Arsenal were handed a stark reminder as to why Man City are the current Premier League champions on Wednesday night as Pep Guardiola's men took full advantage of several costly Gunners mistakes.
Takehiro Tomiyasu's misplaced back pass found a lethal Kevin De Bruyne and it was the Belgian who gave City the lead in the 24th minute after lobbing a helpless Aaron Ramsdale. Arsenal reacted well and their pressure eventually paid off when Eddie Nketiah won a penalty five minutes before the break. Up stepped a calm and composed Bukayo Saka, who made no mistake from the spot despite Ederson's best efforts to distract him.
Unfortunately for Arsenal, they could not replicate the same level of quality and intensity in the second half. A weak forward pass from Gabriel Magalhaes gifted City the chance to unleash a swift counter-attack, with Jack Grealish finishing off a well-worked goal to punish the home side. Erling Haaland wrapped things up for the Citizens with nine minutes to go, slotting the ball into the bottom corner following a De Bruyne cross to ensure all three points were heading back to Manchester.
