Man City close in on the Title
Written By: Robert Halter
Runaway Premier League leaders, Manchester City looked to open up a sixteen points gap at the top of the table with a victory over Arsenal at the Emirates stadium, beginning of March. In the seventh minute, a through ball by Aaron Ramsey, went past Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and was collected by Ederson. In the next Arsenal move, Henrikh Mkhitaryan found Ramsey on the right, whose cross struck back off Citizens captain, Vincent Kompany, and against Ederson. In the ninth minute from a through ball by Kevin De Bruyne, the outside netting of the right post was then struck by Sergio Aguero. On thirteen minutes, a ball over from Mesut Ozil, was struck by Mkhitaryan, into the safe keeping of Ederson. But City opened the scoring with a bolt from the blue in the fifteenth minute, when from Leroy Sane’s ball across, a bending strike from Bernardo Silva, curled past Petr Cech, into the top left corner. After Nicolas Otamendi was cautioned for chopping down Danny Welbeck, a free kick from Granit Xhaka was driven through the City wall and then was blocked off the body of Ederson, as the ball went out of play, in the twentieth minute. Three minutes later, a delivery into the box by Hector Bellerin was turned towards Ederson with a flick of the right boot by Ramsey. The Citizens doubled their lead on twenty eight minutes, as Sane linked up play with Aguero, before David Silva, weaved his way through into the centre of the box, to strike a left footed shot past a stranded Cech, into the top left corner. The City juggernaut continued with a four way move for the third goal, starting with Aguero and then De Bruyne’s ball through, and from Kyle Walker’s cross, Sane strolled forward, to put the ball into the bottom right corner, in the thirty third minute. On thirty eight minutes, from Ozil’s ball forward, a strike by Ramsey, bobbled over off Otamendi and then Danilo, and out of play. In the next minute from a De Bruyne cross, a close range stop by Cech kept out Aguero’s effort at goal from the right side of the six yard box. Just before the break, a long range blast from Xhaka was clasped upon by Ederson. On fifty two minutes, referee Andre Marriner awarded Arsenal a penalty, when Otamendi clattered into Mkhitaryan, in the area, but Aubameyang’s spot kick was saved by Ederson, as he dived to make the save towards the bottom right corner. In the fifty eighth minute, Bellerin’s pass was flicked on by Ramsey, and the ball was turned past the left post from Aubameyang. Due to an injury, Walker was later taken off for Oleksandr Zinchenko. In the seventy eighth minute, Ilkay Gundogan’s incisive through ball, set Aguero free, whose low strike from the right side of the box was stopped by Cech, to prevent the ball going into the bottom left corner. Yaya Toure soon replaced Aguero and near the end, Gabriel Jesus took the place of Silva. The comprehensive 3-0 winning score line for Manchester City was only their second victory after twenty previous Premier League away games at Arsenal and the Citizens biggest victory at the Gunners home ground in any competition since dating back to November 1912.