Arsenal successfully nullified Manchester City as their huge Premier League title clash ended goalless on Sunday afternoon.
The reigning champions managed just one shot on target at Etihad Stadium with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes keeping Erling Haaland extremely quiet.
The point picked up by Arsenal on Sunday means they are unbeaten in the three games where they have faced Man City this season.
Liverpool’s win against Brighton has placed them top of the league though, with Arsenal now two points off Jurgen Klopp’s side and Man City one behind the Gunners.
Prior to the draw, 2016 was the last time Arsenal avoided defeat at Etihad Stadium in league action with Arteta’s gameplan executed to perfection.
However, to some, it has not gone down well with the Arsenal boss criticised for not attacking a weaker-than-usual Man City team due to injuries with Nathan Ake subbed off because of a calf issue in the first half.
Alternatively, when compared to the 4-1 defeat in this fixture 12 months ago, it is certainly a step in the right direction for Arsenal.
With that in mind, 360gist.com.ng has pulled together a variety of perspectives on the game which saw the Gunners keep clean sheet number 12 in the league this season.
Kieran Horn – Audience Writer
It may have been a far cry from the spectacle everybody was expecting, but criticising Arteta for his gameplan is rather baffling to me.
Arsenal got played off the park last season at Etihad Stadium and while they didn’t go blow-for-blow in that fixture, doing so this season just because they had Declan Rice and William Saliba in the side would have been naive.
Limiting Pep Guardiola’s relentless attack to just one shot on target is an achievement that should be commended not looked down upon.
For viewers it was a boring game, there is no avoiding that fact but the Gunners were not beaten and that, while none of the Arsenal squad or Arteta will want to admit it, was probably the aim.
Arsenal have scored 33 goals in the Premier League since mid-January, so they are clearly capable of finding the back of the net, but this was not the game to be expansive in.
Lee Wilmot – Head of Football London
That was so far from the swashbuckling Arsenal we’ve come to see of late in the Premier League.
I understand the approach, Arsenal don’t often get anything from matches with Manchester City, and a draw is a very good result for Mikel Arteta’s team, although perhaps not in the grand scheme of the title race after Liverpool beat Brighton.
But it shows how far they’ve come, and that they can take a different approach to games against the big teams when they deem it necessary.
I just feel like City were there for the taking on Sunday. Yes, weather the early storm from Man City, which they did well, but then after that, give it a go.
Nathan Ake had been forced off injured and Pep Guardiola was already without John Stones and Kyle Walker.
Arsenal could have gone and won that game, if they’d truly decided to go for it. And they may live to rue the decision not to come the end of the season.
Tom Coley – Audience Writer
It’s hard to argue with just how solid Arsenal have been in their two matches against Manchester City this season.
Four points against a side that took six from meetings between the top two last year is an undoubted achievement.
Both mentally moving forward in the short-term until the end of May and also looking ahead to future battles, getting over the imposter syndrome that comes over Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium is vital.
Shutting down Haaland so expertly is extremely tough even if he doesn’t offer much threat beyond poaching the ball into the goal, meanwhile carrying enough threat of their own via counterattacks left City unwilling to test their own creative boundaries as well.
However, with three of City’s first-choice backline not on the pitch after 25 minutes and the usual sky blue protagonists missing any of their usual bite, this was a chance to make a real statement.
Although Arsenal stay a point ahead of City in the title race and there’s pressure on Guardiola now to return 27 points from 27, this could have all but shut City down.
There was a win on offer here and the possible risk placed in turning to Saka for such a defence first ploy now has to be questioned.
If the attacker is to miss any of the coming games – and there are some biggies – then having him scuttle down the right as an effective wingback perhaps wasn’t worth it.
You can never turn your nose up at points against the champions away from home but it feels like turning the dial slightly up for this game could have brought about huge rewards.
Viewers didn’t enjoy it but the team and probably away supporters may well have.
This could be a crucial point. It reminded me of Jose Mourinho going to the Emirates Stadium and playing for a 0-0 draw that all but gave Chelsea the title. Things aren’t quite as clear cut here but the impact could be similar in six weeks’ time.
Josh Holland – Audience Writer
There’s no doubt that Arsenal came away from the Etihad Stadium the happier of the two sides on Sunday.
Nullifying the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland is no easy task but the Gunners certainly did that.
But, my personal opinion is more on the negative side. Don’t get me wrong, tweaking your game plan when you come up against the treble winners is the right thing to do, but the defensive actions by Arsenal made the contest a bore.
At one point, City were attacking their title rivals, you heard that correct, with 10 men behind the ball and no initiative to take the game to Guardiola’s side. In October, Arsenal had a go and won. This time, it was simply to play for the draw.
Arsenal fans will, rightly so, be pleased with their side’s action. But the entertainment value of the game was just not there.
For Arsenal, it’s a huge difference from the performance we seen last year and that is only positive for them.
