In a recent confrontation, Manchester City and Arsenal ended the match in a draw, failing to open the scoring. The result seemed to do more to confuse than to answer the question of who will win this year’s Premier League title.
Arsenal spent the game controlling the ball just 27% of the time. This team emphasized defense and counterattacks, using tactics that became increasingly less effective as the game progressed. Gabriel Jesus, making his first appearance in two months, struck eight minutes into the match, but his second shot went wide after Ben White’s excellent overlay down the right flank.
On the other hand, Manchester City laid siege to the Arsenal goal throughout the match, but Arsenal’s goalkeeper, David Raya, was hardly tested. His only real test was Nathan Ake’s close-range header, which broke through the visitors’ defensive barrier.
After the break, the game continued from the moment Jesus missed the post after Bukayo Saka’s shot. Despite this, City’s pressure continued to mount. However, Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish only managed one shot on target in the entire game.
The match could have ended differently if Erling Haaland had not avoided a shot on goal when the ball fell to him at the far post from a corner. He seemed to possibly scare off Arsenal goalkeeper Raya, who rushed towards his net.
Arsenal is no longer top of the Premier League and Liverpool overtook them earlier on Sunday by beating Brighton. But crucially Arsenal remains ahead of City and that will embolden them heading into the final nine games, an important point as the season draws to a close. This year’s Premier League competition has been particularly tight and small differences like these can ultimately have a decisive impact on the outcome of the championship.