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Arsenal go into the first half at the Emirates Stadium a goal down. It was scored by, you guessed it, Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian striker has a mixed record against Arsenal. He probably hasn't scored as many goals against the Gunners as he would've liked, but that's due to two players in particular: William Saliba and Gabriel.
One of Arsenal's best center back partnerships of the Premier League era, Saliba and Gabriel have mostly had Haaland on lockdown during their recent meetings.
However, this isn't the case this afternoon. Erling Haaland both made and finished the play that led to Man City's goal, and Arsenal's defense didn't cover itself in glory.
Mikel Arteta made a huge Arsenal gamble (and it just backfired)
In particular, William Saliba is to blame. He was far too focused on chasing the ball, so he allowed Erling Haaland to run into space. You should be taught to do the opposite in lesson number 1 of defending against Haaland.
Haaland, when he was given a few inches of space, OBVIOUSLY converted. He could have gotten away with celebrating five seconds earlier, since he was never going to miss that chance.
And, yes, William Saliba should hang his head in shame. The goal was almost entirely his fault, and despite how well he's played for Arsenal over the years, he isn't immune to criticism.
Saliba has been missing from action ever since the international break, due to injury. This is his first game back, but the mistake cannot be put down to rust. It was purely a mindset mistake, not a physical one.
While Saliba was injured, Cristhian Mosquera stepped up to replace the Frenchman in the starting lineup. The Spain international didn't put a foot wrong during his short runout in the starting lineup and if anything, he's been one of Arsenal's best players so far this season.
Nevertheless, we can understand the decision from Mikel Arteta to bench Mosquera for Saliba. Saliba is more experienced than Mosquera, and he's still a much better defender despite Mosquera's rich form.
That said, it was always a risk. Arteta was taking his most in-form player out of the starting lineup, which naturally changed the dynamic of the team. It was a risky call, and it backfired in the first half.
With 45 minutes left to play, there is every chance that Arsenal will claw this one back and fans will forget about Saliba's mistake. However, he is certainly the man of the moment for all the wrong reasons at the moment.