Arsenal enjoy ‘special’ win over Man City

LONDON (AP):

It wasn’t the greatest game – or the prettiest goal – that the Emirates Stadium has seen, but the roar of celebration was among the loudest it has ever heard.

Perhaps the pendulum has finally swung Arsenal’s way in the fight for Premier League supremacy.

Gabriel Martinelli’s late goal handed Arsenal a 1-0 win over defending champions Manchester City yesterday ending a 12-game losing streak in the league against Pep Guardiola’s team in the process.

Despite 30 games still to play, and only two points separating the two teams, it was a result that will fuel the belief at Arsenal that Mikel Arteta’s team can finally end a 20-year title drought after coming up just short last season.

“It gives (us) more confidence,” Martinelli said. “We know our potential and how tough it is to play against them. Today we beat them, and it gives us more confidence to kick on.”

Second-place Arsenal have the same number of points as leaders Tottenham.

City pipped Arsenal to the title by five points last term, in part by beating the Gunners 3-1 away and 4-1 at home. In fact, Arsenal had not taken a point against City in the league since 2017, their longest losing streak against a single opponent in club history.

While Arsenal did beat City on penalties in the preseason Community Shield at Wembley, this result was perhaps the biggest statement win of Arteta’s reign and the final whistle was greeted by a massive roar as the Emirates crowd stood up as one to celebrate.

There hadn’t been much to cheer about for the first 85 minutes, though, aside from the fact that City never looked like their normal self – perhaps because of the absence of suspended midfielder Rodri.

For once, City’s high-powered attack was kept quiet throughout the game – including striker Erling Haaland, who finished without a single shot but got into a heated argument with a member of Arsenal’s backroom staff after the final whistle. City as a team only had four shots in the game, their lowest total ever under Guardiola in a Premier League game.

City have now lost consecutive league matches for the first time since 2018 after a 2-1 defeat at Wolves last weekend.

“It was a tight game. Not many chances, one deflection,” Guardiola said. “It is football, we lost the game. We will come back stronger.”

Arsenal didn’t create much either without injured winger Bukayo Saka, whose club record streak of starting 87 straight league games came to an end.

But Arteta’s second-half substitutions paid off as Thomas Partey, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kai Havertz, and Martinelli – who had all come off the bench – combined for the goal. Partey sent a ball over the top for Tomiyasu, who had strayed into the City area and headed the ball down for Havertz. The German smartly laid it back for Martinelli, whose shot from just outside the area deflected off Nathan Ake’s forehead and into the net.

Cue the wild celebrations, which lasted long after the final whistle had blown. And the belief that Arsenal can finally topple City’s hold on the title will last even longer.

“It is a special one,” Arteta said. “It has been a long time since the club beat Manchester City. We felt today could be the day but we needed a big performance from everyone and we had that.”

Other results: Brighton 2 Liverpool 2; West Ham 2 Newcastle 2; Wolves 1 Aston Villa 1.