INDIVIDUAL ERRORS COST ARSENAL AS PEP'S MEN GO ROUTE ONE TO THE TOP

AS Kevin De Bruyne ambled around the touchline to the dugout after his 87th-minute substitution, a bottle flew towards him from the Clock End.

- Dan Kilpatrick

Arsenal 1 

Saka 42 (pen)

Manchester City 3

The Belgian waited until the last second to duck, just enough for the missile to sail centimetres over his head, and refused to quicken his pace, even as another landed at his feet.

This was, after all, a night when the champions demonstrated their nerve and kept their cool, while Arsenal missed their target and surrendered top spot in the Premier League.

City’s 3-1 win felt potentially seismic in the title race, moving them ahead of Arsenal on goal difference, albeit having played a game more, and perhaps kick-starting an ominous run from Pep Guardiola’s side.

Mikel Arteta claimed that his side had “given” the game to City, but while his frustration was justified, this was only partly true. Certainly,

Arsenal were the makers of their own downfall, with individual errors in the build-up to all three of City’s goals.

Takehiro Tomiyasu, picked ahead of Ben White at right-back, under-hit a back-pass to Aaron Ramsdale which De Bruyne intercepted before finishing magnificently over the goalkeeper, and Gabriel and substitute Leandro Trossard lost possession before smart finishes by Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland in the second half.