A huge result, in much more sense than an incredible 5-1 margin. It was much more here than PEP GuodiolaThe worst defeat of the League of NEVER, and a declaration of declaration for ArsenalThe young side. It was the complete loop. It’s what Manchester City had submitted themselves Mikel Artetais the front side, but with much more edge to the celebrations.
Erling Haaland at least know who Myles Lewis-Skelly is now. His city, however, wondered where they were. Champions do not look like a real Guardiola team because they have been defeated that has been coming for weeks.
Arsenal, meanwhile, ultimately looked like what they should be. This was largely up to their 18 -year -old, whose urgency changed the whole tone of this game. It was also in a contrast to the meditative celebration that added Insult with injured pride for Haaland and City. Lewis-Skelly went there, after having increased through the champions.
It is remarkable to think that this match was at stake for a while. There was a period when it seemed that Arsenal treated the opposition as if they were the city of 2023 rather than 2025.
This has ironically changed when Haaland rediscovered his touch and actually touched the ball again. The brilliant head of the Norwegian to equalize looked like anyone in a city shirt did something competent. He came in the 55th minute.
Haaland’s goal was like a moment of achievement that finally woke up Arsenal. They went to try it to protect an opening goal, offered to their game by the loose game of City on the edge of their own box, to unleash visitors in a way that reminded them of their best form of these last years.
Is this a title race really restarted? Liverpool Continue to win this effective in this effective way, but Arsenal has now offered its strongest response to date. This is the kind of victory that can change the tone.
The story of this victory was really in the response to Haaland’s equalizer. “Emotionally, it was a turning point,” said Arteta.
As easy as the match found itself for its side – a remarkable sentence in itself – it could easily have gone to another direction. There was a lot of tension. After Kai Havertz missed his first great chance and Haaland scored, there was this sense of the same thing that reproduced in this match; This arsenal showed too much respect; that they had been too cautious; This city still has something about them.
The equalizer has rather shaken something in Arsenal, as perhaps the memory that they have not lost to the Guardiola team since their own calculation 4-1 in May 2023.
How much has changed since then, especially for the city. What stands out the most is the lack of bite and intensity. The city has become so easy to win the ball and move. It’s simply incredible for a Guardiola team. It was visible in almost all the objectives here.
For the first, John Stones telegraphed a pass to Manuel Akanji, who stumbled as if he was simply not ready for that. None of the two players then responded suddenly enough while Havertz was easily at the Carré for Martin Odegaard. And, once again, two central salons that had been world class in this system just a year ago.
For the second, 38 seconds after Haaland’s head, Phil Foden played the ball directly in the midfield and found Thomas Partey. The stones stood; It was an invitation to shoot.
Lewis-Skelly then displayed the kind of emergency that the city no longer offers. After that, as Guardiola said, City “fell”. Stones admitted that it was “unacceptable”. Havertz and substitute Ethan Nwaneri transformed a declaration of declaration into humiliation.
Guardiola himself had referred to the way City started in the same way as during the 3-1 victory on Chelsea, by offering the opposition a goal. It was even more relevant that he may have wanted. City has undergone the same problem several times, in all types of games, from Brentford to Brugge. Paris Saint-Germain has shown that if you go with “tenacity”, as Arteta said, the side of Guardiola can be seriously injured.
Chelsea essentially did not benefit from this opportunity. Arsenal, finally, finally did it.
Although this match has shown that the city is taken between eras as well as many other problems – especially questions around the future of Guardiola – it may have said even more about the future of Arsenal. Or, at least, something new.
There was an anxiety around the club due to the lack of attack on signatures and depth, but Arteta and its staff insisted so as not to lose sight of the situation as a whole. The refusal to move in certain areas has allowed more playing time for Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri, 17.
The total advantages could be seen here. Lewis-Skelly led the game. Nwaneri now offered real productivity in a big match.
This is why it felt like it was more than the size of the victory or the race for Arsenal. It was the future.
There was even the impudence of Lewis-Skelly celebrating as he did, and that after Gabriel had acute Haaland after the first goal.
It was as if it was attempting fortune, as if it was useless. Arteta, for his part, said that he had told his players to focus only on what they were doing on the field.
It was the point, however. They followed such a conversation. Some outside the club would say that they must follow it with the major trophies. But that’s the goal. This is what they are looking for.
Guardiola, meanwhile, didn’t really know where to look for. This was certainly the case when he asked him questions about the celebration of Lewis-Skelly. “I haven’t seen him,” Guardiola said. “Did they do this?” When confirmed, he said “it’s good”. There was a few seconds of silence then when Guardiola looked at the table again before repeating “it’s good”. While he got up and left, he then turned to his press agent and said, “Did you like my answer?”
You can read a lot at this little while.
The problem for Guardiola is that you can read much more about this result. Arsenal gave the only answer that really matters. Now is what is following. It had the feeling of a change of guard … except that there is Liverpool on the top of the table. Arsenal, at least, knows what they need. They also know a little more about whom they are. The same cannot be said about the city.
