MANCHESTER CITY 2, ARSENAL 2
City had scant reward for an all-action hour against Arsenal as goals by Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne were cancelled out by Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez.
Arsenal were hit by an injury to Danny Welbeck but managed to claw out a draw to severely dent City’s hopes of a top four finish and qualification for the Champions League next season.
The result meant that City have failed to win any of their games against the top five teams in the Premier League this season – drawing three and losing five games.
By contrast, City’s opponents finished with the best record against in the top four, with Arsene Wenger keen to declare that the Gunners had shown character to beat the best in the league.
More importantly the door opened for City’s rivals United to overtake them for the crucial fourth Champions League spot with City just two points ahead of United with a game to play.
United have two games to play starting with a game in hand away at West Ham on Tuesday night.
The Reds know that two wins from their remaining games at West Ham and at home to Bournemouth will deny City a fourth place finish which would hardly make the best of beginnings for Pep Guardiola next season.
The result helped neither side as Spurs looked in the driving seat to finish above Arsenal for the first time in Arsene Wenger’s 20 year reign at the Gunners, two points ahead of their North London rivals with a superior goal difference.
Manuel Pellegrini admitted that the last week had not gone City’s way. He said:
“It was not the way we wanted to finish the season. We wanted to qualify for the final of the Champions League and to win today to [help] qualify for next season’s Champions League.”
Pellegrini, in his final speech to the home fans on the pitch, also declared:
“I have had three wonderful unforgettable years, and thanks to all the fans.
“I will never forget you, and don’t change because this team will need you and you’ll be very successful in the future.”
Although City’s Champions League future for next season is in the air, Pellegrini declared that the season was not over and that he would be waiting on the Tuesday result of Manchester United’s game at West Ham before the final round of matches next Sunday.
He also denied that City’s failure to beat Arsenal was down to pressure telling on the players, but did concede that City’s limp display against Real Madrid last Wednesday may have been down to pressure.
He said: “We deserve to be in the Champions League next season. We had 37 games in the Champions League spots.
“We played well in the first 45 mins and conceded an easy goal for Arsenal. We played at high pace and made a lot of good moments.
“We didn’t win this game because we conceded two goals but not because of pressure.
“If you talk about pressure then on Wednesday we failed in that game because it was not our normal team.
“A win was the best way to say goodbye to the fans at the Etihad but we couldn’t do it.”
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was surprised by City’s high intensity start to the game but he was pleased that the Gunners survived the stern test.
“It was a very intense game, we had a very difficult start. Man City came out very strong.
“We suffered but every time we were down we showed character and came back twice in the game.”
One blot on England’s Euro 2016 squad, with Roy Hodgson’s announcement due this week, was the injury to Danny Welbeck, but Wenger tried to remain optimistic.
“Danny Welbeck has a knee problem and we will wait for a scan.
“When he tried to move on the pitch he said it was impossible. He was very down so he must have pain.
“I am an optimist but if it’s his lateral miniscus I don’t know. Let’s wait until we get a good diagnosis.”
The Welbeck news was balanced by a 70 minute stint by his replacement, Jack Wilshere, who reacted well in the highly intense pressing game that City played early on.
Wenger said: “He’s well prepared physically, overall I believe his performance was encouraging. He will benefit from this kind of intensity in the game.”
“He didn’t have a lot of time to think about it – sometimes that’s for the best.”
The pre-game news was dominated by news that City captain Vincent Kompany would miss Euro 2016 with an injured groin and he was replaced in the starting lineup by Eliaquim Mangala.
Yaya Toure was also replaced in the starting lineup by Kelechi Iheanacho in the other change to the side that lost 1-0 at Real Madrid in midweek.
Manuel Pellegrini explained that Samir Nasri was excluded from City’s match day squad due to ‘sickness’ while also admitting that Vincent Kompany’s surgery on his muscle injury meant that he couldn’t confirm when the Belgian would return for City after his 33rd separate injury for City since he signed.
City dominated an exciting first half and were rewarded for their adventure with an early goal by Sergio Aguero after just eight minutes.
Fernandinho’s cushioned header down from Jesus Navas’ cross was drilled in by the Argentine striker from the edge of the area to deservedly earn City the lead with his 29th goal of the season.
That lead lasted only two minutes though, and Olivier Giroud found it easy to head past Joe Hart, unmarked after losing Mangala, from Mohamed Elneny’s corner after Gael Clichy had unwittingly conceded the corner through a defensive header that bounced across the six yard box and out of play while shaving the back post.
It was a typically City way to concede after their great work earlier in the game but the home side went on to dominate the first half thanks to a driven performance by Fernandinho and Fernando who set a high standard in intensity for the rest of the team to follow.
City gave Arsenal a thorough testing and seemed to pounce on every loose ball by the Gunners, pressing them high, which pleased the home crowd greatly but clear chances were rare as City couldn’t hit the target.
Fernandinho shot high and wide as City kept their tempo up in the second half and the City finally took the lead that their performance deserved after a City clearance fell kindly for Kevin De Bruyne who carried the ball into the Arsenal half and slotted in neatly at the near post past Petr Cech for his 17th goal of the season.
Kelechi Iheanacho almost repeated the same trick a couple of minutes later but showed less composure, lashing wide of the post as he reached a shooting position with Navas and Aguero both waiting for a pass.
The introduction of Theo Walcott seemed to pep up the Gunners and he effectively stopped the raiding of Gael Clichy while forcing Nicolas Otamendi to make a clearance and Joe Hart to come off his line to make him rush his shot.
But City’s intensity was starting to wane after their early work rate with a midweek game in Madrid weighing against them.
The warning signs had been given and Alexis Sanchez levelled the scores again after his pass was touched back into his path by Giroud and his long range shot beat Hart in the 69th minute.
City introduced Raheem Sterling and had a Kevin De Bruyne free kick palmed away by Cech before De Bruyne’s corner was miscued wide by Aguero.
Aguero found De Bruyne whose lobbed pass was volleyed wide of the back post as City found another gear but couldn’t test Cech.
Pellegrini made his final changes by throwing on Wilfried Bony and Yaya Toure for Jesus Navas and Fernando with little over ten minutes to go.
Frustrations grew for the home side as the changes failed to make an impact, however, but for two incidents of the ball hitting the bar in the dying minutes.
Sanchez’ free kick was headed against the bar by an offside Laurent Koscielny with four minutes to go and Bony’s volley hit the bar two minutes later.
And, like their midweek exit against Real Madrid, City couldn’t find a goal for a famous finale as they opened the door for a shock exit from next season’s Champions League.