Arsenal's Improvement this Season
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal side surprised everyone with their performances this season. Last season and the season before that, they were struggling and at one point, were even close to being relegated when they got knocked down to 15th in the Premier League
But with the signing of Gabriel Jesus last season (and a Prime energy drink sponsorship) Arsenal were primed to become better. It seemed that both factors were a good luck charm because fans were, to all intents and purposes, salivating at the improvements in the team with Gabriel Jesus leading the attack, supported with the likes of Martin Odegaard and Granit Xhaka in the midfield as well as a drastically improving Bukayo Saka in the wings.
Manchester City's Performance Compared to Arsenal
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side, despite having better individual players, have not been as consistent as Arsenal in the Premier League. They have lost 5 games from 20 in the League and are 5 points behind Arsenal and have only won 14 games from the 20 they have played. Even with Erling Haaland coming into the team from Borussia Dortmund, they have not been able to replicate the synergy and teamwork which has allowed Arsenal to be so successful in the League this season.
Starting Line-ups
Manchester City employed a 3-2-4-1 formation with Ortega in goal with John Stones, Akanji and Nathan Aké in defense. They had R. Lewis, Rodri, Riyadh Mahrez, Kevin De Bruyne, Gündogan and Jack Grealish in midfield and they had only one man in the attack, Erling Halaand.
Meanwhile Arsenal employed a classic 4-3-3 formation with Turner in goal and Tierney, Gabriel, Robert Holding and Tomiyasu in defense. Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Vieria in midfield with Trossard and Bukayo Saka in the wings and in the attack they had Nketiah
Match Timeline
This game was full of close calls. Neither side could get the ball past the line into the net and it seemed like both sides were well-matched. Arsenal had better teamwork and synergy while Manchester City had better individual players that may not be as well-coordinated as Arsenal's, they had been playing together for a while and could work well together regardless. In the 64th minute, Nathan Aké put the ball into the far-post with a low shot after Grealish holds off two defenders and passes it into his path.
https://twitter.com/ManCity/status/1619091840975912962?s=20&t=4QS1znQ9robJ0wYki_x-lg
Aftermath
Arsenal lost the game 1-0 in this Man City Vs Arsenal debacle. As a result, the gunners were knocked out of the FA Cup and Manchester City were now one step closer to lifting the coveted trophy.