Sports
Mutters Of ‘Anti-Football’ As Arsenal Force City To First Barren Home Game Of 2024
By GWG Football Editor
Questions were being asked if Arsenal played anti-football as the Mikel Arteta team marshalled out a defensive outlay that for the first time this season denied Manchester City a goal at Etihad.
GWG.ng reports that the defensive outplay by Arsenal came after Arteta lamented the time wasting actions of Newcastle during their league game not too long ago which he termed anti-football at that time.
With the goalless game Arsenal have kept a clean sheet in both of their league meetings with Manchester City this season. They have now become the fourth team to prevent a Pep Guardiola-led team from scoring a goal in two league matches in the same season.
The others are Borussia Monchengladbach in 2014-15, Manchester United in 2020-21, and Crystal Palace in 2021-22.
Liverpool are now top of the table and two points clear of Arsenal after they came from behind to beat Brighton at Anfield, their delight increased by their two closest rivals canceling each other out.
This was a game that made a nonsense of its billing as a potential classic, as Arsenal’s containing tactics snuffed out City while the Gunners had only limited chances of their own in a desperately poor affair.
Nathan Ake had an early close-range header saved by Arsenal keeper David Raya before going off injured while former City striker Gabriel Jesus posed an occasional threat, just failing to connect with Bukayo Saka’s cross inches from goal after the break.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will be happier than City counterpart Pep Guardiola with this outcome – but the real winners were Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool.
With additional reports from BBC Sports
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