De Bruyne MASTERCLASS | Man City 4-1 Arsenal | Classic Premier League Highlights

If Manchester City do secure this title, it will crown a period of dominance not seen in the Premier League since Manchester United's glory period at the turn of the century. Pep Guardiola has never lost a Premier League game to Arsenal. Arteta has enjoyed a win against every other Premier League except Manchester City. City's pursuit of Arsenal has been nothing short of relentless and Pep Guardiola's side have no intention of surrendering their title without putting up an enormous fight. City have worked hard to get back into this position to be breathing down the necks of the side that has led them for almost all of the campaign and Arsenal having dropped six points in their last three games can Mikel Arteta's side hold their nerve for this visit to the lair of the reigning champions? Well here's how the teams line up. Pep Guardiola makes five changes from the side that started the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday. Ederson is restored between the sticks. The Brazilian plays behind a fence that is sure to be fluid. John Stones scored in the last home game here against Leicester. He's sure to roam it into midfield when he can. Pep Guardiola likes to rotate his teams but when it comes to the really big games like this one these three invariably start. Kevin De Bruyne has scored six goals against Arsenal in the last seven years. Well Riyad Mahrez got a hat-trick at Wembley but there's no place for him in the starting 11 here. Erling Haaland continues to shatter records. He has scored 11 goals in his last four games here at this stadium amongst the substitutes. Phil Foden who made his return from injury as a replacement against Sheffield United on Saturday. Well Mikel Arteta rarely tinkers. He's made the fewest changes to his Premier League starting 11s this season and no surprise he makes just one alteration today. Aaron Ramsdale hunting for his tenth clean sheet away from home in the Premier League this season. No William Saliba for a sixth league game in a row. It's a huge night for Rob Holding to keep tabs on Haaland. The one change is in midfield. Granit Xhaka returns. The Southampton game on Friday was the first time the Swiss international had missed a Premier League game all season and much will depend on whether Arsenal's first choice front three can get in behind the City defence here. Among the visitors substitutes Leandro Trossard who scored two goals against City in his last three games against them for Brighton. Manchester City come into this game on their best run of league form all season like a racehorse on the rails. Pep Guardiola is hoping that his team is carefully timing their sprint to the finish line. Tonight against an Arsenal team who've been desperately trying to keep their eyes on the road ahead and not to be distracted by the chase behind them. Even the Arsenal invincible team of 0-3-0-4 did not have more wins on the board to this stage of the season. History can beckon for this Arsenal side if they hold their nerve but this this should be the biggest test they have faced so far. Yeah and it's looking so far as if we got it right with regard to how they were going to line up. Walker obviously on the right side with Stones and Diassa centre-backs and Ikanji would seem as if he's playing in an orthodox left-back position. Certainly Arsenal will be hoping for a better start than they had on Friday when they conceded that for only 28 seconds. City's first proper attack. Now there's appeals from City that that might have glanced an arm. The referee, Michael Oliver, waves away those protests. The air up tonight is David Coutt. He's had a look at the poor distribution from the back there. It's Haaland. Grealish against White. Oh, Lamsdale wasn't able to gather. Down goes De Bruyne and it's a free kick to Arsenal. The air over again. We'll have a look. Two incidents inside the Arsenal penalty area. Soon it's on the clock. Well I think the referee has deemed that Haaland was the one who ended up kicking Partey and the check is complete on that. I mean I think everybody thought that Partey was just getting in his way but he ends up kicking him. I mean Partey tried to protect the ball. Just watch the way he gets his leg across and yeah he's been kicked by, sorry I said Haaland, it's De Bruyne of course. That's the right call. Thomas Partey, his Arsenal debut against Manchester City back in 2020. Seem to start in that sort of accelerated vein this evening. Surely he can't afford to leave it so late to click into gear this time. Pursuit by Odegaard, being away by Stones. Controlled by Haaland. Grealish if he needs him but this is a thrusting surge. That's top quality from Kevin De Bruyne. Home and away this season. The Belgian scores against Arsenal and have you ever seen a more determined thrust than that? From the moment De Bruyne got possession he had just one thing in his mind. Meanwhile Pep Guardiola seems to be giving Ederson a telling off. He looked as if he was out for a Sunday stroll as he dealt with the ball back but it's De Bruyne and Haaland in reverse on this occasion and this is brilliant centre forward play. The way he can use his strength just to keep the defender at bay and then just get De Bruyne in. I thought it was going to go wide left and I just wonder for a moment whether Ramsdale just stepped onto his right side thinking that De Bruyne was going to go for the other corner and instead he chose the near post. Yeah I think he might just have thought yeah I'm getting ready to dive right and instead he had to try and react left. By then it was too late. Kevin De Bruyne has scored more Premier League goals against Arsenal than any other team. This is the start that Guardiola wanted. Manchester City have no intention of relinquishing their crowd. Haaland holding his clearance. Montanelli who we've barely mentioned in these opening 20 minutes so far. Now Bernardo Silva. Zinchenko's got to be careful and he nearly smuggled it through. Didn't get enough on it. That was the problem for Silva in the end. Didn't get the strength behind his effort. Bouncing ball and he kicked it into the ground so it took a bit more pace off it. Zinchenko as well had to be a little careful that he didn't he didn't clip Silva. It was a poor header on his part. Here's Haaland and here is De Bruyne. A copy of the opening goal. Takes on Gabriel. Good block from holding. That was fraught with danger. Great kick to Arsenal to relieve the pressure. That Haaland De Bruyne combination worked again. Yeah well I mean again it's a size and it's reached the way he's able to get there first and just poke it beyond holding and Gabriel is kind of left with white desperately trying to defend De Bruyne and he looked here as if yeah he's going to score and that's excellent work from the right back to deny him. Gabriel sees Zeus in the middle. Odegaard's arriving. Jack Grealish gets a roar of approval from the Manchester City fans. Well it conjures up memories of the Liverpool game doesn't it? I know it was wider on that occasion but that's the kind of work he's putting in. Manchester City rolling up their sleeves relishing the battle they find Here is Erling Haaland. De Bruyne wants it back. Can Haaland get it to him? Saved by Ramsdale. It wasn't the cleanest connection but Arsenal's defense is under enormous pressure at the moment. The cracks are widening. Here's De Bruyne, Grealish, Haaland. First time. Oh in a right crack at that. Ramsdale stood firm. That in itself is rather outrageous but the power he unleashed from an acute angle like that. I mean Ramsdale had to be bright. They've dropped the same number of points from winning positions in their last three games as they did in their previous 47 Premier League matches. Odegaard. Party. That's better from Arsenal. The first proper question asked. Something for Arteta to applaud. Yeah absolutely. I mean look we've seen little moves from Arsenal already that had promise and not quite the end product. You know that's getting closer again. I mean Partey has been known to stick one in the roof of the net. Effortlessly should he get it back. De Bruyne. For Grealish they've sprung the trap again. Haaland. He's got Bernardo Silva to his right. Taking on Gabriel. The majority of people in this stadium thought that was in. And we were talking about you know Saka and and Martinelli I should say. Gabriel Martinelli. But Jack Grealish is giving Ben White all sorts of problems and and he has become a source to feed Haaland. And I mean when Gabriel starts turning his back on the ball you're in trouble. That is not good defending. And you're right Conor. Everybody thought it was going to nestle just inside the post. Pep too. Here is Haaland. Saved by Ramsdale. Quick thinking to kick it away too. Rodri. Ramsdale is becoming more important. He did it at Anfield in the second half when things could have gotten worse and he's made another very good save here. In fact it a double save. Brilliant work by Gundogan and nearly went through his legs you know as he tried to deal with that near post effort from Haaland. He was reaching for his pocket but just to get the ref spray. Stones. Back is raised. It's not going to count. John Stones who scored his first Premier League goal since 2021 against Leicester last time out of this competition. Just set off a fraction too early. Yeah great header but immediate disappointment because he had gone too early. As happens in these situations Villejo just wants to make absolutely sure. Is White's foot beyond Stone's position? That's probably what the concern is. Cout, the video assistant referee. Eddie Smart helping him tonight. An outstretched leg of the defender. Is it behind the furthest most part of Stone's body? Not including his hand up to the sleeve. The light is green. This goal is going to stand. John Stones doesn't know it yet but he has doubled Manchester City's lead ahead of the break. Standby for celebration. So two points behind Arsenal. Manchester City two. Arsenal nil. What a time to score as well. Just before the break. Against Southampton finding a way back against the champions. Very different prospects. Yes five days ago Arsenal came from two goals behind to get a draw. Tonight John Stones header has really put a cap on a fine Manchester City performance. Those two who combined with gusto for the opener. Tim Brunner loves playing against Arsenal. Loves scoring against them. More goals against Arsenal than any other Premier League team and there still might be a word or two to be added by Erling Haaland in the second half. This big game build as the decider. He's so far going. The way of the reigning champions and Mikel Arteta has a huge team talk to go now. Manchester City two. Arsenal nil. About to see what sort of condition for battle this Arsenal team are in. No changes in personnel over the break. Still the same respective elevens that started the night as Bernardo Silva looks for Tim Brunner and a very rare miscue from the Belgian. Just lovely imagination by Silva to actually just lob it over the top and it needed to be timed and he didn't get that part of it right. He was really annoyed with himself. Haaland has been able to turn Gabriel. Catch me if you can says Erling Haaland. Aaron Ramsdale comes out to smother the shot. Bernardo Silva blocked by holding. That was the chance Haaland was waiting for. He'll be disappointed not to take it. Ramsdale has done Gabriel a huge favour and Arsenal. Gabriel says escape it away. Body language isn't great from Arsenal's attackers at the moment. Granit Xhaka. Aldergard's pass was too weak. De Bruyne got it on to Haaland. Back to Kevin De Bruyne. So cool and corrective. He has side-footed it into the net. A second goal of the night for Kevin De Bruyne. Manchester City look like true champions this evening. Little errors pounced upon. Pounced upon with glee by Kevin De Bruyne. It's now experience giving youth a lesson of how to be champions. How to get there and they were getting narrower and narrower here. Arsenal and trying to move the ball about and it's really careless on the part of Aldergard and again you're seeing Haaland being the feeder for De Bruyne. I just love the way he takes it so early. I mean I think they thought he was going to go on his left side at one stage and instead he just threads it through the legs of holding and Ramsdale can't quite react quickly enough. Doesn't see that coming and it's just cleverness again from the brilliant Belgian. Once again he comes back to haunt Arsenal. Eight goals now in the last seven years for Kevin De Bruyne against his favourite Premier League opponent. It's a night when City have hoped their star names would rise to the challenge and it has left Arsenal almost in tears. More trouble for Mikel Arteta's team because when Ramsdale is now receiving some treatment Manchester City fans bouncing around the stadium as they do in these moments of celebration. They turn their backs and they link their arms and we can literally feel the stadium reverberate. I just hope this gantry we're on is strong enough. A bounce of the stand, a spring in the step. 3-0. 10 minutes into the second half it feels insurmountable. It could get worse. Sanchenko slides ahead of Walker. Gabriel Jesus for Arsenal now. Held up by Stones, fouled by Stones. Free kick to Arsenal. I think Jesus was always hoping that he would be fouled because I think it was becoming harder and harder for him and the fact that the arm swings around here catches him in the face. He was always going to use that as an opportunity to hit the deck. Sent in by other guards. Walker can only half clear. Gabriel's hustling. Now Partey, Sanchenko. It's come off Haaland's arm and holding. Unable to keep it down. Corner. Well the referee had a good view of that and he's going to hold the game while it's being checked but he was basically saying that yeah the arm was down by the side. Also tonight when Kevin De Bruyne has led by example and held in such high status by his teammates and acts like this they look now. Ball bounced up onto Bernardo Silva but the referee has given the free kick. It might just be within shooting distance too. Laundry's arm. It's Saka. Not good enough. Well hitting the target has been a problem for them and I think it's only Granit Xhaka that's that's managed it. Curious delivery from Toussaint. Easily down to the front post. Gets another chance. There were four so we saw it. Here he is. Toussaint. Holding. It's one back. Is it too little too late? Rob Holding who's only ever scored one Premier League goal for Arsenal has given some cheer to the visiting supporters on a bad night. Something, something to cling on to now. Yeah well it's not been easy for an Arsenal player to find any sort of space in the box because Manchester City have kind of mopped up most of it but once this did come out of Trossard's feet and ran into the path of holding it was just perfect for him to strike it around Haaland and there was enough power behind it for Edison to be able to get it and it's a it's a consolation goal. That moon is turning blue again. Yes he's out of it. No doubt about it now. The party at Manchester can move into full swing. The hair is down. City are on the up. 4-1 and a true reflection of a night that Manchester City have looked like true champions. Well I think he knows we're seeing very mature hosts against immature visitors and this game seemed to be just kind of petering it out but he never gives up does he Haaland? He continues with the enthusiasm the desire and once this this broke his way it was always likely to find the back of the net. Yeah he didn't connect with a couple brilliantly in the first half. There is more behind that and it made it difficult for Ramsdale who's done his best to to try and keep Arsenal in it and yeah job done now. It is 33 Premier League goals this season for Erling Haaland. It is 49 in all competitions as the final whistle blows and the job is emphatically done. The pupil still has some learning to do from the master. Pep Guardiola remains top dog for now. His dominant run in these games against Mikel Arteta. City have beaten Arsenal home and away again in the Premier League. Haaland's goal topped it all off at the end. An emphatic performance throughout. Manchester City were in cruise control. The recriminations of the postmortems will continue. You can see how much this hurts Arsenal. They are in danger of being knocked off the perch now. Albeit the league table still shows Mikel Arteta's team on top. City two points behind with the two games in hand. The writing is on the wall. Manchester City four, Arsenal one.