It's hard to feel good or bad about the outcome of this competitive match. The Gunners came away from Etihad Stadium with a point after Laurent Koscielny hit a late equalizer against defending champions Manchester City. Arsenal struggled to find a way to goal, but with eight minutes from stoppage time, the most unlikely of heroes, Koscielny, hit a relentless goal making it a 1-1 final.
Manchester City looked out of rhythm through the entire contest. The Gunners had a much stronger first half but couldn't do anything with their dominance. Arsenal was dangerous with their quick carving through City's midfield. Arsenal might have found itself ahead if Gervinho hadn't of mishandled the ball as he ran on toAaron Ramsey's through ball. It was a huge opportunity that City gave them that they failed to score on.
A draw isn't totally unsatisfying, especially against a top team like City, except Arsenal could've really won this match if they had played as good in the second half as they did in the first. They found the back of the goal late in the second half, but there were missed chances in the first that made it frustrating to watch.
At times in the second half Arsenal looked like they were just passing the ball around efficiently without a care in the world. Joe Hart had his best save of the day when Santi Cazorla attempted a fine shot from the edge of the box.
Arsene Wenger said on Saturday, "Tomorrow will just tell you how strong we are at the moment. It is the beginning of the championship and you know that this game can have a big influence on the belief of both teams, so who will have the upper hand has a psychological advantage."
I don't know what Wenger can learn about his club from a draw, but leaving Etihad with a draw is a small victory. No manager can really complain about a squad that has only given up two goals and has zero loses this season.
After the match, Roberto Mancini was upset that his side lacked concentration to kill games off. It's something City has had trouble with all season. If they keep it up, the chance of them becoming repeatPremier League champions becomes less likely.
In a very classy move, Arsenal and City players wore black armbands to remember Greater Manchester Police officers Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes, who were killed on Tuesday.
No comments:
Post a Comment