Myles ahead: Arsenal show City the virtues of youth

While Pep Guardiola’s academy products prosper elsewhere, the only way is up for young Gunner Myles Lewis-Skelly

- MIGUEL DELANEY

When Mikel Arteta was asked about Myles Lewis-Skelly's "tenacity" after a real seizing of the day by the 18-year-old, the Arsenal manager happily gave all credit to his young protege: “That’s on him.”

This is emphasised by a moment from the start of this season, before the teenager had even made his Premier League debut. It had been raised at that point whether a loan might be good for his development but Lewis-Skelly was having none of it. There would be no loan. He insisted he was going to be in the first team.

Now, mere months later, he’s finishing off the team that has finished first for six of the last seven seasons. There is something symbolic in Lewis-Skelly’s rise in relation to Manchester City’s stunning recent collapse. The teenager displayed many qualities the champions were missing but that’s also why he is deserving of focus on his performance first. That was enough in itself.

If it’s a bit too much to say Lewis-Skelly was the difference in Sunday’s 5-1 win, he did show one crucial quality.

At a point when Arsenal had been showing City a bit too much respect, as if playing the 2023 team rather than the 2025 version, their youngest player just went for it in exactly way that had been required. Recent performances from Pep Guardiola’s side offered plenty of evidence that they were prone to collapse if you properly attacked them. Lewis-Skelly proved that in the most proactive way possible.