(Premier League 2023/2024): Highlights Man City - Arsenal

Well they pushed each other all the way last season and now in one of the most unpredictable title races in years, City face Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium knowing that this could be a pivotal day in deciding who ends this campaign as the champions of England. Just a mere mention of these two teams conjures up intense excitement and feverish expectation. A title decider it is not but whoever should lose today may well have that sinking feeling. Kovacic helps it on to Guardiola midway inside the City half. A little bit too firm the pass of De Bruyne and picked off by Saliba on it goes to Rice midway inside the City half and into White. White puts in a clip ball it's Jesus peeling away and Jesus hits it wide. It was always going wide it was a mishit really by Jesus and it's a City goal kick but it was a chance for Arsenal. Plays it across to Kovacic and Kovacic out wide to Guardiola and Guardiola sets off down the left-hand side still going gets the edge of the area lovely play by Guardiola tries to play across it's deflected and out for a City corner good play by Guardiola down the left side. Ball comes in and it's gone to almost in. Raya just about kept it out. Ake got the nearest of touches on it and Raya was on the line to stop it. It was one of those that could easily have squeezed in and it was a deflection I think just off Gabriel that took some of the power off it. Ake plays it into Roderick. Roderick just steps forward and then is tackled by Declan Rice and Havertz is a little bit further on. Ake's in trouble he's got a real challenge to make here. Havertz is on the edge of the area and it goes to Jesus and on to Havertz and Ortega comes out and Havertz has gone through on Ortega and he really knew what he was doing and he's clobbered into Ortega. I think you know as a pro when someone's trying to get to the ball and when someone can't it's a heavy challenge. Yeah Ortega he always looked favourite didn't he once Jesus slid it through it always looked like it was going to be Ortega's and Havertz's. I suppose he's got a right to go for it but it always looked to me like it was the goalkeepers. So Ake has just sunk to the floor and on comes Rico Lewis a lot earlier than anyone would have anticipated. City forced into a change but it will mean a bit of a reshuffle. I imagine Akanji will go alongside Diaz. Rico Lewis would go where Akanji was and everyone else will stay as they were. Breuner comes forward in the central area of the pitch he runs he keeps on coming plays it into the gap towards Foden but it hit the heel of Saliba and the Saliba gets it away to White. White pokes it on and then gets the return ball and now Saka and White again. White now in the right wing position almost finds Oerdegaard. Oerdegaard scampers forward gets towards the edge of the City penalty area. White puts in a cross and Kivio lays it back and Jesus on the edge of the area. Jesus hits a shot wide of the post again it was a scuff from Gabriel Jesus. He scuffed one earlier from the left-hand side he's now scuffed one from the edge of the area but two decent chances for him. Yeah ball coming again from Ben White I think it was Kivio that pulled it back and it has worked it well for himself and then he's 16 17 yards out and he's just dragged it with his left foot just wide. In the central area finds Rodri. Rodri steps away from Oerdegaard goes back to Ruben Diaz and Diaz helps it on to Kovacic. Kovacic goes back to Diaz. Diaz we won't get there. Oerdegaard picks it up on the edge of the City penalty area and on it goes to Rice and all of a sudden City is stretched. Jesus on the edge of the area. Jesus looking for a shooting opportunity. Still Jesus and in the end he was closed down. Havertz picks it up and then the ball goes back to Saka and the flag goes up for offside. But it's Oerdegaard who's got the ball inside his own penalty area. He plays it straight to Jesus actually. It was a loose one but his ball in was easily cleared and then there's a header which goes up towards Diaz. Diaz try to cushion it to De Bruyne. City emerge with it and it's Akanji and Akanji finds Foden and Foden scampers forward and now Bernardo Silva down the right wing position. Getting towards the edge of the Arsenal penalty area. Held up though by Jesus of all players who's come back deep as he's done many times today. Lewis lovely skill on the edge of the area. Foden and Rodri on it goes to Kovacic. Kovacic tries the bending shot. Oh my goodness it was a foot beyond the post. He hasn't scored a Premier League goal for City. Indeed he's not scored a goal for City in this country. He's scored in the World Club Challenge but he's nearly scored there. Ortega helps it on to Rodri. Rodri coming deep as he loves to to start City off again. Akanji back to Rodri. Rodri helps it on to Dele. Still on the edge of the City penalty area. Diaz plays it to Foden. On to Guardiola. Guardiola battling with right at white. Loses it on it goes to Oerdegaard. Oerdegaard to Saka. Saka round the outside right across the face of the goal and Ortega will clear it. On it goes to Bernardo Silva. Bernardo Silva on to Lewis. Lewis oh that's a really poor challenge from Jorginho and then another poor challenge on Rodri. The card's got to come out. Someone's got to get booked. Goodness me Anthony Taylor he's really giving everyone the benefits of the doubt. We've just seen the chance just before it was Oerdegaard slid Saka in and slid it across the six yard box and it's just a whisper away from Gabriel Jesus there putting Arsenal 1-0 up. City nil. Arsenal nil. Huge game in the Premier League title race. Liverpool won earlier today. Foden on to Haaland. Haaland to Foden. Foden pokes it out to Akanji. Late challenge on Foden. Free kick to City. Still no cards coming out. Jorginho now gets a warning and nothing more. Free kick just about in shooting range but on the right hand side of the area. De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva hovering over the top of it. Doku and Grealish are stripped off. De Bruyne plays it in. It's cleared. Picked up by Foden. Foden helps it back to Lewis. Lewis on to De Bruyne. De Bruyne with a deep cross. It's too deep and it goes out of play for a goal kick. The ball is with Rodri. Rodri scoops it out wide to Doku. Doku will chase. Will he get to it? No. Tomiasu does and concedes a corner. Well that was an unnecessary concession of a corner. De Bruyne's delivery and it's helped on and Haaland. Oh he missed it. He missed it. He didn't really get any kind of touch on it. It kind of came towards him and he just I don't know he hit the bottom of his foot I think. Yeah I think it's Guardiola. He actually has an air shot. He completely misses it. It's Guardiola who sort of flicks it into a back post area. It's on his favoured left side and it doesn't actually make contact with the ball. Partey turns away from Haaland. Slips it through to Oerdegaard. Oerdegaard into the gap and that looked like it was offside but Trossard still coming forward. Trossard goes in and hits the shot. The flag should go up now. It hasn't done. And that's the end of the game. A nil-nil draw between Arsenal and City. They should have ended nil-nil at the Emirates. It was a dreadful game that day. Arsenal won it late on with a deflected Martinelli goal. Well there was no late winner today. Neither side can really make a claim that they should have won this match. No genuine clear cut openings. A really interesting but ultimately frustrating game here at the Etihad Stadium. It has ended City nil, Arsenal nil.