MANCHESTER — Erling Haaland swung the title race dramatically in favor of Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, his second-half strike earning Pep Guardiola’s side a 2-1 win over Arsenal that will afford them the chance to earn top spot in the Premier League on Wednesday.
An outstanding solo goal from Rayan Cherki had afforded City a lead that was swiftly wiped out by Gianluigi Donnarumma’s error. Just as Arsenal were reasserting themselves in a tightly fought contest, Haaland struck what might be looked back on as a mortal blow in the Gunners’ pursuit of a first title since 2004. And yet this victory simply ensured that the hosts can draw level with Arsenal if they win their game in hand. If both teams win out from here on, the Premier League title will be decided by goal difference.
And if today’s clash is anything to go on, these two might still be laying blows on each other from afar in the weeks ahead. The hype barely seemed sufficient for the magnetic start at the Etihad Stadium. David Raya wobbled and was desperately fortunate that his clearance clattered off Erling Haaland and to a moment’s safety. It didn’t last long as City laid siege to the Arsenal goal in the first five minutes. Cherki found space on the left side of the area, but Gabriel got out just quickly enough to deflect his shot against the post.
Arsenal seemed to have weathered that early storm and were moving the ball into just the territory they wanted to occupy. What they did not quite have was a player who could break through those last lines and deliver something magical. Perhaps there was only one man able to do that.
When Matheus Nunes beat Eberechi Eze to a clearance, the ball dropped invitingly for Cherki. Still, it was the best defense in the land between him and goal. No matter, Cherki blew past Piero Hincapie and Gabriel with a shimmy and a shake, calmly rolling the ball across Raya with his right foot.
From the brilliant to the baffling, City’s lead lasted just 34 seconds after the restart. A heavy touch from Gianluigi Donnarumma was all the invitation Kai Havertz needed, the German hurling himself at the ball and deflecting it into the net. In this two-minute flurry, the unforgettability of this game was established. This was not a better occasion solely because of the excellence, but occasionally in spite of it. For every gliding run, there was a slip in a prime position. This was a game for the modern Premier League of second balls, set pieces and one-on-one battles. Thunder one moment, aplomb the next.
As the game wore on, it felt City were showing more of the latter, establishing themselves in the final third, probing at the gaps in the sport’s outstanding defense. Haaland hit the post, Jeremy Doku tested the booked Cristhian Mosquera, clinging on in every battle. The pressure seemed intolerable until Gabriel Martinelli broke it with an interception.
Arsenal executed their counter with aplomb. Did Martin Odegaard’s pass push Kai Havertz an inch too wide, giving Donnarumma the angle to make amends for an earlier howler? Only he will know. Ultimately, neither he nor Eberechi Eze could turn the ball home on the rebound. Soon after Eze’s shot slapped against the same post Cherki had hit.
This seemed Arsenal’s moment, but Martinelli was too reckless in pursuing it. Charging upfield, he left space into which Nico O’Reilly drove. The Gunners’ right was scrabbling from that moment on and as more bodies hurled across to plug gaps, Haaland found himself isolated with Gabriel, holding off the big Brazilian to meet a bobbling ball with power and precision.
With 25 minutes to go, Arsenal looked crestfallen, the title seemingly slipping out of their grasp, but for a moment they rallied. Gabriel’s close range header was blocked by Nico O’Reilly, a brilliant bit of last-man defending by outgoing City captain Bernardo Silva stopped Havertz from charging through. They could not keep up that intensity, however, and tempers frayed as nerves heightened. Gabriel can surely count himself lucky that Anthony Taylor deemed his nudge in Haaland’s direction when the two locked heads to be worth only a yellow.
Their rally did not last long enough, and there was a 23-minute gap between Eze’s shot and their next effort, Havertz getting slightly too under Leandro Trossard’s brilliant cross and guiding it over Donnarumma’s bar. And with that, the title was anybody’s to win.
