Man City vs Arsenal LIVE: Premier League live stream, result and reaction from title decider – Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland star

The good league showdown didn’t stay as much as the title, solely showcasing Manchester Metropolis’s immense energy. Arsenal are remarkably nonetheless prime of the Premier League desk after a humiliation that felt a lot worse than 4-1 however, like a lot else about this title race, it’s an phantasm.

This was actuality, and it was a machine of a Metropolis group turning the sport that the Premier League had billed as its supposed status fixture right into a coaching train. A lot of it was simply assault towards defence, proper all the way down to the character of the drills. It was typically two on six however, regardless of the outcomes, that wasn’t two defenders. Probably the most frequent picture of the sport, and its most influential issue, was Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland terrorising Arsenal’s whole backline by simply tearing down on aim.

The one seen competitors right here was between Metropolis’s two nice skills looking for to declare who was truly the most effective participant within the Premier League. It was simply all the more severe for Arsenal as a result of they have been working so nicely collectively, Haaland merely dominating poor Rob Holding to arrange De Bruyne twice. The Norwegian after all obtained his personal aim to fittingly seal the win – and, most likely, the title – as a John Stones header added the evening’s solely sense of selection.

Pep Guardiola is the moderniser who revisits the previous, the innovator who’s proving nothing is new in soccer. He has borrowed the concept of the false 9 from the Hungary sides of the Fifties and revived a 3-2-4-1 formation that was influenced by the W-M system. And, in looking for to retain the English title, he went extra English than the prehistoric – or pre-Premier League – English.

Probably the most vital aim within the division this season, the one to decisive tilt the steadiness Manchester Metropolis’s method, to this point got here in a fashion scarcely changing into of the mentor of Xavi and Andres Iniesta, the person who dreamed of a group of midfielders, the architect of tiki-taka. Metropolis bypassed the midfield. They aimed for the massive man who, it transpired, had a very good contact for a giant man. They obtained a runner round him. They performed a variant of 4-4-2.

It helped, after all, that the massive man was Erling Haaland and the runner was Kevin De Bruyne. There’s a college of thought that soccer a easy sport that may be overcomplicated by theorists and intellectuals like Guardiola, that the managers can assume a disproportionate significance. If, or maybe when, Metropolis win the title it should partly be as a result of they’ve the 2 best footballers within the division, in Haaland and De Bruyne. Towards their closest challengers, they put them in positions to do most injury. They wreaked havoc.

“I wouldn’t say whole management. We now have to provide them respect and credit score.

“We didn’t play the soccer we usually do. We had man to man stress and it was very tough to play our traditional passes. The will and the way medical we have been, we might have had a couple of extra. I’m made up with the three factors.”

On whether or not their expertise offers them an edge: “We’ve been via robust moments and situatuons. It’s accomplished us so nicely. We all know tips on how to cope in sure eventualities.

“Everybody has been there and has that starvation. Days like as we speak with a variety of stress on the surface, we all know our jobs and it’s about us going on the market and doing it. These conditions assist in huge stress moments.”

Pep Guardiola’s aspect produced a dominant show to chop Arsenal’s lead on the prime of the desk to 2 factors – and with Metropolis having two video games in hand.

Kevin De Bruyne was excellent and scored both aspect of half time, in addition to establishing John Stones’ header simply earlier than the break.

The consequence places the title in Metropolis’s arms and is a devastating blow to Arsenal’s hopes of successful the Premier League for the primary time in 19 years.

Listed here are 5 issues we realized from the potential title decider:

De Bruyne raced clear earlier than slamming a shot previous Aaron Ramsdale to provide Metropolis the lead, earlier than he arrange John Stones’ header earlier than half time.

Erling Haaland then performed De Bruyne via for the second time after the break, with the Belgian tucking a end into the far nook.

Haaland would add a fourth in stoppage time, however Arsenal pulled a aim again late on via Rob Holding.

Athough they continue to be two factors forward within the Premier League desk, Metropolis have the benefit with two video games in hand.

Listed here are how the gamers rated from the title showdown:

Erling Haaland has scored 33 objectives within the Premier League this season, a brand new report in a 38-game marketing campaign:

33 – Erling Haaland (2022/23)

32 – Mohamed Salah (2017/18)

31 – Luis Suárez (2013/14)

31 – Cristiano Ronaldo (2007/08)

31 – Alan Shearer (1995/96)

Solely 5 gamers have supplied extra assists within the Premier League this season than Erling Haaland (7): Kevin De Bruyne (16), Bukayo Saka (11), Leandro Trossard (9), Andrew Robertson (8) and Michael Olise (8).

90+6 minutes: The whistle goes to finish the sport and Manchester Metropolis have gained the initiative within the Premier League title race. Pep Guardiola’s males transfer inside two factors of the Gunners and have two video games in hand.

Metropolis are unbeaten in 17 matches throughout all competitions now.

90+5 minutes: There may be one other one! An extended ball comes over to Phil Foden who pokes it into the field in the direction of Erling Haaland.

Haaland takes a contact and smokes the ball previous Aaron Ramsdale to cap off a superb evening and efficiency.