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Arsenal Analysed: Why we netted 5 against Man City
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Adrian Clarke
03 Feb 2025
Kai Havertz scores against Manchester City
Our 5-1 success against Manchester City was an incredible afternoon where everything went right for Mikel Arteta and his side – but why were we so dominant against the reigning Premier League champions?
We didn’t have to ask Adrian Clarke twice to re-watch all the action again, as well as delve into the stats behind such an incredible victory, and here are the five reasons he’s uncovered for our five-star showing:
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Watch a full match replay of our Man City clash
Precision pressing
You need bravery to commit players to a final third press against City, a side renowned for playing through the lines under pressure, or going long with great accuracy to Erling Haaland. Planning this side of our game meticulously, Arteta and his players executed the press superbly, and with tremendous courage.
Below you can see how Pep Guardiola stationed five players near the halfway line when playing out from deep, but we backed ourselves to handle that 5v5. Our second-minute opener owed much to the way we manufactured a 4v3 overload thanks to the angles we used when closing down defenders. Laying a trap that forced John Stones to pass square to Manuel Akanji (who was deliberately pressed late and aggressively by Leandro Trossard) was an idea that worked brilliantly:
Arsenal’s pressing during the game against Manchester City
Kai Havertz could have scored midway through the first half from another excellent, coordinated press. Blocking off all other passing lanes to create a 4v3, keeper Stefan Ortega was forced to make a straight pass into Mateo Kovacic, and Declan Rice was one step ahead, reading it and then making a clean tackle to set up the German.
Arsenal’s pressing during the game against Manchester City
Thomas Partey’s crucial goal, less than a minute after the visitors had equalised, was a hugely critical moment that also stemmed from a high turnover. Intercepting a risky Phil Foden pass, the Ghanaian’s deflected strike proved to be the springboard for our grandstand finish.
It was the first time on record (since 2010/11) that Arsenal had scored 3+ goals from high turnovers in a match – and it was also the first time City had conceded that many from those situations in a single game. This graphic shows where we picked them off on 11 occasions:
A graphic showing where Arsenal won possession against Man City
Speed and athleticism
Sitting in a mid-to-low block for large periods of this clash, it was evident that breakaways were going to be an important weapon, and so it proved during a stunning second-half display.
Havertz’s outstanding fourth goal means we have now found the back of the net with a third of our ‘fast breaks’ this season, five from 15. Partey unlocked the potential for a counter by easing past Kevin de Bruyne in the build-up to the strike, and his early pass to release Gabriel Martinelli set us on our way. As shown below, this piece of play took six or seven Manchester City players out of the game:
The counter-attack that led to our fourth goal against Man City
Over the course of this match, six of our 17 transitions reached the City penalty area, with a storming run from Rice to set up Martinelli for a shot, one of several other highlights. We were very good at exposing our opponents from those turnover situations:
A graph showing our transitions against Manchester City
One key reason why we hurt Guardiola’s side in those moments was our superior athleticism, especially down the spine of the pitch. From back to front there was a desire to push ourselves physically, and that is highlighted in this table showing the individuals who made 270 or more intensive runs:
Most intensive runs in Arsenal v Man City
Declan Rice 318
Gabriel Martinelli 311
Savinho 299
Leandro Trossard 294
Kai Havertz 291
Martin Odegaard 289
Jurrien Timber 270
Raya’s reactions
David Raya makes a save against Manchester City
He wasn’t especially busy, but David Raya delivered for his teammates on two vital occasions. During a period where we had invited pressure in and around our box, the Spaniard produced a couple of fabulous reaction saves.
The first from Josko Gvardiol’s header showcased his sharp reflexes, and he also responded in lightning-quick fashion to keep out a deflected Savinho shot from close range.
Those key contributions should not be overlooked when assessing this victory.
Hale End heroes
This was a win that will live long in the memory for a variety of reasons, but one beautiful narrative is that it was a night of priceless importance to the Arsenal academy. To see recent graduates Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri both score and play with colossal degrees of confidence, can only act as an inspiration to the next generation of players who are developing at Hale End.
Lewis-Skelly was phenomenal all game long, winning eight of his nine duels, and performing with incredible composure and belief. Twice he outmuscled Haaland, and he only misplaced two passes overall.
Myles Lewis-Skelly’s passes and shots
Myles Lewis-Skelly’s pass map during the game against Man City
Nwaneri came off the bench on 84 minutes and made an instant impact, running at the beleaguered City defence every time he had an opportunity. His now trademark left-foot curler into the far corner was an exquisite finish that came on the end of a sequence of 36 passes which involved every outfield home player, lasting one minute 54 seconds.
It was the longest passing move leading to a Premier League goal since September 2023, and this amazing graphic illustrates the move in all its glory:
A pass map showing Ethan Nwaneri’s goal against Man City
RICE RUNS THE SHOW
It was an outrageously good switch pass from Rice that set up Nwaneri for that goal, and over the course of this pulsating affair, I felt the midfielder was our main man.
Declan Rice’s pass to Ethan Nwaneri against Man City
Exemplifying the fire we had in our bellies, Rice produced a barnstorming central midfield display that was dripping in power and quality. It was his neat pass into Lewis-Skelly that set up our third goal; his instinctive cushioned pass from Leandro Trossard’s turnover slipped Havertz into the box ahead of our opener; and it was his perfectly timed challenge on Mateo Kovacic that gave our striker a gilt-edged chance to score midway through the first period too.
He did all that and more, while also providing a solid screen in front of our back four alongside Partey. While it was not down to Rice alone of course, the fact that Haaland enjoyed just 10 touches in the match owed plenty to the diligent work our England international put in to help us keep our shape.
Declan Rice v Man City
Assists 2
Chances created 4
Interceptions 2
Passes into final third 20
Pressures resulting in turnover 3
Distance ran 11.3km
Intensive runs 318
Ultimately this was a great team performance, with everybody playing with fight, spirit, energy and intelligence to pull off a famous win, but Rice’s leadership and decision-making at key junctures was exceptional as he stood tall in this high-stakes clash.
Read more
Records broken and great stats from our City win
Copyright 2025 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
MORE ARSENAL V MANCHESTER CITY
A special look back at our 5-1 win over Man City
Records broken and great stats from our City win
Enjoy 56 amazing photos from our Man City match
Watch a full match replay of our Man City clash
Highlights: Arsenal 5-1 Manchester City
Arteta: ‘The atmosphere was mind-blowing!’
Odegaard on ‘massive result’ against City
Every word from Arteta’s post-City presser
Report: Arsenal 5-1 Manches
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