Arsenal — ManCity 1:2. There should be a tear in the game, but only Arsenal know how to turn a match into a tantrum.
Ederson. Famous for their sneakiness (ask Ranieri) the Gunners failed to get a fake penalty from the whistle.
Joao Cancelo. Nerves – iron – got on the pitch, even though he was robbed the other day.
Laporte. Got a bit carried away and England’s main enemy hit the far corner. And then he decided to distinguish himself, deftly tricked Ederson. But he did his part in the winning goal.
Ruben Dias. After Sterling’s cross he had a super chance (he jumped perfectly, there were no enemies in the way). 5 takeaways
Ake. When asked by Guardiola “Who’s the most left back here?” he was the only one to raise his hand and it was not a judgement call, but a choice of the left-back. But he played well and saved everyone.
Rodri. Actually saved the game for cityzens. But why did he take his shirt off and run to the Gunners’ stand? Obviously, they started throwing all sorts of crap they’d saved up for such an occasion. Two selections, five takeaways,
Kevin de Bruyne. In the first 4 minutes he had a couple of (un)goal passes — to Sterling and Jesus. Then he himself was pretty, but twisted it past in the far 9.+3 takeaways.
Mahrez. Not impressive. But he got the hang of the point in time.
Bernardo. Erm… What are the questions? Ghaka dragged him by his shirt as hard as he could. He also got his knee on him. You can’t do that, especially in the penalty area.
Mahrez. Not impressive. But he’s got a knack for the point.
Sterling. Haven’t seen Raheem fight so heroically in both free kicks zones in a long time. 6 (!) rebounds. Took Mahrez to a clear third.
Gabriel Jesus. Some African man had him pinned down in the penalty box with a rather effective judo move. It’s understood the Gunners’ indignation: if they don’t give 11 for such a thing, how can they give one for some tugged jersey…? In that logic, the hysteria of the half-hearted Jesus is also understandable.