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City return to Premier League action after the international break against Leicester City on the road. Arsenal have two weeks to recuperate from their defeat before they face Norwich City at home on September 11.
Manchester City secure their second 5-0 win on the bounce in the Premier League, crushing Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium this afternoon. Ilkay Gundogan opened the scoring and Ferran Torres added a second in a rapid start. Granit Xhaka was then dismissed for a two-footed lunge on Joao Cancelo before Gabriel Jesus scored a third City goal before the break. Rodri placed a fourth into the corner and Torres then wrapped up the scoring with his second of the day with a close-range header. It was a complete performance from the hosts, while the Gunners slip to their third Premier League defeat in a row.
90′ + 3′ FULL-TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 5-0 ARSENAL
90′ + 2′ CHANCE! Cancelo tries to get on the scoresheet late on with a run behind the Arsenal defence. Gundogan picks him out with a sublime chip, but Cancelo’s effort is blocked by Leno.
90′ + 1′ SAVE! Sterling races at the Arsenal defence before offloading towards Mahrez on the right flank. He takes a step inside before firing at goal, but Leno gets down to make the stop.
90′ There will be three minutes of added time.
90′ Torres bends a dangerous cross into the box from the left flank that evades the head of Dias and just travels wide of the right post.
88′ Grealish rolls the ball to Mahrez on the edge of the box, who winds up a powerful strike that Chambers diverts away from goal.
86′ BLOCKS! Gundogan and Laporte try to add to the scoreline, but their efforts from the edge of the box are repelled by the Arsenal defence.
84′ Mahrez does brilliantly down the right flank as he cuts inside and delivers a perfect ball for Torres to score.
Ferran Torres
Goal
84′ GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! TORRES NOTCHES HIS SECOND!!!!!! 5-0 CITY!!!!!! Torres scores his second of the game with a well-placed header from six yards. Mahrez cuts inside from the right flank and delivers a precise cross that the Spaniard attacks in the middle. He heads his effort down and to the left and it strikes the inside of the post before travelling into the net.
82′ Mahrez clips a cross to the back post for the run of Rodri, but the ball just evades the run of the Spaniard.
81′ Arsenal have not had a shot on target so far in this game and have only had 18.4% possession.
79′ Tierney goes down clutching his ankle for the visitors. He requires treatment, but appears to be okay to continue.
77′ SAVE! Sterling should make it five as Mahrez threads the needle to release the forward. He only has to beat Leno, but he sees his effort blocked by the Arsenal keeper. A solid stop from the German.
76′ Laporte tries an audacious flick as Dias’ low cross travels behind him. He connects well with his attempt, but it travels over the bar.
75′ Cancelo floats a ball over the top for Sterling to chase in the right-inside channel, but Holding gets across to knock it away and behind for a corner.
73′ City are knocking the ball around at their leisure. The home side are encamped in the final third and are just waiting for their moment to add to the scoreline.
A. Maitland-Niles
M. Ødegaard
71′ Maitland-Niles enters the action to replace Odegaard in the Arsenal midfield.
69′ WIDE! Sterling comes close once more, but fails to hit the target. The England forward is played into space on the edge of the box and he fakes one strike before pulling the trigger. However, his effort lacks the bend to find the back of the net, travelling wide of the right post.
68′ SAVE! Leno denies Sterling with a good stop. Mahrez curls a cross into the box from the right flank, which sees Sterling peel off his man into acres of room. He directs a free header at goal, but the Arsenal keeper reacts to turn it over the top.
Rodri
Yellow Card
67′ Rodri catches Tierney late on the boot and goes into the book.
65′ BLOCK! Grealish releases Sterling down the left-inside channel and he gets the better of Chambers with ease. Holding comes across to make a key block and he diverts the ball back of the City man for a goal-kick.
62′ Laporte climbs at the back post to attack a cross from Cancelo, but he can only steer his header wide of the left post.
R. Mahrez
Gabriel Jesus
61′ Guardiola withdraws Jesus after a fine afternoon from the Brazilian, notching a goal and an assist. Mahrez replaces the forward.
60′ Jesus tries to weave his way through the Arsenal defence, but gets halted by a good challenge from Elneny.
A. Lacazette
P. Aubameyang
59′ Aubameyang is spared the rest of the contest by Arteta and is replaced Lacazette.
R. Sterling
Bernardo Silva
58′ Silva is withdrawn after a fine performance. Sterling replaces the Portuguese in the final third. There is no let up from Guardiola.
56′ Zinchenko tries to get in on the act with a blast from distance, but Tierney deflects his effort away from goal.
55′ Silva and Gundogan open up the Arsenal defence down the right flank. The Portuguese goes for the low cross that deflects off Chambers and just travels wide of the right post.
Ferran Torres
Assist
53′ Torres makes a run and then spots Rodri in space on the edge of the box, who completes the finish with a good strike.
Rodri
Goal
53′ GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! RODRI MAKES IT FOUR!!!!! 4-0!!!! City are on their way to another dominant victory at home as Rodri curls in a low strike. Torres makes a good run to open up space on the edge of the Arsenal box. He works an offload back to Rodri, who shoots first time and bends his effort inside the right post into the bottom-right corner to beat Leno. A fine effort from the Spaniard.
52′ Grealish is played into space on the left flank and he cuts inside to shoot, but his effort is repelled by Cedric.
50′ SAVE! Grealish threads a pass through to Silva in the box and he stabs a left-footed strike towards the target, only to be denied by the right hand of Leno. Chambers is on the spot to clear the rebound.
49′ This is only the second time that Arsenal have both had a man sent off and been 3+ goals behind at half-time in a Premier League game; the other was a 6-0 defeat at Chelsea in March 2014 (4-0 at half-time).
48′ Cancelo collects in space down the right flank and whips a cross into the box that sails over the head of Silva and out for a throw-in.
47′ Cancelo takes possession on the right flank and angles a cross to the back post that just evades blue shirts and the left post.
46′ We’re back under way at the Etihad Stadium.
Mohamed Elneny
B. Saka
46′ Elneny enters the game to replace Saka in the Arsenal midfield. Arteta is trying to protect his team from further damage.
O. Zinchenko
K. Walker
46′ Walker is withdrawn at the break for the home side and is replaced by Zinchenko. Cancelo will switch to the right flank.
The pressure is ramping up on the Gunners and Arteta. Performances of this nature will only increase the stress on his position in the dugout, although he has not been helped by his players this afternoon. They need a spirited display in the second half to maintain their dignity.
Manchester City are in complete control of their Premier League clash against 10-man Arsenal at the break, leading 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium. Early goals from Ilkay Gundogan and Ferran Torres set the tone as the hosts capitalises on poor defending from the Gunners. Granit Xhaka made matters worse for the visitors when he was dismissed for a two-footed challenge on Joao Cancelo. Gabriel Jesus added the third just before the interval.
45′ + 3′ HALF-TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 3-0 ARSENAL
45′ + 3′ Jesus releases Torres in the right-inside channel, who has Grealish in space. However, he dwells on the ball and misses the opportunity to pick him out.
45′ + 1′ Not that it should be matter today, but Man City are currently unbeaten in all 42 previous Premier League games when Jesus has scored – W40 D2.
45′ There will be three minutes of added time.
J. Grealish
Assist
43′ Grealish collects on the left flank and drives at the Arsenal defence. He supplies a perfect low cross for Jesus to control and then score.
Gabriel Jesus
Goal
43′ GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!! JESUS STEERS HOME A SIMPLE EFFORT!!!!! 3-0 CITY!!!! City pour on the agony for the visitors as Jesus converts a low strike on his left foot after brilliant work by Grealish. The England man surges down the left flank and torments Chambers before supplying a low cross into the middle. Jesus slides in with one boot to stop the ball before completing the finish on the ground with his left foot.
41′ Xhaka has received his fourth red card in the Premier League (164th appearance), his first since 13th December 2020.
40′ It is all one-way traffic at the moment. Arsenal just have to get into half-time without further damage to the scoreline before they can potentially regroup.
38′ OVER! Torres sticks out an instictive boot to try to turn Jesus’ shot towards goal, but Tierney acts to deflect it wide of the target.
37′ Gundogan floats a cross into the box from the resulting free-kick, but Cedric does well to read the danger to clear behind ahead of Laporte.
G. Xhaka
Red Card
35′ OFF! Xhaka launches himself into a challenge with Cancelo off his feet and is dismissed by referee Atkinson. The contact appears to be minimal, but the intent was dangerous from the Arsenal man.
34′ Cedric is not having a good day at the back. Cancelo leaves him in his wake with a great piece of skill down the left flank. However, the Portuguese fails to find a team-mate with his low cross into the middle.
31′ Tierney nods the ball past Walker, who allows the Scot to break in behind him. The Arsenal man goes down in the box amid pressure from Walker, but the referee is not interested in his appeal for a penalty.
29′ Gundogan swings the resulting free-kick into the box, but Tierney clears behind for a corner with a solid header.
S. Kolašinac
Yellow Card
28′ Kolasinac catches Jesus with a raised arm and goes into the book. The Gunners have to hold their cool at the back with two of their defenders now cautioned.
26′ Ederson commits another mistake at the back with a loose clearance to Odegaard. The midfielder feeds Xhaka in the final third, who fires at goal. Ederson makes the stop, although the Arsenal man was offside anyway.
Cédric Soares
Yellow Card
24′ Cedric drags back Grealish on the charge in the Arsenal half and goes into the book.
22′ Grealish has a probe down the left flank, but he opts for the inside pass to Walker before possession is recycled back to him. The midfielder then tries to release Cancelo, but Cedric makes the interception before Saka then draws a foul to ease the pressure.
19′ CLOSE! Ederson nearly presents the Gunners with a way back into the game. He is far too casual with his pass out from the back and Smith Rowe closes down the City keeper. The ball deflects towards goal, but just curls wide of the right post.
18′ The body language of the Arsenal players is not great. They have to keep their spirits up as a mistake or a moment of magic could get them back into the contest.
16′ Silva surges down the right flank and offloads towards Jesus. He steers a low cross into the middle that finds Torres. The Spaniard takes a loose touch with no Arsenal player in sight and spurns a decent opening.
14′ If Arteta wanted a composed start from his team, he has not got it. The Gunners will have to stage a dramatic comeback to force a positive result here.
Ferran Torres
Goal
12′ GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! TORRES CONVERTS!!! 2-0 CITY!!!!! The homes side are in complete control already. Torres completes a simple finish from close range after Silva’s cross travels through the Arsenal defence, allowing the Spaniard to score. It is horrendous defending from the Gunners as a poor delivery from Silva somehow works its way into the path of Torres. He is left unmarked to guide his effort past Leno.
11′ Only Harry Kane (14) has scored more Premier League goals in 2021 than Manchester City’s Gundogan (12).
10′ SAVE! Gundogan almost scores a second header. The German wheels into a dangerous position in the box to connect with a cross from Cancelo. He makes contact with a header towards goal, but Leno reacts to make the stop before Holding clears ahead of Jesus on the rebound.
Gabriel Jesus
Assist
7′ Jesus makes a run into the right corner before exchanging passes with Silva. He delivers a precise cross to the back post for Gundogan to attack and score.
İ. Gündoğan
Goal
7′ GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!! GUNDOGAN HEADS CITY AHEAD!!!!!! 1-0!!!!! The home side take the lead as Gundogan powers a header past Leno from close range. Silva and Jesus combine down the right flank before the Brazilian floats a cross to the back post. Gundogan coasts in behind Chambers and plants his effort down and past Leno before the keeper can react. A great start for City.
5′ Tierney hangs a dangerous cross from the left flank to the back post, but Saka can only direct his effort wide amid pressure from Cancelo.
4′ Walker sends an early ball over the top for the run of Torres through the middle of the Arsenal defence. However, the ball skips off the surface and into Leno’s hands.
2′ Saka sends Aubameyang on a run down the left and he clips a cross to the back post for Odegaard, but Cancelo is alert to clear.
1′ We’re under way at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 11 league games against Arsenal (W9 D2) since a 2-1 defeat at the Emirates in December 2015. They’ve taken 28 of a possible 30 points against the Gunners under Pep Guardiola (W9 D1).
Arteta has opted to stick with the majority of his side that beat West Brom during the week. Leno does return between the posts ahead of Ramsdale, while Cedric, Tierney and Smith Rowe also make starts in four-man shield in front of a back three. Nicolas Pepe misses out due to illness.
Guardiola has named an unchanged side from the team that beat Norwich last week. There is still no place in the starting line-up for Sterling and Stones as Torres and Laporte retain their spots in the side. Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden remain sidelined with their respective injuries.
ARSENAL SUBS: Alexandre Lacazette, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Nuno Tavares, Pablo Mari, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Mohamed Elneny, Aaron Ramsdale, Arthur Okonkwo, Gabriel Martinelli.
ARSENAL (3-4-3): Bernd Leno; Calum Chambers, Rob Holding, Sead Kolasinac; Cedric Soares, Emile Smith Rowe, Granit Xhaka, Kieran Tierney; Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
MANCHESTER CITY SUBS: John Stones, Nathan Ake, Raheem Sterling, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Zack Steffen, Fernandinho Riyad Mahrez, Tommy Doyle, Cole Palmer.
MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Ederson; Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Joao Cancelo; Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan; Gabriel Jesus, Ferran Torres, Jack Grealish.
Mikel Arteta is a man under pressure after only two games of the Premier League campaign. Arsenal have lost both of their opening games, following up their defeat to Brentford with a home loss at the hands of Chelsea. They stemmed the tide to a degree during the week by hammering West Brom in the EFL Cup, but the Baggies were understrength. Arteta and his team need a great performance this afternoon to force a positive result, and even that might not be enough against City.
Manchester City will aim to string together back-to-back wins following their triumph over Norwich City last week. Pep Guardiola’s men issued the perfect response to their defeat at the hands of Tottenham on the opening day with a dominant performance last time out against the Canaries. The reigning champions now have the chance to ramp up the pressure on their former assistant manager by defeating the Gunners today.
Good afternoon and welcome to the live commentary of the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium.
R. Mahrez
Assist