{"id":292941,"date":"2023-10-08T19:46:51","date_gmt":"2023-10-08T19:46:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/?p=292941"},"modified":"2023-10-08T19:46:51","modified_gmt":"2023-10-08T19:46:51","slug":"the-notebook-thug-squares-up-to-ex-arsenal-and-man-city-star-nasri","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/soccer\/the-notebook-thug-squares-up-to-ex-arsenal-and-man-city-star-nasri\/","title":{"rendered":"THE NOTEBOOK: Thug squares up to ex-Arsenal and Man City star Nasri"},"content":{"rendered":"
Substitute Gabriel Martinelli fired a last-gasp winner to earn Arsenal a 1-0 victory over Manchester City on Sunday, a result that moved Mikel Arteta’s side level on points with North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the top of the Premier League.<\/p>\n
Arsenal came into the match having not beaten City in the league since 2015, a run of 15 games — their longest winless streak against a single opponent in league history.<\/p>\n
Ending such a barren run looked unlikely as City had the better of the chances in the first half, with Arsenal’s Declan Rice clearing off the line to keep the champions at bay.<\/p>\n
Arsenal did not have a single shot on target in the opening period, but upped the tempo after the break, even though City still created the better openings despite their Premier League top scorer Erling Haaland being kept quiet all afternoon.<\/p>\n
Mail Sport’s Isaan Khan\u00a0takes a look at the talking points from Sunday’s encounter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
An Arsenal fan squared up to former\u00a0Arsenal and Man City midfielder Samir Nasri on Sunday<\/p>\n
Big, meaty challenges, like the one from Mateo Kovacic on Declan Rice which arguably should have resulted in a second yellow card, were seen off the pitch, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ex-Arsenal and Man City midfielder Samir Nasri was minding his own business in the press seats, when a Gunners fan suddenly squared up to him and then threw punches at other supporters in the same section.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The offender was swiftly ejected.<\/p>\n
As a manager, Mikel Arteta has now beaten every Premier League team he has faced.\u00a0<\/p>\n
City had been his bogey side, having failed to register a win seven consecutive times in the league.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But not anymore.<\/p>\n
Arteta loves a selection mind-game \u2014 and in that respect, the line-up announcement did not disappoint.<\/span><\/p>\n Bukayo Saka was said to be \u2018in contention\u2019, according to the Gunners boss on Friday. He was with the team on Sunday, but not even listed on the bench.<\/p>\n Anything psychological to gain an edge over the opposition, as his mentor Pep Guardiola would approve of.<\/p>\n Erling Haaland was given the same treatment by centre-back pairing William Saliba and Gabriel as in the Community Shield \u2014 a complete shut-out.\u00a0<\/p>\n The striker had just 23 touches which is more than the 13 touches in the August fixture, yet still anonymous.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Keeper\u00a0David Raya\u00a0looked increasingly jittery and\u00a0took an age to distribute play from his area<\/p>\n The honeymoon period for David Raya appears to have already ended. Especially after 17 minutes, the ball whistling past his goal after a late kick of his deflected off Julian Alvarez.<\/p>\n The Spaniard looked increasingly jittery with the ball at his feet, and also took an age to distribute play from his area.<\/p>\n Cries of \u2018play it forward\u2019 could be heard at regular intervals from the fans in the first half.<\/p>\n And of course, the customary camera pan to Aaron Ramsdale sitting on the bench followed the main Raya indiscretions.<\/p>\n Arsenal warmed-up in their new women\u2019s team away kit, which is a collaboration with famed designer Stella McCartney.\u00a0<\/p>\n It is the first time the women\u2019s side have had a separate kit from the men.<\/p>\n A fitting touch by them to show their support.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Captain Martin Odegaard revealed his frustration with Spurs draw in Man City programme<\/p>\n The North London derby draw from two weekends ago is still on the minds of those in red and white.<\/p>\n Captain Martin Odegaard said in the programme notes ahead of the Manchester City clash: \u2018We led twice in the game (against Tottenham) and the way we let them back in the game was very disappointing.<\/p>\n \u2018But for me the most disappointing thing was the way we played when in possession.\u2019<\/p>\n Some rivalries just cannot be rendered to the past.<\/p>\nFans losing patience with Raya<\/h2>\n
Show of support<\/h2>\n
Odegaard still fuming over Spurs setback<\/h2>\n