Manchester City 2-2 Arsenal
Man of the Match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
A Chilean exerted a decisive impact at the Etihad Stadium. He brought the inspiration to alter, perhaps determine, destinies. He showed class in a high-pressure environment. Sadly for Manuel Pellegrini, it was not him.
His compatriot Alexis Sanchez scored the equaliser that keeps Arsenal in third place and makes Manchester City's grip on fourth more tenuous.
Should Manchester United win their two remaining games, City will be demoted to fifth – Champions League semi-finalists will be dispatched to the Europa League. It will represent an unfortunate end for the departing Pellegrini, a man who has overseen progress in Europe and regression in England.
His last game at the Etihad Stadium offered entertainment, but not the outcome City desired.
“Winning the three points was a very good way to say goodbye,” said Pellegrini, but his side didn’t. They led twice and coughed up each lead. They attacked with verve, defended in dodgy fashion and departed disappointed.
They were agonisingly close to securing a win that would have kept their fate in their own hands, Wilfried Bony volleying against the bar in the 89th minute, but frustration was the abiding emotion.
This was about local rivalries and a bigger picture. While Arsenal preserve their hopes of finishing above Tottenham Hotspur for a 20th successive season, City may be the second team in Manchester.
Pep Guardiola may lose his 100 per cent record in management – seven seasons, seven Champions League semi-final appearances – through no fault of his own. City are endangered. Pellegrini’s legacy remains uncertain.
• Read more: Leicester City's may be a sign of more competitive Premier League to come, writes Greg Lea
• Also see: Alexis Sanchez keeps Arsenal in play for second against Manchester City – in pictures
His side were too cautious against Real Madrid, perhaps too cavalier against Arsenal.
Sometimes accused of lacking purpose, they played at pace. “They were on fire,” said Arsene Wenger. Arguably City’s two best players, Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne, scored. Fernandinho, another who seems certain to play a pivotal part in Guardiola’s plans, also excelled.
Their defence did not. City were ahead for 19 minutes, in two separate spells. They lacked the dependability to retain their advantage.
The game began with a quickfire exchange of goals, Aguero beating Petr Cech with a low drive before City contrived to concede in calamitous fashion. Gael Clichy, formerly of Arsenal, almost scored for them with a misdirected back header that went past both Joe Hart and the far post. Olivier Giroud headed in the subsequent corner while Eliaquim Mangala neglected to mark him.
The second half followed a similar pattern: City were wasteful, while a weakened Arsenal team responded.
A driving, direct dribbler, De Bruyne ran at the heart of the Arsenal defence. Gabriel backed off ineffectively while the Belgian drilled his shot past Cech. Yet what one winger could do, so could another. Sanchez exchanged passes with Giroud, accelerated into a gaping hole and scored.
Each was an illustration of why these sides did not sustain title challenges.
Their defences have proved too frail, too liable to creak under pressure. Neither has displayed the resilience Leicester City have exhibited. Arsenal have conceded three apiece away at United, Liverpool and West Ham, two each at Chelsea, Tottenham, Leicester and now City.
While Wenger preferred to concentrate on an unbeaten record against the top-four teams, sides who let in 17 goals in seven defining fixtures rarely realise their ambitions. Those who complete the season without beating a top-five side, as City have done, rarely occupy the highest rungs of the ladder.
“I think we deserve to be in the Champions League,” said Pellegrini. But City may not be. “We must keep our heads clean and chins up and try to win our last game,” he added. Yet even that may not be enough. City could exit the Champions League twice in as many weeks.
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