A clash of the titans at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon ended Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City.

Mikel Arteta welcomed his old mentor, Pep Guardiola, to north London, well aware that his side needed a win to leapfrog City in the Premier League table.

A cagey first half was pockmarked with a few close shaves. From an Arsenal perspective, David Raya looked nervous between the sticks, and was extremely fortunate that being caught out on the ball by Julian Alvarez didn’t lead to a goal. 

Equally, Mateo Kovacic was lucky to still be on the pitch by the break following a couple of rash sliding challenges.

The cautious theme extended into the second half. Both managers made changes. Arteta had introduced Gabriel Martinelli at half-time, marking the Brazilian’s return from injury, and the Emirates Stadium erupted as the attacker’s strike deflected in off Nathan Ake in the 86th minute.

What many expected to be a spectacle of Arsenal and the reigning Premier League champions going toe-to-toe turned out to be much more a case of them keeping one another at arms length. Ultimately, though, the Gunners did enough. Arteta’s side have broken the hoodoo, after twelve consecutive league defeats against City.

Arsenal player ratings

David Raya – 6.5/10

Some very jittery moments in the first half infused the Emirates Stadium atmosphere with an unhelpful jumpiness. However, the Brentford loanee persevered and was vastly improved after the break.

Ben White – 8/10

A perfect birthday for the now-26-year-old. Dealt with everything Manchester City threw at him and got forward when he could.

William Saliba – 9/10

Bossed the first half. Bossed the second. Along with Gabriel Magalhaes he didn’t allow Erling Haaland to even have a shot.

Gabriel Magalhaes – 9/10

Fantastic throughout. The £27 million former Lille man is every bit as deserving of the regular plaudits that his centre-back partner receives. He and Saliba were faultless as a pair.

Oleksandr Zinchenko – 7/10

Defended diligently and comfortable in possession but couldn’t progress the ball forwards as incisively as usual against his former club.

Jorginho – 6.5/10

Kept a cool head after his early booking, and moved the ball fluidly, albeit without much penetration.

Declan Rice – 8.5/10

Arteta shelled out a club-record £105 million on the 45-cap England star in the summer precisely for days like this. He gave Arsenal steel against City’s silk and stamped his authority on the match, growing more influential as the game went on.

Martin Odegaard – 7.5/10

Was well managed by Manchester City, who never gave him an inch. Regardless, the Arsenal club captain was still able to help the Gunners retain possession through some tricky periods and led the press relentlessly.

Leandro Trossard – 6/10

Fairly quiet in the first half, but showed some nice touches. Taken off at half-time to introduce the pace and dynamism of Martinelli – well played, Arteta.

Gabriel Jesus – 7/10

The end product wasn’t there, but the bottomless energy levels were as he stood in for the injured Bukayo Saka on the right wing.

Eddie Nketiah – 5/10

A really blunt performance from the £100,000-a-week England man. If he wants to convince that he can be a key figure at this level he has to find a way to make his presence felt in such big matches.

Substitutes

Gabriel Martinelli – 8/10

So good to have him back and a deserving match-winner as he brought a sense of urgency into a match that had been all too stale prior to his arrival.

Kai Havertz – 7.5/10

Replaced Nketiah and added presence up front. Got his first assist for the club, and used his physicality well to help Arsenal see out the statement win.

Takehiro Tomiyasu – 7/10

Played a key role in the goal following an adventurous foray forward and helped Arteta’s men stay solid at the back.

Thomas Partey – 6.5/10

Brought some energy and quality on the ball in the middle of the park in place of the booked Jorginho.

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