Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Man City: Gunners Stumble in Title Showdown

The Premier League leaders failed to secure the result they needed at the Etihad.

Arsenal’s lead at the top has been cut to three points. | Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Arsenal were unable to take complete control of the Premier League title race on Sunday afternoon, with a 2–1 defeat at Manchester City reducing their lead at the top to just three points.

The Gunners knew that even a point at the Etihad Stadium would see them take a huge step towards their first league title in 22 years, but Erling Haaland’s second half strike ensured the hosts secured the victory that’s further enlivened the race at the summit.

Arsenal certainly didn’t wilt in defeat, crucially restoring parity swiftly after Rayan Cherki’s wonderful opening goal. They crafted moments in the second half to take the lead or equalize for a second time, but the ascending City held out for a gargantuan victory.

After having the chance to move 12 points clear last Saturday, Arsenal may occupy an all-too-familiar position come Wednesday night.

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One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Havertz scored his first Premier League goal since last February. | Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Mikel Arteta made a huge selection call in attack for Sunday’s mammoth affair, with Kai Havertz preferred to Viktor Gyökeres up top.

Havertz was Arteta’s go-to man down the stretch two seasons ago, with his form during the run-in convincing the club to delay their striker hunt by another year. They eventually turned to Gyökeres as their savior, the missing piece, last summer.

However, the Swede has toiled for much of his debut campaign, and Arteta’s lack of trust in the brutish striker for Arsenal’s biggest game of the season will raise the question as to whether the Gunners need to readdress the position again this summer.

His decision to start Havertz was vindicated when the German charged down Gianluigi Donnarumma’s clearance to equalize almost immediately after Rayan Cherki’s delightful opener. That moment ensured City didn’t run away with the contest, as many would’ve projected after Arsenal fell behind early.

Havertz’s astuteness without the ball was undoubtedly a major reason why he picked ahead of the far less subtle Gyökeres, who certainly wouldn’t have been capable of producing the dogged effort of Havertz against such stiff opposition. Sure, the German missed Arsenal’s best chance of the second half, but few can argue that his contributions weren’t a net positive in Manchester.

Arteta surely has to stick with him for their remaining five games of the run-in.

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Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Man City (4-3-3)

Arsenal’s captain was back in the Premier League starting XI. | Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: David Raya—5.9: Nervy moment in possession early on, which set the tone. Raya has so often been decisive for the Gunners this season, but the Spaniard seemed to succumb to the occasion.

RB: Cristhian Mosquera—6.5: It’s ever so tough going one-on-one against Jérémy Doku, who’s guaranteed to have joy. However, Mosquera was never overwhelmed by the Belgian, sticking to his task pretty well. He did pick up a first-half booking, though.

CB: William Saliba—6.7: Dominated early on, contributing to Arsenal’s bright start, but Saliba was also guilty of an occasional lapse in possession, and unable to command his box as he and his partner so often do expertly.

CB: Gabriel—5.8: Petrified of Rayan Cherki’s dazzling feet and ultimately lost the war with Erling Haaland. Certainly not the Brazilian’s best body of work, and he was mightily fortunate not to be sent off for a head movement towards his adversary.

LB: Piero Hincapié—6.2: Made a huge block to deny Antoine Semenyo in the first half, and the Ecuadorian coped with his defensive assignment pretty well throughout.

CM: Martín Zubimendi—6.5: Struggled to cope with Nico O’Reilly’s surges forward, with City having plenty of joy, particularly in the first half, playing through Arsenal’s midfield and accessing star playmaker Cherki.

CM: Declan Rice—6.8: Tasked with neutralising Rodri in the build-up phase, but wasn’t particularly successful. This wasn’t the all-encompassing performance from their midfield general that Arsenal needed.

CM: Martin Ødegaard—6.7: Arsenal’s captain made his first Premier League start since January, and took a little while to grow into the game. Still, Ødegaard is nowhere near his best.

RW: Noni Madueke—6.3: In what was an incredibly high-quality affair, Madueke didn’t appear to be of the requisite level and was hooked at half-time.

ST: Kai Havertz—7.2: This was a Kai Havertz performance from the 2023–24 run-in. Off the ball work was rewarded by Gianluigi Donnarumma’s delay, and the German served as a mightily effective reference point throughout, although he’ll have nightmares about his late miss.

LW: Eberechi Eze—6.3: Arteta would’ve appreciated his work rate, but Eze struggled to get to grips with proceedings and was guilty of surrendering possession in dangerous areas once or twice. Fierce effort almost handed Arsenal the lead on the hour.

SUB: Gabriel Martinelli (46’ for Madueke)—6.1: The right sub, but Martinelli’s speed wasn’t put to good use. Went to sleep out of possession in the build-up to Man City’s second goal.

SUB: Ben White (63’ for Mosquera)—6.1: Brought on to supply an extra dimension in attack, but wasn’t able to enliven Arsenal‘s right-hand side.

SUB: Leandro Trossard (74’ for Eze)—6.7: Offered some technical security in the final third.

SUB: Viktor Gyökeres (85’ for Zubimendi)—N/A

Subs not used: Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Myles Lewis-Skelly, Christian Nørgaard, Max Dowman, Gabriel Jesus.

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What the Ratings Tell Us

Arsenal toiled at the Etihad. | David Price/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

• Arsenal’s imperious two center backs have often enjoyed their tussles with Erling Haaland over the years, but the Nordic goal machine had the last laugh on Sunday. Gabriel, in particular, allowed his individual duel with Haaland to take over the occasion. It was a fascinating battle that wasn’t comprehensively won by either player when City sought to unleash the striker in the channels, although Gabriel’s moment of madness when the pair butted heads depicted the Brazilian’s frustration. That was a return to the old Arsenal under Mikel Arteta, the overly emotional one, and the old Gabriel. They cannot lose their heads now.
• There were very few performances of note for the visitors, but, as we‘ve already alluded to, Kai Havertz can leave the Etihad with his head held high.

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The Numbers That Explain Arsenal’s Potentially Fatal Defeat

• Arsenal actually outperformed Man City on the xG front, with the Gunners crafting 1.53 compared to City’s 1.41.
• Kai Havertz’s squandered opportunity on the hour equated to 0.48 xG, the highest-quality chance either team was able to create in the match.
• The Gunners missed four of their five big chances.
• Man City masterfully dealt with Arsenal’s distinct set-piece threat, limiting the away side’s set play xG to 0.22.

Statistic	Man City	Arsenal
Possession	59%	41%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.41	1.53
Total Shots	15	9
Shots on Target	5	3
Big Chances	5	5
Passing Accuracy	84%	76%
Fouls Committed	5	12
Corners	8	5

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