Arsenal 5-1 Man City: Player ratings as Gunners thrash woeful Cityzens

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90min

·2 February 2025

Arsenal 5-1 Man City: Player ratings as Gunners thrash woeful Cityzens

Arsenal enjoyed an emphatic and hugely impressive 5-1 win over Manchester City on Sunday afternoon as they moved back to within six points of Premier League leaders Liverpool.

The hosts made a breathless start in north London and found themselves leading within two minutes as they capitalised on Manuel Akanji's error. The defender surrendered possession far too easily outside his own penalty area and Martin Odegaard provided the finishing touch to send the Emirates Stadium wild.

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David Raya kept Arsenal ahead midway through the first half as an exceptional reflex save pushed Josko Gvardiol's header on to the woodwork, but the Gunners should have extended their lead several minutes later as Kai Havertz spurned a glorious opportunity from close range.

City had shown glimpses of their quality throughout the first half and produced an equaliser ten minutes after the restart, Erling Haaland converting Savinho's floated cross to the far post with an accurate header.

But two quick-fire Arsenal goals took the game beyond City's reach. Thomas Partey's deflected effort saw the Gunners restore their advantage a minute after the visitors had levelled the score, with Myles Lewis-Skelly conjuring an impressive third just after the hour mark before taunting Haaland by imitating the Norwegian's meditation celebration.

Things got even worse for Pep Guardiola and his players 15 minutes from the game's conclusion as Havertz redeemed himself for his earlier blunder in front of goal. A swift and devastating counter-attack carved open City's porous rearguard and the German leathered beyond Stefan Ortega to add some gloss to the scoreline.

There was still time for one more. The dazzling Ethan Nwaneri produced a stunning fifth for the Gunners, cutting inside and bending a wicked left-footed effort into the far corner to pour more misery on the visitors.

Another damning defeat means City will surrender their top-four berth should Chelsea beat West Ham United on Monday night, while Arsenal's triumph helps them keep pace with table-topping Liverpool.