola speaks
“I decided with this line up, I could choose another one.
Of course. Great stadium, atmosphere. Many years Arsenal are waiting for this moment. Mikel and his team really changed the team. They will create a lot of challenges and we have to handle it otherwise it will be difficult.”
06:44 PM
Mikel Arteta speaks to Amazon Prime Video
On losing Thomas Partey:
“It’s what happens in football, unfortunately. Thomas felt something in his back muscle and he wasn’t available to play today. That’s why we brought [Jorginho] him here for these occasions.
That was a possibility, he has the opportunity today. Tommy [Tomiyasu, in for Ben White] deserves the chance as well, you need to be very adaptable in this game and Tommy has this quality and we are going to give him a chance.”
On how they respond to the blip in form:
“Keep doing the same and better, but be more efficient. We have dominated the games and created enough chances to win. Small margins dictate results.
The game will have momentums that will shift and we are going to need these people to be right behind us to create a special atmosphre today.”
On facing Pep Guardiola:
“You know what he goes through, they have so many options. You see the capabilities they have to change formation, to change players, to adapt players to other positions. We have to stick to who we are and do our best.”
On what the fans can do:
“We need these people to turn this place absolutelymental and help the team to win the game.”
06:34 PM
Team news
Arsenal
Starting XI: Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Xhaka, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Nketiah.
Subs: Turner, White, Tierney, Kiwior, Holding, Vieira, Trossard, Nelson, Cozier-Duberry
Manchester City
Starting XI: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Ake, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Gundogan (C), Bernardo, Mahrez, Grealish, Haaland
Subs: Ortega Moreno, Phillips, Laporte, Alvarez, Gomez, Akanji, Foden, Palmer, Lewis
06:30 PM
The top of the table before kick-off
How different will it look in a few hours?
06:25 PM
Doesn’t look like the fact that Partey is at the ground means anything
So do not get your hopes up, Arsenal fans.
06:20 PM
Arsenal’s form since the start of the year
D 0-0 vs Newcastle (H)
W 0-3 Oxford United (A) (FA Cup)
W 0-2 vs Tottenham Hotspur (A)
W 3-2 vs Manchester United (H)
L 1-0 vs Manchester City (A) (FA Cup)
L 1-0 vs Everton (A)
D 1-1 vs Brentford (H)
A bit of a wobble, it’s fair to say.
06:14 PM
Well, it looks like Thomas Partey is at the ground…
Will he be on the bench, starting?
06:04 PM
Preview
Is this the biggest game of the season so far? You’d be hard pushed to argue against it, looking at the table.
After an astonishing first half of the season, Arsenal lead the way with 51 points from their 21 games. Manchester City are close behind, on 48 points but have played a game more.
No doubt Mikel Arteta’s men deserve to be where they are having lost just twice all season and only dropping 12 points (and seven of those in their last five league games) but the question – and indeed the task – is to keep themselves there.
The crucial and quite possibly the deciding factor, however, is that City and Arsenal are yet to meet in the league at all, with tonight’s fixture and the corresponding fixture at the Etihad Stadium left to play on April 26.
A win for either side could be enormous. Win and Arsenal extend their lead to six points with a game in hand. Should City win they would go to the top of the table on goal difference, having played a game more. A draw and things are as they were, though that really favours leaders Arsenal.
Certainly, Guardiola does not want his team to give up the title without a fight. With their form generally stuttering from their usual high standards, tonight would be a good moment to kick-start their campaign.
The City manager said: “The biggest motivation is that I don’t want to drop the Premier League just because we are not who we are.
“If they beat us because they are better then this is sport, I’ll be the first to congratulate them, as I’ve always done. But not because we are not there. You want it? OK, fight. Take it. It’s in our hands.
“We’ll defend this title until the last day. This is what I’d like. To fight to the maximum to try to retain the title. If we don’t, accept it, but we need to give our best. My players have to feel that every day.”
05:24 PM
News: Partey likely to miss crucial City clash
By Sam Dean, at the Emirates
Thomas Partey is expected to miss this evening’s crucial top-of-the table clash between Arsenal and Manchester City after picking up a muscle injury.
Partey, who is one of Arsenal’s most important players, was set to start the match at the base of Mikel Arteta’s midfield.
His expected absence represents a major blow to Arsenal, given his importance to Arteta’s system and the quality of tonight’s opponents.
Ghana international Partey has started all but three league matches this season, with Arsenal losing only one of those games, away to Everton earlier this month.
The change in plans will likely mean a first start for Arsenal for Jorginho, who signed from Chelsea in the January transfer window.
Jorginho was initially bought as cover for Partey and he has so far played a total of 31 minutes in an Arsenal shirt.
In an interview in the matchday programme ahead of the City match, Jorginho said of his move to north London: “It is a good opportunity for me to have a new challenge at this age.
“I really like the way the team is playing, the work that is being done, and what we are doing here is very exciting. I have looked for a long time to be honest and thought what they were doing here is just amazing.
“Now I am part of it, so it’s what we are building and what we are beginning now. I’m really happy being part of it because we have got young players, hungry players, a really good coach with an amazing mentality, teaching his football to young players. So I think the future at this club is going to be very good and we can aim very high.”
The game kicks off at 7.30pm GMT and could see City go top with a win against their closest rivals.
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