Kevin De Bruyne's brilliance settled another big game for Manchester City, Erling Haaland showcased his improvement as a link-up man, and John Stones further cemented his status as a Blues hero with another statement display.
Add to that, key players like Ilkay Gundogan, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, and Ruben Dias used their experience to completely nullify any threat Arsenal had planned to unleash. Jack Grealish showed why he is undroppable on the left-wing, and Kyle Walker returned to right-back like he'd never been away.
It was one of City's best team performances of the season - and yet it was slightly different to other big wins. The tactical versatility on show must have pleased Pep Guardiola more than any goal, or title race advantage gained.
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For a start, Guardiola threw Manu Akanji in at left-back, starting there for the first time this season, and in place of natural left-footer Aymeric Laporte. Guardiola explained his selection, praising Laporte's build-up qualities, but opting for Akanji out-of-position after seeing his one-vs-one qualities against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Bukayo Saka had forced Guardiola to move Bernardo from his auxiliary left-back role at the Emirates, even if pushing the Portuguese forward resulted in City's win, and the manager has sung the praises of the Arsenal winger on multiple occasions this season. It was a risk to play Akanji against him, but one that paid off entirely as Saka barely kicked a ball in anger all night.
With Kyle Walker able to push into midfield more naturally these days - something he always struggled with - and Bernardo moving inside when Riyad Mahrez came on, Guardiola has a side full of players able to play multiple positions these days, even at short notice.
Another notable feature of the Arsenal win was City's ability to depart from their usual passing and pressing approach in the opposition third. Guardiola, De Bruyne and Stones have all admitted that it was impossible to play that system, and that City had to adapt to a more direct style to counter Arsenal's own press.
That meant Haaland coming deeper to link play and drag the two centre-backs out of position. De Bruyne then exploited the space, playing behind the defensive midfielders and resulting in his two goals and a number of other chances for Haaland. De Bruyne's fascinating explanation of the tactic sounded simple, yet few teams in the world could completely change such an ingrained tactical system on three days' notice for a title-defining game.
Stones also explained how City worked on set pieces, and for Akanji to 'disrupt' the Arsenal defensive line. For Stones' goal, Akanji timed his run to perfection, legally pushing Ben White behind his own defenders, and that input saw White play Stones onside by a matter of millimetres. It's hardly revolutionary, but the execution showed the fine margins that top teams focus on.
White's foot being pushed into an offside position, just before half-time, meant City went in two goals ahead at the break. Had Arsenal survived a half where they could conceivably conceded five by only conceding one, they would have been confident of a comeback. At 2-0, their confidence was shot and City could pick them off after the break. Stones' goal could be the most decisive of the season if City win the title.
It appears that everything City worked on in training on Monday and Tuesday worked to perfection on Wednesday. Guardiola made a bold selection call, completely changed his tactics, and the small things all added up to a huge win. How many times in his previous six seasons could he change so much at short notice and get such an important win.
In previous big games - think Lyon or Chelsea in the Champions League - those 'overthinking' changes haven't always paid off. Guardiola always says that he overthinks when he loses and is a genius when he wins. He's not overthought a selection for a while.
After working with his players for so long - adding the likes of Haaland and Akanji this season who have both proven bargain buys considering their contributions - Guardiola seems to have the versatile and intelligent squad he's been looking for ever since he arrived in Manchester.
He won't entertain talk of a treble, yet if any squad is capable of adapting to any situation in the final ten or 11 games of the season, it's this one.
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