Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal: 4 talking points from FA Cup defeat

Arsenal suffered a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. A second-half Nathan Ake goal was enough to secure progression into the FA Cup fifth round for Pep Guardiola’s men.

As expected, Mikel Arteta made a host of changes with Matt Turner, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kieran Tierney, and Fabio Vieira all starting alongside January arrival Leonardo Trossard.

It was a positive first half from Arsenal as Trossard was a constant menace down his flank, and the side knocked the ball around confidently. While the score remained level at the half, the Gunners were the better side on enemy territory.

Rob Holding played reasonably well in the first half on Erling Haaland but did have some nervous moments.

City took the lead in the second half through Nathan Ake with a nice, low shot past Turner in goal. Arsenal’s half-time substitutions appeared to diminish their midfield force, and City took advantage.

Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal: 4 talking points from FA Cup defeat

The Gunners tried as they might to grab an equaliser that never came as they were knocked out of the FA Cup. Despite that, plenty of positives came out of the game.

1. Performance promising despite result

The Gunners’ performance shouldn’t be understated. Arsenal was the better side with a rotated squad at the Etihad.

The 1-0 loss will do nothing to dent the amount of confidence Arsenal already have and this showing holds them in good stead for the league meetings to come. Don’t be angry or annoyed, Arsenal fans; this was a fine performance outside of the Ake goal.

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