A mouth-watering clash between two Premier League giants ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw. The one point helped neither team as they maintained their respective positions in the league table.
Leroy Sane opened the scoring in the fifth minute after a fabulous Kevin De Bruyne through ball set him through on goal with only the keeper to beat. Sane did so with ease, however, Arsenal equalised five minutes before half-time when Theo Walcott latched on to a Shkodran Mustafi pass and slotted it home.
Also read: EPL 2016/17: Arsenal 2-2 Manchester City, 5 Talking Points
Arsenal were level for less than 100 seconds as Aguero gave City a deserved lead. However, Mustafi spared the Gunners’ blushes as his header gave Arsenal a vital point. Enough with the match summary, let's see how the players fared:
Arsenal
David Ospina – 6.5
The Colombian produced a couple of brilliant saves to deny David Silva and Sergio Aguero. His distribution was solid and was very vocal with the defenders. He could have done better with City’s second goal as the ball rolled into the bottom corner from a tight angle.
Hector Bellerin – 4
Bellerin had another horror show defensively. The former La Masia youth product allowed Sane too much space en route to the opening goal. The Spaniard lacked vision going forwards and it showed in his performance in the attacking third.
Laurent Koscielny – 5
It was a bang average performance from the Arsenal skipper. Koscielny looked shaky at the back and failed to nullify Aguero’s threat in the first half. He was substituted at half-time due to an injury.
Shkodran Mustafi – 8.5
It was a Man of the Match performance from the German defender. Although Mustafi looked like a nervous wreck while defending, his offensive impetus allowed the Gunners to snatch a point from Manchester City. He provided the assist for Walcott’s goal in the first half with a simple pass. Fifteen minutes later, he put his name on the scoresheet courtesy of a headed goal.
Nacho Monreal – 4
The Spanish veteran had another poor game in club colours. Monreal was at fault for City’s second goal as he allowed Aguero too much time and space to shoot. He could not cope with Sane’s pace throughout the match and Arsenal need to find a replacement for him in the next transfer window.
Francis Coquelin – 5
Coquelin was extremely reckless in tackles. He made needless fouls and unnecessarily ended up in the referee’s book. Dealing with the likes of Sane and Sterling was a nightmare for the Frenchman.
Granit Xhaka – 6
The Swiss international looked the better defensive midfielder in the first half. However, a lapse in concentration earnt him his seventh booking in eight games. His passing was poor and the Swiss failed to provide any attacking impetus.
Theo Walcott – 7
Walcott wasted far too many chances before equalising on the stroke of half-time. He misplaced five of his 14 passes, an atrocious figure for any competitive player. However, he did well to torment Clichy throughout the game.
Mesut Ozil – 6.5
It was a below-par performance from the German maestro. His misplaced pass resulted in City’s second goal, however, he made amends for it by assisting Mustafi’s equaliser. Ozil needs to step up if at all Arsenal want to get back into the top-four.
Alexis Sanchez – 6
The Chilean looked extremely tired and knackered and could not dictate the tempo of the game from the get-go. Sanchez held his hips more than the times he helped out his teammates defensively.
Danny Welbeck – 5.5
Welbeck couldn’t muster a single shot on target. He looked isolated up front for large parts in the first half. Consecutive poor performances from the forward have put him under pressure.
Substitutes:
Gabriel – 5.5
The Brazilian defender didn’t impress the Arsenal faithful after coming on at half-time. He struggled to form a partnership with Mustafi at the heart of the defence and looked extremely uncomfortable in dealing with the likes of Aguero and Silva.
Olivier Giroud – 5
Giroud lacked the service which he was desperately begging for. He hardly saw the ball in his brief spell and the crosses dried up when he was on the pitch.
Alex Iwobi – 6
The Nigerian injected pace into the worn-out side, however, he couldn’t come up with any magic to get his side the three points.
Manchester City
Willy Cabellero – 6.5
The 35-year-old was largely solid and did very well to save Ozil’s effort in the second half. He could have done better to prevent Mustafi’s goal, though. His passing was awful and must improve drastically before the midweek clash against Chelsea.
Jesus Navas – 7
The Spaniard had a very good first half as he kept Sanchez at bay. He also made four interceptions, a respectable number for a part-time defender. Small cracks did show up when he allowed too much room for the opposition attackers as the game wore on but that was to be expected.
John Stones – 6
The young defender made a crucial interception to deny Arsenal in the first half. He looked more assured than his Argentine counterpart, Otamendi. If he can improve aerially, Stones will become a world-class defender in the near future.
Nicolas Otamendi – 4
The centre-back had an average first half and looked extremely shaky after the introduction of Olivier Giroud in the second half. Week in week out, Otamendi is proving Kompany's importance by putting up below-average performances.
Gael Clichy – 6
Clichy was largely at fault for Arsenal’s first goal as he played three attackers on-side. He made crucial interceptions in the second half and redeemed himself, though.
Fernandinho – 7
The Brazilian did well to control the midfield. He tested Ospina with a powerful drive in the second half that the keeper did well to beat away. He distributed the ball very well and allowed the creative players to shine.
David Silva – 8
It was another fabulous performance from the Spanish magician. He was a powerhouse in possession and was one of the busiest players on the pitch. Silva supplied a wonderful assist for Aguero’s goal.
Kevin De Bruyne – 7.5
The Belgian carved open the Arsenal defence with a magnificent through ball that led to Sane’s opener. He was unlucky to hit the woodwork moments after the first goal. His passing game was fabulous and gelled brilliantly with David Silva at the heart of the midfield.
Raheem Sterling – 5
Sterling couldn’t create much of an impact in the first half. Other than running around defenders, the winger didn't turn out to be a big threat and he made way for Yaya Toure at half-time.
Leroy Sane – 8
The youngster continued his rich vein of form, scoring for the fifth time in his last eight appearances for the club. He was a constant threat down the left-hand side, his electrifying pace putting off half the Arsenal players.
Sergio Aguero – 8
The Argentine forward had a good game after a long time in club colours. He was a nuisance for the Arsenal defenders and took his goal with aplomb. Aguero linked up brilliantly with David Silva and took a barrage of shots at Ospina's goal over the course of the 90 minutes.
Substitutes
Yaya Toure – 5
The Ivorian wasn’t involved in the game a whole lot. He steadied the ship nicely, however, he didn't add much to the game as he failed to exploit a weak Arsenal defence.
Pablo Zabaleta- NA
The Argentine was brought on too late to make an impact.
