Manchester City are in the driver's seat to win the Premier League after a 4-1 thumping of leaders Arsenal on Wednesday at the Etihad. City have pulled within two points of the Gunners at the summit with two games in hand as they look to win their third league title in a row.
In this one, it was the Kevin de Bruyne show as the electric superstar scored two goals and assisted the other in a one-sided display that saw Arsena's winless streak stretch to four games.
But how did everybody perform?
Manchester City ratings
By Roger Gonzalez
| Name | Minutes | How did they do? | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
(GK) Ederson | 90 | Made the same amount of saves as I did in the first half. Didn't have to deal with a lot, and he almost saved Arsenal's lone goal. | 6 |
(DEF) Kyle Walker | 90 | Completed 94% of his passes and kept Gabriel Martinelli at bay. He was so smart in playing the ball to the right player to keep the movement fluid. | 7 |
(DEF) John Stones | 90 | ⚽45' Coming into his own. Was aggressive and smart, and he was rewarded with a goal with a lovely header off a set piece. He's shown versatility and consistency when needed, today playing a more traditional CB role. | 8 |
(DEF) Ruben Dias | 90 | Calm and alert. Did well to get a head on a dangerous ball before the break. So in sync with those around him and didn't make any big mistakes. | 7.5 |
(DEF) Manuel Akanji | 90 | A little sloppy in conceding free kicks but was solid overall. His positioning was good playing as a left back and he managed to keep attackers in front of him. | 6 |
(MID) Rodri | 90 | Did a little bit of everything, but he didn't have to shine in that midfield against an Arsenal that was quite pedestrian. It was an easy afternoon for the Spain international. | 6 |
(MID) Ilkay Gundogan | 72 | Created a chance and completed 43 of 45 pass attempts. Recovered the ball well, quickly got the ball into space and helped kickstart the attack. | 7 |
(MID) Kevin de Bruyne | 81 | ⚽7' ⚽54' A terrific early goal with a fantastic run and finish. Looked a gear faster than every Arsenal midfielder. Assisted Stones with a brilliant free kick. Just KDB being KDB, getting his second in the second half, | 9 |
(FWD) Bernardo Silva | 90 | Not as effective as he would have liked to be in the final third, but his quick cuts and passes allowed the attack to stay fluid. | 5 |
(FWD) Jack Grealish | 87 | Impressive. He regularly brings the ball down the left with brilliant technical ability and hustled back on defense like a champ. He's really starting to emerge as an impact player for this team. | 7 |
(FWD) Erling Haaland | 90 | ⚽95' Missed some really great chances but got his goal in the end. Lovely trap and pass to De Bruyne to set up the opening goal. He did everything else right, assisting twice. | 8.5 |
| Substitutes | Replaced | How did they do? | Rating |
Mahrez | Gundogan (72') | Got nearly 20 minutes but didn't get into the game as he would have liked. | 5 |
Julian Alvarez | De Bruyne (81') | A quiet, short cameo with the game done and dusted. | 5 |
Phil Foden | Grealish (87') | Late sub that came on and got an assist. | 7 |
| Manager | Subs used | How did the manager do? | Rating |
Pep Guardiola | 3 | Had them ready. They made a statement and the Premier League title will likely be theirs. He'll be ticked about conceding and not scoring more, but he's got to love this result and fully deserves it. | 9 |
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Arsenal ratings
By Jonathan Johnson
| Name | Minutes | How did they do? | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
(GK) Aaron Ramsdale | 90 | While it would be harsh to blame both De Bruyne goals on him, he perhaps could have gotten something on either one. He was not helped by his defense which looked a shadow of itself again without William Saliba. Did get a hand on Haaland's late effort, but could not keep it out. | 5.5 |
(DEF) Ben White | 90 | By no means the most at fault in Arsenal's back line, but equally part of an entirely unconvincing rearguard display. | 5 |
(DEF) Rob Holding | 90 | ⚽86' The moment that he lost out to Haaland in the build-up to De Bruyne's opener, there was only going to be one result. He was also questionable on Stones' header and communication broke down with Gabriel for City's third. Saved some face with a quality consolation effort. | 5 |
(DEF) Gabriel Magalhaes | 90 | Such a rock at the heart of defense of late, his night was not as difficult as Holding's. Not by much, though, with both getting pulled apart for De Bruyne's second. | 5 |
(DEF) Oleksandr Zinchenko | 90 | Not a happy return for the Ukrainian nor Gabriel Jesus in the Gunners ranks. | 5.5 |
(MID) Martin Odegaard (c) | 72 | Far too passive in the midfield at times and looked spent during the build-up to De Bruyne's second and City's third. | 5 |
(MID) Thomas Partey | 90 | Was booked in the second half and struggled at times, notably on City's third goal as the Arsenal midfield and defense was pulverized. Could have conceded a penalty on Haaland too. | 4.5 |
(MID) Granit Xhaka | 60 | Played through illness and did not even seem to be the weakest link in the middle of the park for Arsenal. | 6 |
(FWD) Bukayo Saka | 81 | A rare off night for the youngster who struggled to impose himself. He had a single shot and, more damning didn't create any chances for his teammates either. | 5.5 |
(FWD) Gabriel Jesus | 81 | One of two returning ex-City players along with Zinchenko, things did not go according to plan for the Brazilian. | 6 |
(FWD) Gabriel Martinelli | 60 | A difficult outing, it was little surprise that he was one of the first to make way for the Gunners. | 5.5 |
| Substitutes | Replaced | How did they do? | Rating |
Leandro Trossard | Martinelli '60 | Productive cameo showing which produced an assist for Holding's strike. | 6.5 |
Jorginho | Xhaka '60 | Came into a midfield gasping for authority, but was unable to turn the tide by that point. | 6 |
Emile Smith Rowe | Odegaard '72 | Perhaps should have been introduced sooner given the skipper's struggles alongside Partey. | 6 |
Reiss Nelson | Saka '81 | Sent in to inject a sense of urgency, but it was already too late by then. | 5 |
Eddie Nketiah | Jesus '81 | Arsenal needed a goal threat and it perhaps came too late in the day to truly influence proceedings. | 5 |
| Manager | Subs used | How did the manager do? | Rating |
Mikel Arteta | 5 | His team barely tested City before the game was beyond them and they were dominated on the ball. Saliba's was a big miss and Xhaka's illness did not help, but City were a cut or two above this Arsenal side. | 5 |
