Manchester City v. Arsenal | PREMIER LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS | 4/26/2023 | NBC Sports

Well there's one injured player for Manchester City, Nathan Ake is out with a hamstring injury. Kyle Walker then, number two, is a player that comes into the side. We kind of chatted through who would play on the right-hand side. I feel like he's super comfortable there, so Walker we feel will play right back. Ikanji will switch to the left-back position. Other than that, it's a team that's in brilliant form. Whichever player you want to look at in the midfield, in the front three, they're at the top of their game right now, full of confidence. OK, let's have a look at the gunners. Important return of Granit Xhaka. Yeah, that's the good news for Arsenal going forward. I'm sure Arsenal fans would hope that William Saliba would have been back fit for that, but he's still out with a back problem, he's not really OK for the weekend as well, so Rob Hodding continues there. And there it is, it's been a brilliant team this season. You feel there's got to be big, big games from certain players, particularly over the guard. We know the two outside players, Xhaka and Martinez, have been brilliant, but Gabriel Jesus, maybe this is a special game for him to prove his worth for Arsenal. Here it is then, the power game. The Kings and those who would dethrone them. Arsenal five points up, City two games in hand. One of them will be crowned 32 days from now, and tonight's winners will be the likeliest. Make those runs from midfield. Gundogan, Haaland, Grealish, to scamper away from White. Ramsdale got a hand on it, De Bruyere went in for more, and it's over. And the free kick is given Arsenal's way. There is a VAR penalty check in amongst all of it. Well, there is, Arsenal giving the ball away again. City starting fantastically, Grealish going down the outside. I think he's got this wrong at first look. Michael Oliver, going to be interesting. He's in no-man's land there, Ramsdale, he deflects into the path. That's a penalty, he steps across De Bruyere as he's trying to strike the ball, he's nowhere near the ball, so I think that should be a penalty. Well, the check is complete. I'm of the opinion that he's got in front of De Bruyere, and he's protecting the ball, he's leaned him across him and he's kicked the back of his heel. That's certainly what Michael Oliver's seen in the VAR, but I get your point, Graeme. I think it's very, very close to being either way, and the referee, no obvious error there, so it's not changed, but a little bit of a relief from Partey for sure. Sturms for Haaland, holding off, holding and finding De Bruyne, Grealish as the extra man, De Bruyne wins himself and scores! So smooth, so certain, he's just the perfect package. It's 1-0 the champions. Well, this is what City can do. The option, the different option that they've got. Arsenal on the full press. Stones know when the full press is on, all he can do, or all he can't, a great ball is to just knock it up to the big man up top. And the touch from Haaland to bring in De Bruyne is absolutely sublime. And the rest is left up to the genius that is. That touch there, you can't do anything about it. You can't get in front of him, he's so big. And then he knows where the space is. Outside the finish, Ramsdale will look at himself and say, should he be scoring from there? Look at that touch. It's magical. And the rest, where's the space? There it is. He runs into the grass and he puts enough bend on it. I'm pretty sure Ramsdale will be disappointed with that. What a finish from De Bruyne. Yes, terrific finish because Gabriel's bearing down on him as well. Another mistake, really. If we're going to go split hairs, Thomas Partey letting De Bruyne running behind him rather than protecting that space off the excellent, as you said, Lee, touch from Harland. Monster Bruyne was away. He wasn't getting caught by the midfield. Tinschenko's misjudgment, Bernardo Silva onto it. Bernardo Silva looked to place it. See exactly what Bernardo Silva was trying to do there. Tinschenko with the mistake. And once he's in the penalty area, sees Tinschenko with his hands up. Doesn't quite get the connection. He's trying to just use Gabriel. I think it was he was marking him as a bit of a blind spot for Ramsdale, but didn't get the power he needed or the accuracy. Haaland won the race. De Bruyne's on his way. Kevin de Bruyne with White in pursuit, away from Gabriel. De Bruyne! Terrific block, Ben White. And away by Gabriel. Well, that's what they can do. The same link up, Haaland, De Bruyne. Just look at De Bruyne's position, Partey, playing catch up, he's gone again. As soon as you're centre-half, runs into the middle of the pitch like that and leaves a massive gap. You're in trouble, especially when the midfield don't stay with the runners. And in the end, Ben White does a brilliant job to put a block on. That's in, that's passed. Ramsdale, huge alarm bells going off. De Bruyne, here goes Haaland, problem for holding. Erling Haaland, look at him go! Ramsdale did elastically well to keep it out, and White was bright enough to see it behind. Yes, De Bruyne, spooned in by Grealish, taken on by Haaland! ... away by a prone Aaron Ramsdale. He's a machine, he doesn't even think about anything. As soon as he gets in the last third, he goes into autopilot and he just finds a target. An incredible performance from him so far. He's causing all sorts of trouble, he's getting great service as well. That's a lovely take from Martinelli. And Odegaard, now Saka can twinkle. Odegaard, and Thomas Pate! As close as Arsenal have been. He's not renowned for his shooting, I tell you that. But he gets himself in a really good position. And they work it well, Odegaard picking the right pass. Just can't wrap his foot round it. There's a bit of closing down, but there's the gap there he's going for. Grielich to Breuner, that's a sumptuous return pass. Jack Grielich, Haaland, Bernardo Silva is spare. Haaland can drive, and drive, drive! It's mighty close. Oh, he's so disappointed with himself. Beautiful football. Lovely 1-2, Grealish on his way. And look at Haaland, he holds his ground. They're 2v2, he knows exactly what he wants to do from this point. He's in total control of the situation, knows what the outcome is he wants, and he'll be furious with himself. With that level of quality, he'd be fully expecting to get that as City's second goal. Kanji, Gundogan, Llewelyn Partey, Gundogan, hop! Ramsdale did fabulously well. First to block and then instinctively to clear. Here's Walker. Rodri, Kaji. Brilliant save, really. He's kept Arsenal in the game with that. Just look at Gundogan. Should be taken care of there. He wasn't. Partey again, the culprit. And it's a great pullback. He's there, waiting. He's just got enough of his double calves on it before he goes through his legs. Save it with anything. Partey cannot let Gundogan beat him there. Koukoulias slips, White is onto it, Erdegaard, Sienkiewicz, flung in by Sienkiewicz, kicked behind for a corner. The head of that is from Diaz, I think it was, he's got his head on it. Good ball from Sienkiewicz, he's got whip on it, got enough pace on it. Kamdi just getting involved with Sakhar, gets a clump for his trouble Sakhar. He makes a shape here that few others can. In by De Bruyne! The flag is up against John Stones. He took it, the great ball in, took it beautifully well. That's not an easy header because he just headed it back the way it's come, but he'd obviously gone a little bit early. He's right on the final line and there he goes. Quite an easy one for the referee's assistant. Lovely header though. He just hangs, doesn't he? Keeps his eye on the ball all the way. Really nonchalant header. I don't understand why Stuart Burt's flag went up. It may still be proven right, but it may not. This is very, very tight. Looking at that angle. Yeah, it is. That bright yellow boot is Stones' shoulder. Tom, this is going to be a goal. Wait for this, wait for this, here it comes. Champions pull away on the Kasperpaltain. Look how much that means to them, not the fans, we're seeing the fans, look at what that means to the players. They're celebrating that as if that's the most significant goal of their season so far. Goals in successive home league games for Johnstones and City are reeling Arsenal in. in all the commotion. I didn't get a good view. I think he was, I don't want to say Rob Holden again, but he was marking stones. Somebody's let him run because he's got a free header. You've got to be challenging that. To Haaland who out muscles Gabriel and then once he's away there's no stopping him other than for the fact. Field by de Bruyne, here goes Haaland, he's played in Kevin de Bruyne, Bruyne scores with slick simplicity. They look like champions. Why would Heames be a champion? And Arsenal are broken. Yeah, there's a long way to go in this game as well. That's the worrying thing for Arsenal. Heads down, walking back, halfway line, knowing they've met their match tonight. What a superb performance from those two. Like Keegan and Tosha, Sutton and Shearer. All the combinations up front you can think of. They're just telepathic tonight. Everything they do, in possession, now out of possession. And he just draws the players towards him, Harland. The pass is brilliant, but this, puts it through the legs on purpose, pretty sure of it. He just knows he's going to put his leg up to block it. So difficult for the keeper, because he doesn't know when he's going to shoot the ball, because there's no backlift. Bang. Is there a player on the planet right now with greater mastery over a football than Kevin De Bruyne? He feels it, it is as if it were an extension of him. normally the production line isn't he Kevin De Bruyne has 16 assists and it's Harland who's given Kevin De Bruyne his first two assists out of the six altogether that Harland's produced and they're just working like Lees Lees is in wonderful partnership tonight in particular Herdegaard takes Walker away, Gabriel had a swing at it, and might have another. Thomas Partey, Zinchenko into the crowd, holding! There is a penalty inquiry. Yeah, two or three of the Arsenal players' arms went up. It was Haaland that it hit. Check's complete. I tell you what, he's leaning into that. Surely, anyway, check complete. We don't see anything in that. Tata's been pepped tonight, haven't he? Haaland's greelish. Kundawan... for a bubble. He absolutely knows that Holden's leg is going to come up to try and stop the shot to the near post. The defender will always try and block something, just lift his leg and he knows that there's going to be a gap there. goes down and the ball rises. Siencienko, Trossard, Nelson, Jorginho, Leandro Trossard and thumped in by Holding and Arsenal take a happy memory out of the night brief and late though it may be. Well the angriest man is Pep Guardiola who's furious at that, he was trying to get his team to close the edge of the box down and get out, they didn't get out quick enough and it's a good finish from Holding. onside Trossard and just lays it back. It's a brilliant finish you have to say. It's a really tidy finish. I don't know if it was Alvarez I think who didn't track his marker. And Trossard when he played the ball he switched off and got Trossard back into a dangerous area. I'm not afraid of you. as if he would score. The sharpest edge of all cuts through at the last. His 33rd Premier League goal. He holds the record now alone for a 38-game season. Well, it's an exhausted Arsenal. Absolutely spent physically and mentally. And Haaland always sharp, always alert, always looking for a goal, no matter what the situation. And he's missed a couple of really good chances tonight. They win the ball back. This touch here from Foden, just wonderful. Great awareness, but it's the movement from Haaland as well. It gets lucky there, Foden, actually, big deflection of holding. But Haaland's always on the move, and it's always the percentage shot into the ground. He does everything right, doesn't hit it cleanly, hits it into the ground firmly, makes sure he hits the target, and that's the outcome. He's now had two assists and a goal to add to that this evening. Apart from which, what? 49 for the season. One shy of half a century. The class, the elan, the certainty of champions. And now the champions have it to lose. Just so good, just too good. Individually, collectively, in a class of their own. And perhaps for Arsenal, the dream is drifting away. Haaland at the end, before him to Breuner twice, and John Stones meaningfully right on the cusp of half-time. And tempers at the end of it all are frayed, because for Arsenal this is an evening when it feels as though it is possibly getting away, and their emotions are getting the better of them. And indeed, there is a VAR inspection into some of these coming togethers, which actually end mercifully in nothing worse than handshakes, because there must, at the end of it all, be an awful lot of mutual respect. It looks as though that is all coming to nothing, which is a good news story. But the truly good news story is cities and cities alone. Haaland was magnificent today. Manchester City, dominant and deft, have all but reeled in the Gunners now, and they appear to have the slick kick left in order to go steaming past them. City within two points now, Rebecca, and with two extra games to play. Hi there, I'm Rebecca Lowe, studio host for NBC's coverage of the Premier League. Don't forget to hit subscribe to watch more videos all season long. For even more Premier League content, from original series to live matches, head over to Peacock, and be sure to tune in for Premier League mornings every weekend on USA Network and on Peacock. We will see you over there.