Martin Odegaard of Arsenal talks with Erling Haaland of Manchester City at the end of the English FA Cup fourth round football match between Manchester City and Arsenal at Etihad Stadium on January 27, 2023 in Manchester, England. Photo Credit: AP
Manchester City issued a statement of intent after beating Arsenal 1–0 in the FA Cup.
Nathan Ake’s 64th-minute goal put an end to Friday’s fourth-round match at the Etihad Stadium and the result could still change for the rest of the season.
Arsenal lead City by five points at the top of the English Premier League but their seven-game unbeaten run was ended by City, who are on three consecutive wins in all competitions.
Two of England’s best teams have a league clash on February 15 at the Emirates Stadium. For now, City manager Pep Guardiola has gained the upper hand over his former assistant, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.
Guardiola said, “I know how difficult it is to beat Arsenal. They have lost one game in the Premier League, so I know how difficult it is.”
The defender was the unexpected match-winner after hitting a low shot past AK goalkeeper Matt Turner.
Enjoying the better of the first half, Arsenal had their chances. Takahiro Tomiyasu and Leandro Trossard forced saves from City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, and Eddie Nketiah scored narrowly from close range.
The visitors were made to pay when City recovered after the break and AK struck decisively.
“(I’m) really disappointed,” Arteta said.
“We could have gotten more out of the game. In big games, in big moments, you have to make a difference.” While a place in the fifth round of the cup was at stake, it was impossible to ignore the wider context of the match between the front-runners in the league race.
Arsenal have been in excellent form, collecting 50 points after 19 games and playing with a confidence not seen since Arsène Wenger’s title-winning teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
As if to underline the fact that the cup is neither team’s priority, Guardiola and Arteta left key players out of their lineups.
Guardiola benched Ederson, Kyle Walker, Joao Cancelo and Bernardo Silva.
Arteta left out Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White, William Saliba, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Arsenal’s new signing, Trossard was handed his first start since joining from Brighton last week.
Despite the changes, Arsenal created the better chances in the first half but could not capitalize on them.
City started to control the game after the break, until AK broke the deadlock.
Substitute Alvarez’s strike from outside the box beat Turner but came back off the post. Jack Grealish picked up the rebound and lay down to Ake, who fired a low first-time effort into the corner.
The elimination gives Arsenal one less distraction in their title bid and Arteta hopes to strengthen his squad before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.
The London club have been linked with a $74 million move for Brighton midfielder Moisés Caicedo, but Arteta would not answer specific questions about the player.
“We’ve been very active in the market. We have some requirements,” he said.
“If something else is available, the club are willing to try to do so if it is appropriate and hopefully he is a player who can improve our squad.”