Tuesday 22 December 2015 13:06, UK
Arsenal survived a late scare at the Emirates Stadium to overcome Manchester City 2-1 and make a major statement of intent in the Premier League title race, writes Nick Wright…
In the build-up to kick-off on Monday Night Football, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher described this as "one of the biggest Premier League games Arsenal have played in three or four years", while Arsene Wenger also stressed its significance. "The title will be won by taking points off the bigger teams," he said. "Maybe more than ever because the championship appears to be very tight."
The circumstances demanded a statement of intent, and Arsenal provided it. The victory put the Gunners four points clear of Manuel Pellegrini's side and two points behind leaders Leicester. They are now the bookmakers' favourites to win the title, and with the Foxes facing Liverpool, City and Tottenham in their next four games, it might not be long until they are top of the pile.
Arsenal have come a long way since the 2013/14 season, in which they were thrashed 6-3 by City, 5-1 by Liverpool and 6-0 by Chelsea. Their ineptitude against top opposition highlighted just how far out of contention they had fallen, but the transformation appears to be complete. In eight games against City, Chelsea and Manchester United in 2015, Wenger's men boast a record of five wins and only one defeat.
Their first half performance typified how Wenger has turned things around. The Gunners used to be known for spurning chance after chance before being picked off by more streetwise opponents, but here they were organised, patient and - when it came to it - clinical.
Just 77 seconds after Kevin de Bruyne had dragged wide, Theo Walcott cut inside and finished brilliantly from Mesut Ozil's pass. Olivier Giroud made it two with a low, angled drive through Joe Hart's legs in stoppage time. Two shots; two goals. In the Monday Night Football studio, Thierry Henry was impressed.
"It's perfect Arsenal in a way," Henry said. "In the beginning they were very passive. You could see Ozil and Giroud getting frustrated with the team because they were not pushing up with them, but the next thing you know, from the goal that De Bruyne missed, they find themselves 2-0 up. A year ago they would have been losing that game."
Arsenal finished the game with just 37.1 per cent of the possession compared to City's 62.9 per cent and eight shots on goal to City's 20. But they restricted the visitors to few clear-cut scoring opportunities, and held their nerve in the closing stages after Yaya Toure's exquisite finish eight minutes from time.
"They couldn't beat big teams like that before," added Henry. "And it was almost in an unlike Arsenal way: Defending well, being tight and counter-attacking. We saw that against Bayern Munich. We saw that against Man United."
In his post-match interview, Wenger used the words "spirit, organisation, brilliance" to sum up his side's performance. It certainly seemed like an accurate assessment. The spirit ran right through the team, but it was the makeshift central midfield pairing of Aaron Ramsey and Mathieu Flamini who provided the foundations for success.
The duo faced by far their toughest examination yet against Yaya Toure, Fernandinho and David Silva, but they worked tirelessly to protect their back four, and tracking data showed they were the top two players for distance covered, clocking well over 12km each.
Their hard work and Arsenal's defensive organisation allowed man-of-the-match Ozil, Walcott and Giroud to provide the brilliance further forward. The German took his assists tally to 15 to put him within five of Henry's Premier League record, and he also contributed defensively, making more successful tackles (four) than any of his team-mates.
Walcott and Giroud, meanwhile, ensured Alexis Sanchez's absence was not felt. The Chilean had been due to feature following a hamstring strain, but a setback has ruled him out until January 10. Indeed, it is worth remembering that Arsenal were without a host of injured players against City, and their prospects will look even brighter as Sanchez, Jack Wilshere, Santi Cazorla, Francis Coquelin and Danny Welbeck gradually return.
The Gunners are nine points better off than at the same point last season, and they feel like a different beast. "Our belief is stronger," Wenger told Sky Sports. "We have played many very, very young teams but there is more maturity now in the side. You can see in these games it comes out.
"I can see exceptional life in this team and when we did not have the legs any more, we had to rely on the spirit and that got us through in the end." For the first time in a while, it feels like Wenger might end up repeating those words in May.
