Three Points in Manchester

There have not been a fruitful trip to the City of Manchester for quite sometime. Last season we came back with nothing and it really hurt especially with a certain Togolese running the whole length of the pitch in celebration just to show how much we should be missing him when in truth it merely increased the hatred level of us Gooners for him.

For this trip however, there was no sign of him on the pitch when the match started, showing what a bloated ego he has in his head. His Man City team showed that he was not really missed at all judging from activities during the opening minutes when a David Silva back-heel forced a reaction save from Lukasz Fabianski.


For many, the incident in the fourth minute became the crucial factor in determining the outcome of the match. Maruone Chamakh was brought down just outside the box by City Belgian defender Dedryk Boyate after a wonderful pass by Cesc Fabregas. The referee had no choice but to show red to Boyate as he was the last man.


However Arsenal had to wait until the 20th minute before finally breaching the home defence. In form Samir Nasri played a one-two with Andrey Arshavin before smartly lobbing the ball over Joe Hart. It could be 1-1 when returning defender Johan Djourou showed his lack of match sharpness when Micah Richards managed to turn him before unleashing a curler. Fortunately, it went wide of Fabianski's goal.


Then it should be 2-0 before the break when Vincent Kompany (ironically another Belgian defender) clipped Fabregas just inside the penalty area. It was a clear penalty and the skipper himself took the responsibility from the spot. Unfortunately, Hart went the right way and managed to smoother Fabregas shot which lacked power if not precision.

The home side responded well in the second half but Arsenal just held on and clearly playing with a man short against Arsenal took its toll on City. The introduction of the Togolese and Mario Balotelli did not make any difference as Alex Song's commitment saw him first to a loose ball to poke it past Hart, making it 2-0. Substitute Nicklas Bendtner made it 3-0 with a wonderful finish after managing to stay onside from a pass by Nasri.

When Mark Clattenburg blew the final whistle it was the first clean sheet by Arsenal in fifteen matches and for mad redo1 it was further meaningful as it was made by Fabianski whose confidence seemed to grow in each match he played.

It was indeed a fruitful trip to Manchester.


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