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A crucial deflection, and maybe a diversion in the fortune of many of those involved in this growing fixture. Arsenal claimed their first Premier League victory over Manchester City since December 2015, and first points for Mikel Arteta against his old employers. <\/p>\n
It would have been 13 losses in a row otherwise, but it was instead Arsenal that enjoyed the luck as the numbers finally changed. <\/p>\n
City themselves have lost two successive league games for the first time since December 2018, after Gabriel Martinelli\u2019s opportunistic effort cannoned off Nathan Ake and past Ederson for a win that may yet prove significant in the burgeoning title race. <\/p>\n
That shouldn\u2019t just be dismissed as fortune, though, since Arteta\u2019s side forced it. He had quite a key intervention himself. At a key moment, the Basque introduced Kai Havertz, who offered a moment that may well prove a turning point in his early Arsenal career. <\/p>\n
It was the midfielder\u2019s presence of mind and spatial awareness that set up Martinelli.<\/p>\n
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It was also precisely the area that Rodri usually patrols, which ensured that these two league defeats in a two also make it three defeats from three without the defensive midfielder commonly seen as the best in the world now.<\/p>\n
That in turn made City look less than the European and English champions they are. They can admittedly point to other absences, but Arsenal were themselves missing Bukayo Saka to go with lesser depth.<\/p>\n
This will give them much more substance, certainly from a psychological perspective. They won\u2019t feel inferior any more. That could be seen in Declan Rice\u2019s raucous reaction after the match, after he put in a superb individual performance.<\/p>\n
It was more than deserved. City had never really been at it. Erling Haaland again went without scoring.<\/p>\n
One of City\u2019s most productive periods of attacking was actually in the opening few minutes, only to be shut down by Rice. That was to become a theme. This moment was much more box-office than all the steadier work he did, as the midfielder headed a bouncing Josko Gvardiol strike off the line. It was in this period that City were closest to the Arsenal goal – if not necessarily any closer to a goal than that – as Julian Alvarez had evidently been instructed to hound David Raya for every touch. One quickfire interception was so close that it seemed like it rippled the inside of the net rather than the side. It felt like something that could end up proving influential, as did Michael Oliver\u2019s first big refereeing decision.<\/p>\n
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Mateo Kovacic was lucky to avoid a red card after a challenge on Martin Odegaard<\/p>\n
Rice and Jorginho did an awful lot to steady the general element of chaos about the Arsenal defending, and get their side much higher up the pitch, and that evidently frustrated Mateo Kovacic. The Croatian went in wildly with two challenges.<\/p>\n
If Kovacic was fortunate the first wasn\u2019t given as a red, it was simply remarkable it wasn\u2019t two bookings.<\/p>\n
That just summed up how something wasn\u2019t quite right about City. They weren\u2019t always the only team like that, too.<\/p>\n
For a long time it felt like it could be destined for a 0-0, amid that sense it was a game between the top two that came that bit too early in the season. There was a lot of frantic action, but not that much focus or purpose. It was as if there was initially a subconscious awareness there is so much more football to come, lessening the stakes as well as the intensity. Neither of the managers felt like that, mind. They were watching in increasing agitation, looking to affect something.<\/p>\n
Arteta did so first. Arsenal did admittedly recover from their erratic start to assert themselves but most of their attacks were Gabriel Jesus or Martin Odegaard trying to dribble through. It was really as if Arsenal were missing Saka\u2019s intensity.<\/p>\n
There was to be no pay-off for Alvarez, there, as he was taken off for Jeremy Doku but City persisted with getting on Raya any time he got on the ball.<\/p>\n
Arsenal responded by introducing Havertz.<\/p>\n
It was to prove inspired, in a subtle way, which was a bit like how to describe the product of that. On 86 minutes, with the game looking like it was going to peter out for a 0-0 but with Arsenal still pushing, the German found a bit of space around the area to also find Martinelli.<\/p>\n
The forward took his chance and the shot, to claim the reward. He got some luck, but he had made that luck.<\/p>\n
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Gabriel Martinelli\u2019s deflected strike proved the difference at the Emirates Stadium <\/p>\n
It now completely changes Arsenal\u2019s outlook for the season, as well as the very profile of the title race. Just nine days ago, after all, City had a 100% record and looked like they could just roll to a record four titles in a row.<\/p>\n
They are now back in third, two behind both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, and one ahead of Liverpool. It is enticingly tight, even if it is early.<\/p>\n
Arsenal\u2019s late winner brought that feeling, as well as so much more emotion around the stadium. The significance of this was all too palpable, for the team, as well as so many individuals involved. This time, after that shot, it fell for them.<\/p>\n