Premier League: Manchester City v Arsenal full time report
Man City 0 Arsenal 3
Arsenal cruised to a comfortable victory at Eastlands after Manchester City were reduced to 10 men early on.
Young City defender Dedryck Boyata received his marching orders for tripping an onrushing Marouane Chamakh after just five minutes, and with City left with a mountain to climb, Samir Nasri fired Arsenal in front midway through the first half after linking up with Andrey Arshavin.
Joe Hart saved Cesc Fàbregas’ penalty shortly before the break, but after City had lost captain Carlos Tévez to injury, midfielder Alex Song drove an effort into the top corner to double the lead.
Substitute Nicklas Bendtner slotted home Nasri's through ball late on with City tiring.
There is no doubting that this is an excellent result for Arsenal, but the scoreline does somewhat flatter them given Boyata’s early dismissal.
Eastlands observed a minute’s applause for former City manager Malcolm Allison before kick off. Allison was well known for his love of attacking football, and so he’d have loved the start that the hosts made to the contest.
Less than a minute had been played when a rampaging Tévez burst past Johan Djourou and cut the ball back for David Silva, whose flick goalwards was well saved by Lukasz Fabianksi, but if that attack had got City into their stride, then they were about to be knocked completely out of it.
On Arsenal’s first foray forward, Fàbregas looked for Chamakh, and as the forward poked the ball ahead of a sliding Boyata, City’s young Begian defender brought down the big Moroccan. As Arsenal’s players surrounded referee Mark Clattenburg – with Fàbregas waving imaginary cards – the official eventually pulled out a red card for the Belgian, as he was the last man. Only five minutes had been played.
The sending off gave way to a bad tempered few minutes, with challenges flying in on both sides and few chances bar a Djourou header over the bar from Bacary Sagna’s cross, until the Gunners made their advantage pay.
It was the simplest of goals. Nasri picked the ball up on the corner of the penalty area, and played the ball into Arshavin, before taking the return pass from the Russian and – having lost marker Gareth Barry – finishing high into the net past Hart.
Attempting a response, City broke through full back Micah Richards, who raced onto a James Milner pass before turning Djourou and smashing a left foot shot narrowly wide.
Clattenburg was dishing out the cards, and he was soon pointing to the spot when Vincent Kompany tripped Fàbregas on the corner of the penalty area.
The Arsenal skipper picked himself up, dusted himself down, but then watched on in horror as Hart sprang to his left and kept out his kick.
Hart’s save was one of few positives for City in the first half, and they were about to experience another negative early in the second period when captain Tévez limped off with a thigh injury to be replaced by former Arsenal forward Emmanuel Adebayor. Never far from the centre of the action – particularly against his old club – the big Togolese was soon heading over from a corner. However, Arsenal’s extra man was always likely to prove telling, and did so midway through the second period.
Fàbregas attempted a through ball for Chamakh, and after the City defence intercepted, the ball fell perfectly for Song to lash an effort into the top corner of the net from around 14 yards out, securing the points for the 11 men.
That goal had knocked the stuffing out of City, which even the introduction of summer signing Mario Balotelli failed to restore, and it was soon 3-0.
Bendnter climbed off the bench to race onto Nasri’s through ball, before coolly slotting home his first of the season past Hart, rounding off Arsenal’s perfect day and sending them second in the table in the process.
Tags: