Manchester City 0, Arsenal 0
Arsenal battled their way to a goalless draw at the Etihad which leaves Manchester City three points behind league leaders Liverpool.
England duty decimated City, with Kyle Walker and John Stones sustaining injuries which ruled them out of this game while Phil Foden played both games for England and looked tired in this game.
For a game between two teams challenging at the top of the Premier League table, there was a surprising number of misplaced passes – City lost Nathan Ake to injury early after an intense start while Arsenal were looking to hit City on the break and later started time wasting rather than playing like the title challengers they had been hyped up to be.
Despite their negative tactics Arsenal got close in the second half when Bukayo Saka’s ball across the face of goal was not converted by Gabriel Jesus who arrived too late for the tap-in.
Jesus, who was finally booked after 65 minutes of tactical fouls by the Gunners, pleaded innocence and was removed after 72 minutes for Leandro Trossard.
Trossard drew a save from Stefan Ortega while Bukayo Saka limped off near the end as the Gunners earned their point as City have still failed to beat a top 5 side this season.
Embed from Getty ImagesPLAYER RATINGS – Manchester City 0, Arsenal 0
Stefan Ortega: 7. Kai Havertz left his foot in on a tackle on him. Saved well from Leandro Trossard in the second half.
Manuel Akanji: 6. Started at right back but was soon at centre back after Nathan Ake went off injured.
Ruben Dias: 6. Occasionally challenged by Arsenal but held on.
Nathan Ake: 6. Had an early chance with a header. Sustained an early injury and had to go off though.
Josko Gvardiol: 7. Assured at the back, did a good job defensively keeping Bukayo Saka quiet, and even provided a moment of threat going forward.
Rodri: 7. Vital midfield cog, disrupted Arsenal well in midfield.
Kevin De Bruyne: 6. Forward thinking, good movement early on but the quality – one moment in the second half when he won the ball and rolled it across the area deserved a good finish.
Mateo Kovacic: 7. Solid presence in a deep midfield role, had a shot on goal which went wide.
Bernardo Silva: 7. Good partnership with Kevin De Bruyne on the right flank. Recycled the ball efficiently and attacked well.
Phil Foden: 6. Looked tired after playing twice for England last week. Worked hard to keep the City left flank buttoned down but couldn’t keep hold of the ball and offered little going forward.
Erling Haaland: 6. Flagged offside when after he went down in the area under challenge. Starved of service and shut out of the game by Arsenal.
Rico Lewis (on for Nathan Ake, 27): 6. Went to right back and looked at home.
Jeremy Doku (on for Phil Foden, 61): 6. Lost the ball trying stuff which added to the stress levels in the Etihad.
Jack Grealish (on for Mateo Kovacic. 61): 6. Added a little stability but not enough spark going forward.
MATCH STATS – Manchester City 0, Arsenal 0
Man City: Ortega, Akanji, Dias, Ake (Lewis 27), Gvardiol, Rodri, De Bruyne (C), Kovacic (Grealish 61), Bernardo Silva, Foden (Doku 61), Haaland
Man City Subs not used: Carson, Stones, Alvarez, Gomez, Nunes, Bobb
Arsenal: Raya, White, Salima, Gabriel, Kiwior (Tomiyasu 66), Odegaard (C), Jorginho (Partay 66), Rice, Saka (Martinelli 78), Havertz, Jesus (Trossard 72)
Arsenal Subs not used: Ramsdale, Smith Rowe, Nketiah, Fabio Vieira, Zinchenko
Bookings: Jesus 67; Raya 79 (time wasting)
Referee: Anthony Taylor