Man City vs Arsenal LIVE: Result and reaction from Premier League title decider as City thump Gunners

Manchester City 4-1 Arsenal: Kevin De Bruyne scored twice in a star performance before Erling Haaland sealed the rout in a huge blow to the Gunners’ title hopes

Pep - City 'cannot deny' importance of Arsenal game

Champions Manchester City produced a stunning performance to seize complete control of the Premier League title race with a devastating 4-1 win over leaders Arsenal.

Kevin De Bruyne struck twice with John Stones and Erling Haaland also on the scoresheet at the Etihad Stadium as City delivered a potentially decisive blow to the Gunners’ hopes of lifting the crown.

Arsenal claimed a late reply through Rob Holding but treble-chasing City had long since asserted their dominance and Haaland wrapped up the contest with his 49th goal of the season in stoppage time.

The result lifted Pep Guardiola’s men to within two points of the Londoners at the top of the table and, with two games in hand, they are now strong favourites to land their fifth title in six years.

Arsenal and their manager Mikel Arteta simply had no answer to the pace, strength and determination of the hosts, who were at their ruthless best and powered to their 12th win in their last 13 games in all competitions.

Follow all the reaction as Man City closed in on the Premier League title

Man City vs Arsenal

• Man City demolish Arsenal in a Premier League title decider to move within two points of the leaders
• Arsenal’s humiliation proves the title race was only an illusion
• 90+5’ GOAL! - Haaland gets his goal with the last kick of the game (MCI 4-1 ARS)
• 86 GOAL! - Holding scores a consolation for Arsenal (MCI 3-1 ARS)
• 54’ GOAL! - De Bruyne and Haaland combine to earn City’s third (MCI 3-0 ARS)
• 45+1 GOAL! - Stones nods in a De Bruyne free kick to double City’s lead (MCI 2-0 ARS)
• 30’ SAVE! - Ramsdale keeps out Haaland’s effort from close range (MCI 1-0 ARS)
• 27’ BLOCK! - White gets in front of De Bruyne’s effort (MCI 1-0 ARS)
• 22’ SHOT! - Bernardo forces Ramsdale into a low save from the right side of the box (MCI 1-0 ARS)
• 7’ GOAL! - De Bruyne sends City in front with a lovely curling shot (MCI 1-0 ARS)

[26 April 2023 20:02 · Mike Jones]

Kick off: Man City 0-0 Arsenal

Arsenal kick off the match and send the ball back to Aaron Ramsdale. He belts it long and City win control of possession.

Martin Odegaard presses immediately and almost nicks the ball back but City’s back line send it across to Kyle Walker who tries to sprint down the right had side.

[26 April 2023 19:57 · Mike Jones]

Man City vs Arsenal

Here come the teams.

The players step out onto the pitch at the Etihad Stadium. This one feels as big as a final, it could prove to be one at the end of the season.

Kick off is up next..

[26 April 2023 19:53 · Mike Jones]

Three decades of Premier League title showdowns

Which way will tonight’s showdown go? Can Arsenal shock City to get one hand on the Premier League trophy?

[26 April 2023 19:50 · Mike Jones]

Pre-match thoughts of Mikel Arteta

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, speaking to BT Sport: “It is different as it is the top two in the Premier League that have been fighting for many months. It is a really important game. It is not decisive, especially in this league, with the amount of points still to play for. We want to win it but we have to earn it.

“Granit Xhaka has been really important throughout the season. Since I have been here he has played every single game. We need that experience, competitiveness and edge. We are happy to have him back.

“We ended Friday’s game with a draw but the feeling that we should have won it. The reality is we gave away two really sloppy goals and in this league it becomes really difficult to win. But the team showed incredible spirit, confidence and hunger not to give up. We will need a lot of that tonight.”

[26 April 2023 19:45 · Mike Jones]

Pre-match thoughts of Pep Guardiola

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, speaking to BT Sport: “We are calm. Nothing much to say. Go out there and do your best.

“The defensive structure is for everyone to try to help. We defend all together in high pressing and we defend deep all together. We try to have the ball as much as possible to try to score goals.

“Everyone has seen Arsenal this season. They are strong in all departments. In set pieces, transitions, ball possession, build up with four or with three and Zinchenko inside, the runs from Martinelli and Saka.

“We cannot deny how important it is. It is not decisive but it is a really important game.”

[26 April 2023 19:40 · Mike Jones]

Arsenal require ‘perfection’ to beat Man City – and the Premier League needs it too

It is a word Mikel Arteta has now used in public, but only to emphasise what he has been saying to his Arsenal players behind the training ground fences.

“Perfection.”

To beat this Manchester City, Arteta has asserted to his squad, Arsenal have to be perfect in everything they do. That’s no exaggeration for motivation. He means it about every step, every run, every pass. It might be asking a lot given Arsenal’s last three games, but this is what they have been building towards for months.

Pep Guardiola’s ultra-focused players have been playing to these demands for much longer. That’s despite the Catalan on Tuesday insisting “perfection doesn’t exist in football”. That’s saying something given he has presided over a 100-point season, a 98-point season and a domestic treble, all before currently going for the grandest treble of all.

These are now the levels, after 15 years of the Abu Dhabi project. If City win seven of their remaining eight games, which seems a fair expectation, that will be 91 points. Arsenal would require 92.

[26 April 2023 19:35 · Mike Jones]

Man City vs Arsenal

Gabriel Martinelli has been directly involved in 11 goals in his last 10 league appearances, scoring eight and setting up three for Arsenal.

Martinelli also tops the charts for successful dribbles (56), with Bukayo Saka (42) and Martin Odegaard (39) also amongst the top 10 in the Premier League.

(PA)

[26 April 2023 19:30 · Mike Jones]

Man City vs Arsenal

Ederson has kept just six clean sheets across 20 games in all competitions since Christmas for Manchester City.

Is there a slither of hope that Arsenal can put a couple of goals past the Brazilian tonight that would take them to the Premier League title?

(AFP via Getty Images)

[26 April 2023 19:25 · Mike Jones]

The missing piece of Arsenal’s title bid

The cause of the frenzy happened to be Mohamed Elneny’s most noticeable contribution in weeks. The Arsenal midfielder’s Instagram story showed William Saliba back in the gym, peddling on an exercise bike and pointing to his head.

Apart from that, the clip revealed nothing that couldn’t otherwise be seen, but it spread on social media regardless, generating an excited reaction from a fan base desperate to claw onto any sort of positive news ahead of the trip to Manchester City. This was one: Saliba was back, and everything was going to be fine.

And then it wasn’t. First Saliba could not be seen in Arsenal’s training photos ahead of facing Southampton last week, then Mikel Arteta delivered the news.

“He is not progressing as quick as we hoped,” Arteta admitted. It all but confirmed that Saliba was out of Arsenal’s biggest Premier League game in 19 years. While Arteta did not want to make predictions, there is now doubt over whether he will play again this season as well.

“We are finished,” came one reply. “Goodbye title,” came another, even if Twitter is hardly the place if you are looking to find measured reactions.

[26 April 2023 19:20 · Mike Jones]

Arteta’s bogey team

Mikel Arteta has lost all six of his Premier League meetings with Manchester City as a manager - they are the only side the Spaniard has failed to beat in the division.

(EPA)