Arsenal demolished Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium scoring five against the reigning champions for the first time ever.
The headline match of Premier League action this weekend delivered on all fronts with goals, drama and excitement. Martin Odegaard opened the scoring just two minutes into the game with Arsenal catching Man City sleeping at the back. the champions grew into the game, but didn't equalize until the 55th minute with Erling Haaland's 250th goal of his club career. Then, the floodgates opened for a team that has struggled to find consistency in attack this season. Thomas Partey, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Kai Havertz scored in a span of 20 minutes to put the game out of sight.
Lewis-Skelly even did Haaland's celebration after scoring his goal speaking to the rivalry between these two sides. Ethan Nwaneri added a fifth off the bench in the dying seconds of the game to add insult to injury. A massive day for two of Arsenal's latest academy products.
Consecutive seasons with wins at home and an unbeaten run extending to four games against Pep Guardiola's team have the Gunners riding high heading into the second leg of the Carabao Cup semifinals. Arsenal moved to six points behind Liverpool for the lead, though the Reds still have a game in hand with the rescheduled Merseyside derby taking place soon.
Player ratings below from Arsenal's victory.
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Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Manchester City (4-3-3)
Ratings Provided by Fotmob
Manchester City Player Ratings vs. Arsenal (4-2-3-1)
Ratings Provided by Fotmob
Player of the Match: Declan Rice (Arsenal)
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal 5–1 Manchester City: Player Ratings as Gunners Humble Reigning Champions.
