Arsenal had just 12.5 PER CENT possession against Man City in the second-half - and Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz made history - as the stats reveal how Mikel Arteta is closing the gap to Pep Guardio
Daily MailFor all of the talk of Premier League sides seeking out a 'Diet Pep' Guardiola to lead their club and replicate his results at Manchester City, his most successful disciple snatched a point at the Etihad from the playbook of an entirely different managerial figure. Not only have Arsenal not beaten Man City at home since 2015, but the scorelines of the defeats - both home and away - made grim reading for much of Arteta's tenure, with deficits of often three or four goals, and a defeat at the Etihad of 4-1 as recently as 2023, in the thick of the side's first title-chasing season. Mikel Arteta set up a take-no-prisoners defensive shape against Manchester City on Sunday The tie ended in a draw in no small part due to Arsenal's dogged locking up in the second-half Comparisons were made between Arteta's gameplan and that of Jose Mourinho's - who had form outsmarting Pep Guardiola There was little interest in attempting a rout, or seeing much of the ball entirely. David Raya was one of the players to go down injured in a bid to control the flow of the game Tempers flared after full-time, with Erling Haaland particularly wound up by antics But while Arsenal may yet win this war of attrition against their rivals for the Premier League title as the margins between them get finer and finer, there has been a side that has taken their game to Man City, and won it - Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool. As expected, Man City's dominance puts them slightly ahead, with Guardiola's men averaging 12.0 shots per meet-up, to Liverpool's 8.9 shot average, but the difference is on the minimal side.