Arsenal produce 'statement result' of a title winner

Arsenal's 5-1 win over Manchester City on Sunday was a "statement result" according to Jamie Carragher, who believes the performance was just what they needed to reignite their title hopes.

The Gunners moved six points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a match in hand, following their home success over Pep Guardiola's side and made it two matches without defeat this season against the reigning champions.

Arsenal v Man City highlights

"Great day for Arsenal. We said before they were still lacking statement results a title winner would have," Carragher said on Sky Sports.

"But going down to 10 men against Wolves and winning, and demolishing the champions in a game that looked in the balance.

"Arsenal looked a completely different team once it got to 2-1. They’re going to need that if they’re going to wrestle that title back.

"As soon as the game got faster Man City can’t cope with it."

'A bit like Roy Keane'

Declan Rice capped an impressive midfield display with two assists and Carragher heaped praise on the 26-year-old, even comparing him to Manchester United legend Roy Keane.

"I scratch my head when l hear people criticising Declan Rice.

"He is an all-round midfielder – a bit like Roy Keane. He’s almost a throwback to a midfielder in a 4-4-2 who can do anything. His power, his pressing, he’s a wonderful midfield player.”

"He is a wonderful player."

Fellow Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Thierry Henry hailed the manner in which Arsenal went about beating the Premier League's dominant side of the past four seasons.

"It’s so important Arsenal made a statement today and they’ve done just that. Mikel Arteta has to get that intensity and tempo from the last 30 minutes for the rest of the season. Hang in there. Be there if Liverpool fall," said Neville.

"They've torn them to shreds in the last 25 minutes. [Ethan] Nwaneri was brilliant since coming in. Stunned. Emphatic from Arsenal."

Henry, meanwhile, hopes Arsenal can build on their outstanding display in the final 30 minutes over the coming weeks and months.

"When they play like that they're difficult to stop. Let’s enjoy it – it [beating City like that] doesn’t happen often," said Henry.

"Liverpool are still six points ahead with a game in hand. Let’s carry on working the way we did in the last 30 minutes."

Title race

Position Pos	Club	Played Pl	GD	Points Pts
1	Liverpool LIV	23	+35	56
2	Arsenal ARS	24	+27	50
3	Nott'm Forest NFO	24	+13	47
4	Man City MCI	24	+13	41
5	Newcastle NEW	24	+13	41

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'Arsenal have to be ready to take the chance'

Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes that while Liverpool are in control of the title race, the Gunners must be ready to seize any opportunity to get on top.

"Today’s result will look good and impressive but Liverpool are in command of their own destiny now. They have players who are experienced at this stage of the season and now how to finish off a season like this. 

"You feel it will take a calamitous mistake from Liverpool for it to happen, but Arsenal just have to keep beating teams and if it does happen then they have to be ready to take the chance."

Arsenal are next in Premier League action on Saturday 15 February, when they visit Leicester City.

Arteta on Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly: I believe in them

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hailed teenage duo Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly after their performances against Man City.

Nwaneri, 17, came off the bench to score the final goal of the match, while Lewis-Skelly, 18, curled in his first goal for Arsenal to round off an excellent showing.

"[They feel] That I believe in them, that we believe in them, that when I put them next to the boys, they feel that with them, they are as good or better, you know, and that's really, really important and that they play with a lot of purpose, and they played really, to contribute and to make things happen," Arteta told the club's official website. "That's what I like about both of them."

‘City’s era is coming to an end’

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards believes there’s a feeling of an end of an era as the champions’ struggles this season continued on Sunday.

“I wouldn’t say the end of era, maybe coming to an end,” Richards told Sky Sports. “We need to be realistic about it. They normally starve the opposition of the ball. In the second half they were giving away easy passes.

“It’s sad to see. I don’t expect them to win the league every year, but the fall-off has been so dramatic, it’s sad to see what’s going on. But they’ll bounce back.

“The drop-off has been massive. Lack of control. Lack of structure. The goals they conceded, three v Feyenoord, four v Sporting [in the UEFA Champions League], I can’t believe my eyes when I’m talking about defensive work. The balance between defence, midfield and up front is not there.

City have made eight errors leading to goals in the Premier League this season, their most in a campaign under Pep Guardiola, something the City manager bemoaned when speaking after the match.

"It's happened all season, we are giving away too many things, we are aware this cannot happen, it happened,” Guardiola told BBC’s Match of the Day.

“But we reacted really well and we played with personality and we defended so good and then with the ball we were a threat but unfortunately after the second happened, again many times we had the momentum. For the deflection and in other situations we conceded the goals.

"You have to overcome [it], you cannot lose the control, it's 90/95 minutes. You cannot finish in the way we played, we could've scored three more but the team has to be stable it doesn't matter what happened.”

City have now lost seven league matches this season, only one fewer than over both of the previous two campaigns combined.

Defender John Stones admitted that it’s difficult to know where it’s going wrong in 2024/25.

"We stopped doing the things we meant to. Difficult for me to put into words," Stones told Sky Sports.

"A lot of different things that I have not figured out why we are not picking up results.

"The passion is there, the training and everyone has the right intention.

"We have not got to where we are without difficult times and that is through everyone's career right now.

"We all have to stick together, that's a key point that we don't start to point fingers."

Up next for City is an FA Cup fourth-round tie at Leyton Orient on Saturday 8 February, before hosting Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League playoff three days later.

Newcastle United are their next opponents in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday 15 February.