The Etihad Empire is crumbling, and Arsenal just took a wrecking ball to it. In a game that started with promise for Manchester City, it ended in absolute humiliation as the Gunners smashed four past them in the final half-hour, leaving Pep Guardiola’s title defence in absolute ruins.
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It was meant to be a heavyweight battle, but by the end, it looked more like a demolition job. Erling Haaland had briefly restored hope after Martin Odegaard’s opener, but Arsenal weren’t in the mood for mercy.
A brutal attacking onslaught saw them net four unanswered goals, sealing their biggest win over City since the 5-1 thrashing back in 2003. That’s two decades of frustration unloaded in devastating fashion.
CITY COLLAPSE – AGAIN
For the first 60 minutes, City looked like they could fight back, but then – disaster. A loose Phil Foden pass set up Thomas Partey for the goal that knocked the stuffing out of Guardiola’s side.
From that moment on, they imploded, conceding four goals in a single game for the fourth time this season. Read that again. The serial winners, the treble champions, are being ripped apart like a mid-table side.
For Pep, this was unfamiliar territory. He’s never lost by a four-goal margin in his entire managerial career – until now. “The feeling is why we have not done in the last 20, 25 minutes what we had done well for the first 60,” Guardiola admitted, his frustration evident. “Now we have to reflect and talk with the players and hope that it doesn’t happen again.”
City have now lost seven league games this season. Seven. For a side that barely knew what defeat felt like last year, the mentality is clearly shot.
When asked if confidence is fragile, Guardiola didn’t shy away from reality: “It can be fragile because it happens so many times.” No sugarcoating it. City have lost their aura, their dominance, their fear factor. And Arsenal just proved it to the world.
‘IT’S NOT ACCEPTABLE’: STONES’ HONEST ASSESSMENT
John Stones, who had a nightmare with Arsenal’s first two goals, didn’t make excuses. Instead, he fronted up and apologized to the travelling City fans.
“It is hard to put into words straight after a game like that. Pride hurts. Sorry to the fans that have travelled to come and watch that,” he admitted. “How we played in the last 30 minutes was not acceptable. Personally and collectively, it’s not us.”
This is the sort of brutal honesty that City need if they’re going to claw their way back. But anger and regret won’t fix the defensive shambles that saw them torn apart by a rampant Arsenal side. City’s once-imperious backline has now conceded four goals in multiple games this season – unheard of under Guardiola.
ARTETA’S ARSENAL MAKE A STATEMENT
Meanwhile, for Arsenal, this was nothing short of a declaration of war on the title race. Mikel Arteta’s men have now gone five matches unbeaten against City, something unthinkable just a couple of seasons ago.
“It’s a great day for us – for the result and the manner that we did it,” Arteta beamed. “We were very aggressive and we played with a lot of courage.” And how. Arsenal didn’t just beat City; they dismantled them. They made them look ordinary.
And let’s talk about the moment that had everyone talking – 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly stepping up and delivering his first senior goal with a Haaland-esque ‘Zen’ celebration.
The audacity. The confidence. The sheer swagger. Even Arteta was caught off guard: “I wasn’t expecting it. He’s got it inside him, he feels it and he’s very good at expressing it.”
Declan Rice was quick to downplay any disrespect: “It’s football antics. Things happen on the pitch. He celebrated. It’s obviously the Haaland celebration. I know he has respect for him, the whole team has big respect for him because of what he’s done.” But let’s be real – that moment was pure box office. The student mocking the master.
TITLE RACE BLOWN WIDE OPEN
With Liverpool sitting pretty at the top, six points clear of Arsenal with a game in hand, and City now a staggering nine points behind in fourth, their title challenge looks dead and buried. It’s been a season of setbacks, mistakes, and now, embarrassment.
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If City don’t find a way to fix their defensive frailties and mental fragility, this won’t just be a failed title defence – it’ll be a complete collapse. And for Arsenal, this could be the moment they truly announce themselves as the new force in English football.
One thing’s for sure: the Premier League just got a whole lot more interesting.