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There were plainly scores to settle from the previous meeting, a desire for one-upmanship in an increasingly fractious rivalry and how Arsenal settled them. The moment of the match was provided by Myles Lewis-Skelly; the image of it, too.
When the precociously talented 18-year-old scored with a curling shot for 3-1 to crown a driving performance, he sank into a meditative yoga pose that had previously been the copyright of Erling Haaland.
It was a dig at Haaland after the acrimony of the 2-2 draw between the clubs at the Etihad Stadium last September, which had featured – among many other things – a bust-up between the City striker and his Arsenal marker, Gabriel Magalhães. Haaland was also keen to tell Mikel Arteta to “stay humble” as tempers flared after full time.
For a brief moment, it looked as though Haaland would have the last laugh. It was the City striker who rose to equalise Martin Ødegaard’s early goal. But this was a day when Arsenal flexed their muscles, when they had too much power and desire.
Arteta’s team knew that they had to win to remain on the coattails of the Premier League leaders, Liverpool; to keep their title dreams alive, however faint they have come to feel given Liverpool’s dominance. They did so, absorbing the Haaland goal to subject City to an ordeal.
Thomas Partey’s deflected shot put them back in front and after Lewis-Skelly’s tour de force, they threatened the rout. Kai Havertz scored for 4-1, the striker making amends for a glaring first-half miss and the picture-perfect afternoon was completed when Arsenal’s other teenage prodigy, Ethan Nwaneri, on as a substitute, drifted inside to bend home a wonderful shot.
It was too easy for Arsenal and the latest occasion when it was hard to recognise City from previous seasons. The concessions were marked not only by errors but a looseness about their defensive work, a sluggishness, a reluctance to get close. Pep Guardiola has long since conceded the title. Arsenal continue to believe.
Arsenal had wanted to bring the intensity, to feed off that of the crowd and they were in front inside two minutes, the concession a disaster for City and a horror show for Manuel Akanji.
The centre-half accepted a pass from John Stones and he wanted too much time, which was never going to be there. When Akanji took a heavy touch, Leandro Trossard was quick to get a foot in, the ball breaking for Declan Rice, whose first-time pass found Havertz. He was onside, City’s defensive structure in tatters, Stones still deep. Havertz went square for Ødegaard and he had a simple finish.
The tensions simmered. Gabriel Martinelli had the ball in the City net minutes later, dinking Stefan Ortega after an Ødegaard pass only for the offside flag to deny him. At the other end, Gabriel turned to scream in Haaland’s face. The Brazilian had talked of a “war” at the Etihad and how Arsenal would be waiting for City. Everybody was on edge.
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City stabilised for a while and there was the moment when they almost equalised, Josko Gvardiol rising to meet an Omar Marmoush corner and David Raya pushing the ball up and watching it come back down on the top of the crossbar, with Haaland waiting underneath. It was a fine reflex save. Savinho would also extend the Arsenal goalkeeper in the 45th minute.
The main takeaway from the first period was that City were playing with fire in their determination to build from the very back. Arsenal set the traps and it was remarkable to see Ortega fall into one on 26 minutes. Mateo Kovacic surely did not want the ball with Rice so close and he was duly dispossessed just outside his area. It was another dividend of the Arsenal hustle. The ball fell to Havertz and he had the time to pick his spot against Ortega and Stones, who was coveringa post. Havertz dragged wastefully wide.
City knew the onus was on them. They squeezed perilously high. Phil Foden roamed from the right flank, trying to make something happen. Which he did. Only to then undo the good work almost immediately.
First Foden went up through the lines for Savinho, a lovely little pass and when the Brazilian stood up the cross towards the far post, Haaland had the position in front of William Saliba. He leapt high and seemed to hang there before thumping the header beyond Raya.
City were soon behind again and it was not a moment Foden will enjoy rewatching. His crossfield pass went straight to Partey, whose shot from distance took a heavy deflection off Stones to beat Ortega. Arsenal did not look back thereafter.
