3 ways Arsenal showed their maturity in Man City draw

Back in October, Arsenal finally broke their Premier League curse against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, running out 1-0 victors at the Emirates.

However, the Gunners knew they still had to get something out of the away leg at a ground where they had not won since 2015. 

After a hard-fought point at the Etihad, the title race is still firmly in the balance with Arsenal two points off league leaders Liverpool.

Here is how the Gunners showed maturity in their title clash in Manchester.

3 ways Arsenal showed their maturity against Manchester City

1. Learnt from past mistakes

Arsenal travelled to the Etihad with the chance to become the only team in Premier League history to go a season unbeaten against both Pep Guardiola’s Man City and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.

The Gunners had a clear game plan which they stuck too incredibly well across the entire match. Some rival fans have criticised Arsenal for ‘playing for a draw’ but this is so clearly a lazy and false statement.

While Arsenal were comfortable to sit out of possession, this is a clear sign of their growing maturity in the title race. If Arsenal had gone out firing on all cylinders and conceded two early goals, they would have been called naive.

Instead, the Gunners played their opponent, not the occasion. Last season, Arsenal had 64% possession and 48% possession in the home and away tie. They also conceded seven goals and lost both games. This season, Arsenal had 49% and 28% possession but came away with a win and a draw. A clear sign of the Gunners maturing in the face of a title hunt.

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