Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal upset the odds as they put in another battling performance to beat Manchester City on Saturday by two goals to nil.
When the FA Cup Semi-Final draw took place, many wrote Arsenal off, as though they didn’t belong in the penultimate round of the competition. They were at odds of 8/1 to go through, which is quite incredible when you consider that they hold the record for the most FA Cup trophy lifts.
But Arteta has brought the Gunners a long way since they stumbled to a 3-0 loss at the Etihad in their first game of the restart. In that game, David Luiz put in one of the worst substitute appearances ever seen in the Premier League, and City seemed to be on a completely different level.
This match was different.
Arsenal were solid, compact and faultless at the back, with a midfield pairing of Xhaka and Ceballos who understood their roles and delivered when they were called upon. And while City struggled to create any real opportunities, the front three of Aubameyang, Lacazette and Pepe ran their hearts out from start to finish, resulting in the side that had just 30% possession having by far the best opportunities.
But, as you know, creating chances means nothing if you don’t have someone to finish them off. Arsenal have struggled to score these chances against the top teams for much of the season, but, with the pressure on and the lights of Wembley shining bright, Aubameyang stepped up.
After missing a glorious chance from a David Luiz through ball, he did not let it faze him. When Pepe put in a glorious cross to the back post, of course the captain was there to volley it into the net off the far post. This was a harder finish than the one he had just missed, and yet he took it so well, and the underdogs suddenly had a lead to hold on to.
Many fans must have just been waiting for the ‘inevitable’; at some point, Arsenal’s back five would falter, as they had done so many times this campaign. At some point, Kevin De Bruyne would find that cutting pass or score a free-kick. At some point, Luiz would repeat his mistakes at the Etihad, and the fight would be for nothing.
But that ‘point’ never happened. And, just at the stage of the match where City seemed to be controlling the game and where you were sure they would eventually score, the second goal of the game immediately took the wind out of Guardiola’s team.
Pepe held up the ball on the left flank before passing back to the wonderful Kieran Tierney. Without taking a touch, he instinctively played a ball over the top for Aubameyang, who was kept onside by Benjamin Mendy. He had to run an entire half of the Wembley pitch with defenders tracking back and a goalkeeper rushing towards him, and yet he was incredibly composed. He opened his body up and tucked it cheekily between Ederson’s legs. And with that, the game was beyond City’s reach.
Mahrez cut inside and hit a shot at Martinez’s near post, De Bruyne hit a free-kick wide, Luiz unbelievably blocked a Raheem Sterling shot and Laporte hit a rocket just outside the top corner. Yet, the Gunners held on, and they have now beaten the two best teams in the country in the space of four days. Arteta has outsmarted Guardiola, and is now one game away from silverware in his first half-season at the club.
Manchester City will rue the missed opportunity for more domestic silverware, but will now turn their focus to the visit of the Spanish champions Real Madrid in the Champions League. Meanwhile, Arteta has two league games against relegation candidates Aston Villa and Watford, before the Gunners travel to Wembley again to battle against either Manchester United or Chelsea.
And maybe, just maybe, Aubameyang will be lifting his first trophy as Arsenal captain on the 1st of August.
Player Ratings:
Arsenal
Emi Martinez – 9
Hector Bellerín – 8
Shkodran Mustafi – 9
David Luiz – 10 (MOTM)
Kieran Tierney – 9.5
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 8.5
Granit Xhaka – 9.5
Dani Ceballos – 8.5
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 9.5
Alexandre Lacazette – 7
Nicolas Pepe – 8
Subs:
Joe Willock – 5.5
Lucas Torreira – 6
Rob Holding – N/A
Sead Kolašinac – N/A
Manchester City
Ederson – 7
Kyle Walker – 7
Eric García – 6
Aymeric Laporte – 7.5
Benjamin Mendy – 7
Ilkay Gündoğan – 5.5
David Silva – 6
Kevin De Bruyne – 6.5
Riyad Mahrez – 7.5
Raheem Sterling – 7
Gabriel Jesus – 6
Subs:
Rodri – 6
Phil Foden – 6
Fernandinho – N/A
By Jed Vine
