Arsenal delivered a dominant second-half display to thrash Manchester City 5-1 at the Emirates Stadium, reaffirming their place in the Premier League title race and sending a clear message to Liverpool.
The Gunners avenged their frustrating 2-2 draw at the Etihad earlier in the season with a commanding victory over the reigning champions.
It took Arsenal just 103 seconds to break the deadlock, capitalizing on a defensive lapse from Manuel Akanji. Leandro Trossard intercepted Akanji’s mistake on the edge of the box, allowing Declan Rice to feed Kai Havertz, who teed up Martin Ødegaard for a calm finish into the net.
The goal came swiftly—Arsenal had completed just four passes before Ødegaard found the net.
Havertz had a golden chance to double the lead in the 26th minute following yet another City error.
With time and space after another interception from Rice, the German narrowly missed the target, dragging his shot just wide.
City eventually found a response in the 55th minute when Erling Haaland headed in a well-placed cross from Savinho. The Norwegian’s goal—his 250th in senior club football—came from just his ninth touch of the match and proved to be City’s final attempt on goal.
However, Arsenal wasted no time in reclaiming control. Just 105 seconds later, Thomas Partey struck from distance, with his shot taking a wicked deflection off John Stones to leave Stefan Ortega helpless.
Partey’s goal, his third in the 2024-25 Premier League season, came after he punished a misplaced pass from Phil Foden.
The Gunners then put the game beyond doubt with a brilliant goal from teenage sensation Myles Lewis-Skelly. The 18-year-old surged into the box, cut inside, and fired a powerful shot past Ortega to become the fourth-youngest Premier League goalscorer in Arsenal history, following Ethan Nwaneri, Cesc Fàbregas, and Serge Gnabry.
Havertz added Arsenal’s fourth in the 76th minute, finishing off a swift counterattack after being picked out by Gabriel Martinelli. It marked the German’s 15th goal of the season, his best tally at a Premier League club and his highest since scoring 18 for Bayer Leverkusen in 2019-20.
Nwaneri put the finishing touch on a sensational performance in added time, curling in a spectacular effort to make it 5-1 and cap off City’s misery.
This emphatic win extended Arsenal’s unbeaten streak in the league to 14 games (W9 D5)—their longest under Mikel Arteta and their best run since a similar stretch under Unai Emery in 2018.
For City, the defeat was their heaviest away loss in the Premier League since a 4-0 hammering by Everton in January 2017. It also marked Arsenal’s biggest-ever league victory over the reigning champions.
Pep Guardiola’s side has now conceded four or more goals in a match for the fourth time this season, the most in a single campaign in his managerial career. City have also made eight errors leading to goals in the league this season, their highest tally under Guardiola.
With City now trailing Arsenal by nine points and sitting a daunting 15 points behind league leaders Liverpool with an extra game played, their hopes of securing a historic fifth consecutive title appear to be fading fast.
The focus now shifts to whether Arsenal can close the gap on Arne Slot’s Liverpool and end their 20-year wait for the Premier League crown.
