Arsenal may want to avoid Manchester on August 28 in the future. On the 10th anniversary of an 8-2 thrashing at Old Trafford, they reached another historic low on the other side of the city.
As Manchester City surged to a victory that gives Pep Guardiola the extraordinary record of 31 points from a possible 33 against Arsenal, his former assistant’s problems mounted. Humiliated and eviscerated, Arsenal are in dire straits.
Mikel Arteta has overseen Arsenal’s poorest start to a season for 67 years. They have yet to get a point or a goal. Indeed, they got a red card before either, with Granit Xhaka dismissed in disgrace, ensuring there was no recovery after a wretched start.
Perhaps they could be grateful that City signed neither Harry Kane nor Cristiano Ronaldo but the margin of victory was emphatic without either. Arsenal found Ferran Torres and Gabriel Jesus problematic enough, as each carried on where he left off against Norwich to secure a second straight 5-0 win.
Jack Grealish earned a first assist for a new club, while Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Rodri stroked the ball around in midfield, with two scoring.
City made a false start to the season against Tottenham but found a second date with north London opponents more to their liking. They were outstanding, even if the perfectionist in Guardiola said: “It was nice winning but we have to be better." But City had 25 shots to Arsenal’s lone one and those kind of numbers would long have felt implausible.
“It is time to reflect and look in the mirror and try to change the dynamic,” Arteta said. “I question myself and I have to try and have the right people around me and look at every decision I make.”
And those best-laid plans were in ruin inside a quarter of an hour. He had reverted to the 3-4-3 formation he used when beating City in the 2020 FA Cup semi-final. History did not repeat itself. Indeed, the closest thing to a sequel was when Gundogan almost scored two headers in quick succession.
The first did count, the German escaping in space behind Calum Chambers to meet Jesus’ deep cross. It was the fourth goal the Brazilian had set up in two games as he savoured his reinvention as a right winger. City’s top scorer last season, Gundogan is continuing in a similar vein.
Manchester City v Arsenal player ratings
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MANCHESTER CITY PLAYER RATINGS: Ederson – 6. Almost caught out when dallying on the ball but Smith Rowe’s block creeped just past the post. Only real defensive moment of note for the Brazilian who started the move for City's third goal. Getty -
Kyle Walker – 7. An alert early interception set the tone for an assured performance. Replaced at half time. Getty -
Ruben Dias – 8. About as straightforward a match as he’ll play all season. Typically composed on the rare occasion he was called upon and comfortable in possession. Reuters -
Aymeric Laporte – 8. Like his centre-back partner, the Spain international didn’t need to leave first gear. Tried desperately to get himself on the scoresheet to no avail. Getty -
Joao Cancelo – 8. Played first half on the left before switching to the right. Regardless of flank, the Portuguese full-back was a constant menace. AFP -
Bernardo Silva – 7. Played the pass for Torres’ first goal even if he had Soares to thank for the ball finding its destination. Played his part in helping City dominate the midfield. Replaced by Sterling. Reuters -
Rodri – 8. The Spaniard was already dominating the midfield before Xhaka’s red card made his job even easier. Finished off a wonderful team move with a fine finish for City’s fourth. Reuters -
Ilkay Gundogan – 9. Got his first goal of the season with close-range header and generally ran the show for City. His work on the edge of the opposition area was key in disrupting Arsenal’s defensive structure. Getty -
Gabriel Jesus – 8. Set up the first and scored the third to continue his fine start to the season. His excellent cross found Gundogan for the opener and he tapped in for City’s third. Arsenal just couldn’t contain the Brazilian. Swapped on the hour. Getty -
Jack Grealish – 7. Lovely footwork and pass to set up Jesus for City’s third. Brimming with confidence and already making his mark since his British record move. Getty -
Ferran Torres – 9. Won’t score an easier goal than his first and City’s second. Played a key role in City’s third by driving the ball up the pitch. Laid on the final pass for Rodri’s goal and grabbed his second with a fine header. Could the Spaniard be City’s answer to their No 9 issue? Getty -
SUBS: Oleksandr Zinchenko (45’) – 6. Introduced at half-time and played as an additional winger. Didn’t really impact the game all that much. Getty -
Raheem Sterling (58’) – 6. Had numerous chances to add to City’s tally but couldn’t find the finish. AFP -
Riyad Mahrez (61’) – 7. Delivered a pinpoint cross for Torres’ second. Getty -
ARSENAL PLAYER RATINGS: Bernd Leno – 6. Had little chance with any of the goals and produced several good saves to avoid a cricket score. Reuters -
Cedric Soares – 3. Shambolic defending for City’s second as the ball skipped through him for Torres to tap home. A poor outing. Reuters -
Calum Chambers – 3. Got positioning all wrong for City’s opener as Gundogan headed home and made a feeble attempt to stand up Grealish as the English midfielder waltzed into the Arsenal area to set up Jesus. In between those, went down too easily when he was struck in the face during the move for City’s second. AFP -
Rob Holding – 6. The one Arsenal defender to emerge with any credit. Produced some good last ditch defending and several blocks inside the area. Lost Torres for City’s fifth but he was out on his feet at that point. Getty -
Sead Kolasinac – 4. Given his first Premier League start in 11 months, the Bosnian was given a torrid time by City’s relentless attacking players. AFP -
Kieran Tierney – 5. Deployed as a wing-back but in reality, played as a defensive full-back. Rarely got forward as City pinned back Arsenal. EPA -
Bukayo Saka – 5. Not in the game and replaced at the break in a tactical switch in response to Xhaka’s red card. Getty -
Martin Odegaard – 4. The Norwegian will have much better days but was left chasing shadows as City dominated. Getty -
Emile Smith Rowe – 6. Full of running and pressing during the early exchanges and was the only Arsenal player with any attacking ambition. But his impact was limited as Arsenal sat deep. Getty -
Granit Xhaka – 1. Overrun in midfield for 35 minutes before a studs-up challenge on Cancelo saw the Swiss receive his marching orders. Arsenal already had a mountain to climb prior to his dismissal and his reckless tackle made it even tougher. Getty -
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 2. Starved of service as a striker but as a captain, hardly led by example. No intensity and no leadership. Replaced by Lacazette in the second half. AP -
SUBS: Mohamed Elneny (45’) – 6. Sent on for the second half to help limit the damage. Didn’t do badly but couldn’t prevent City from continuing their onslaught. AP -
Alexandre Lacazette (59’) – 5. Spent more time in his own half than the opposition’s as Arsenal struggled to get any control of the ball. Getty -
Ainsley Maitland-Niles (71) – 5. Given a thankless task of being introduced with Arsenal 4-0 down. Getty
Then Silva curled in a low cross that a series of stretching Arsenal defenders could not reach. Torres did, timing his run and guiding his finish in. He doubled his tally with a late header from Riyad Mahrez’s cross and while Torres may lack the scoring pedigrees of Kane and Ronaldo, they were strikers’ goals and his display supported Guardiola’s belief that is turning to in a centre-forward. “That is why we didn’t need a striker,” Guardiola said. “He makes movements like the best strikers in behind, like Jamie Vardy. He is a good finisher.”
The third goal illustrated part of Guardiola’s ethos, with a goal that stemmed from Ederson’s ability to pass the ball out from the back. He found Torres, who picked out Grealish. A fast, direct dribble from the summer signing later, he had found Jesus, who tucked in his first goal of the season. Ederson had almost taken a policy of playing out from the back a little far earlier, Emile Smith Rowe charging down a pass and almost turning it in.
“We have to play 60 minutes with 10 men against the best team in the league,” Arteta lamented but that was Xhaka’s fault after he jumped in two-footed at Joao Cancelo. The resulting red card felt inevitable to all but Arsenal.
City had still more room to excel against 10 men and, teed up by Torres, Rodri guided in a shot from outside the box. Torres made it five and, but for Bernd Leno’s saves from Raheem Sterling, it would have been more.
