Arsenal restored a little bit of pride by holding Manchester City to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening. Of course, a win would have been more welcome to the players and the fans, but in the light of recent games against title rivals it was a much better display. After losing 6-0 to Chelsea, 5-1 to Liverpool and 6-3 to City last time, this game was about restoring some dignity and keeping the clubs slim title chances alive.
A loss would have all but ended Arsenal´s chance of winning the Premier League this season, but a draw keeps the team 5 points behind Chelsea at the top of the league. That position could change if Liverpool and City win their games in hand, but at least this draw keeps the hope alive while also strengthening the teams hold on a Champions League spot.
City Manager Manuel Pellegrini named an unchanged 11 from the midweek destruction of rivals Manchester United, while Arsene Wenger named Lukas Podolski in the Arsenal team. The German has been proving a goal scoring threat for Arsenal and some fans are calling for him to start upfront. However, with the lack of supply coming the way of Olivier Giroud up top, perhaps Podolski is better off staying as a wideman and influencing the game from there.
A bright 45 minutes for Man City saw them dominate much of the game, and there was tension in the stands at the Emirates as the Gooners sensed another thrashing from a Top 4 rival. That worry turned to panic when David Silva stumbled into a deflected Edin Dzecko shot to give Man City a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute. Despite the visitors enjoying the best of the match for the remainder of the half, Arsenal responded with better mentality than previous games and held on to keep the score at 1-0.
Wenger´s team talk seemed to do the trick as once again this season the Gunners emerged for the second half like a team transformed. Now it was Arsenal´s turn to be on the front foot, but City remained dangerous on the counter attack. Arsenal´s improved play led to an equalizer in the 53rd minute when a bout of possession football led to Podolski breaking into the City area and supplying Mathieu Flamini for a shot from 12 yards. The Frenchman slotted home to equal the game, and although Arsenal kept pushing for the remainder of the game the score stayed at 1-1.
Arsenal restored a little bit of pride by holding Manchester City to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening. Of course, a win would have been more welcome to the players and the fans, but in the light of recent games against title rivals it was a much better display. After losing 6-0 to Chelsea, 5-1 to Liverpool and 6-3 to City last time, this game was about restoring some dignity and keeping the clubs slim title chances alive.
A loss would have all but ended Arsenal´s chance of winning the Premier League this season, but a draw keeps the team 5 points behind Chelsea at the top of the league. That position could change if Liverpool and City win their games in hand, but at least this draw keeps the hope alive while also strengthening the teams hold on a Champions League spot.
City Manager Manuel Pellegrini named an unchanged 11 from the midweek destruction of rivals Manchester United, while Arsene Wenger named Lukas Podolski in the Arsenal team. The German has been proving a goal scoring threat for Arsenal and some fans are calling for him to start upfront. However, with the lack of supply coming the way of Olivier Giroud up top, perhaps Podolski is better off staying as a wideman and influencing the game from there.
A bright 45 minutes for Man City saw them dominate much of the game, and there was tension in the stands at the Emirates as the Gooners sensed another thrashing from a Top 4 rival. That worry turned to panic when David Silva stumbled into a deflected Edin Dzecko shot to give Man City a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute. Despite the visitors enjoying the best of the match for the remainder of the half, Arsenal responded with better mentality than previous games and held on to keep the score at 1-0.
Wenger´s team talk seemed to do the trick as once again this season the Gunners emerged for the second half like a team transformed. Now it was Arsenal´s turn to be on the front foot, but City remained dangerous on the counter attack. Arsenal´s improved play led to an equalizer in the 53rd minute when a bout of possession football led to Podolski breaking into the City area and supplying Mathieu Flamini for a shot from 12 yards. The Frenchman slotted home to equal the game, and although Arsenal kept pushing for the remainder of the game the score stayed at 1-1.