Manchester City and Arsenal‘s clash at the Etihad Stadium ended in a disappointing goalless draw, to hand Liverpool Premier League top spot as title race gets interesting.
In a highly anticipated matchup, neither Man City nor Arsenal could break the deadlock in full-time, leading to a 0-0 stalemate at Etihad Stadium.
Liverpool capitalized on this outcome, securing a 2-1 victory against Brighton to claim the league’s summit, with Arsenal trailing by two points and Man City three points behind, with nine games remaining.
While the draw maintains Man City’s unbeaten home record since November 2022, it also halts Arsenal’s impressive eight-match winning streak in the Premier League.
Despite City’s dominance in possession, they struggled to breach Arsenal’s defence, which has conceded the fewest goals in the league this season.
Although Arsenal displayed their attacking prowess with 33 goals during their winning streak, they adopted a counter-attacking strategy against Man City.
Gabriel Jesus, returning to face his former club, had Arsenal’s best chance in a quiet first half, narrowly missing the target from outside the box.
City’s Nathan Ake squandered a golden opportunity from a Kevin De Bruyne corner, failing to connect properly with the ball. City’s defensive woes were further compounded when Ake sustained an injury in the first half, adding to the absence of Kyle Walker and John Stones.
Despite both teams increasing their tempo after halftime, clear-cut chances were scarce. Jesus failed to connect with Bukayo Saka’s cross, while Arsenal’s solid defensive duo of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba effectively neutralized Erling Haaland.
The draw leaves City still searching for a win against any of the top five teams in the league this season. With their title hopes hanging in the balance, City now rely on favourable results from Liverpool and Arsenal to keep their quest for a historic fourth consecutive Premier League title alive.
