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Manchester City and Arsenal played out a dull 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday, March 31.
City entered this game on the back of a strong run of form. They had secured five wins and one draw in their six games leading up to this blockbuster clash. In that time, Pep Guardiola's men scored 16 goals and conceded just five as they looked formidable.
The Spaniard made two changes to the lineup that defeated Newcastle United 2-0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals. Kyle Walker and Jeremy Doku made way for Nathan Ake and Kevin De Bruyne for this game.
Manchester City made a strong start to the game and dominated possession in the first period. However, they created very few chances despite having 72% of the ball. They had one decent chance in the first half as Nathan Ake's shot came close to testing David Raya. However, the Dutchman's night was cut short as he went off injured in the 27th minute.
Arsenal held their own well despite just 28% of the ball in the first period. They maintained their discipline and defensive shape and managed to keep the score at 0-0 at half-time.
The second half was a similar story for Manchester City in terms of possession as they kept the ball in excess of 70% of the time. However, none of their eight attempts were on target as they continued to misfire in the final third. Pep Guardiola even brought on Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku with the hopes of scoring but the pair were unable to make a major impact.
Erling Haaland, too, had a couple of decent chances to test David Raya late in the second half but fluffed his lines. Arsenal had just two chances in the second half and managed just one effort on target via Leandro Trossard. However, neither side did enough to score as the game ended in a goalless draw.
That said, let's take a look at Manchester City's player ratings from the game.
Manchester City Player Ratings
Stefan Ortega - 7/10
Ortega made two regulation saves throughout the game, with little goalmouth action on both ends. He distributed the ball with 81% accuracy, including seven long balls.
Manuel Akanji - 7.5/10
Akanji was solid at the back and his positioning to nullify Arsenal's chances to score were exceptional. He won four duels and made one clearance. Akanji also played one key pass and two long balls.
Ruben Dias - 7.5/10
Dias was solid at the back as he won two duels and made one tackle and one interception. He also played two long balls.
Nathan Ake - 6.5/10
Ake made a decent start to the game and registered Manchester City's first effort on target in the game. However, he was subbed off with an injury after 27 minutes.
Josko Gvardiol - 8/10
Gvardiol did an exceptional job of marking Bukayo Saka until the Englishman was subbed off after 78 minutes. The Croatian won eight duels, making four tackles, two interceptions and one clearance. He also played one key pass.
Rodri - 8.5/10
Rodri put in another solid display in the middle of the park. He passed the ball with 92% accuracy, including three key passes and 10 long balls. He also won a remarkable 15 duels.
Bernardo Silva - 7/10
Silva had a decent game for Manchester City as he passed the ball with 88% accuracy, including one long ball. He also won nine duels and made three tackles.
Kevin De Bruyne - 7.5/10
City's captain passed the ball with 71% accuracy, including four key passes, three crosses and two long balls. He also won five duels.
Mateo Kovacic - 6.5/10
Kovacic had a decent game and passed the ball with 91% accuracy. He also won one duel and blocked one shot.
Phil Foden - 7/10
Foden had a decent game as he passed the ball with 88% accuracy. He also played one key pass and won two duels.
Erling Haaland - 6/10
Haaland had a rather quiet evening as none of his four shots were on target and he had just 23 touches of the ball throughout the game.
Substitutes
Rico Lewis - 7/10
Lewis came on and put in a good performance for Manchester City. He passed the ball with 94% accuracy and also won three duels.
Jack Grealish - 7/10
Grealish was brought on to bring directness to City's play and he did fairly well, but could not affect their scoring.
Jeremy Doku - 7/10
Doku came on in the second half and put in an energetic cameo for his team.
