It’s all about being in control in a title race: managing your resources, keeping your nerves and grinding out results. Manchester City have shown the world they have everything under control, but the game on Wednesday night wasn’t just a controlled, well-deserved victory. It was punishment.Pep Guardiola is known for making unexpected decisions in team selection for big games. But this one was controlled and expected. The game wasn’t won by producing a tactical masterclass – because that was unnecessary.”It was an important game, not decisive but important. Now I absolutely prefer my position because now it’s in our hands. I would love that these two games are six points but you have to win them, but I prefer it because it depends on us. Until today, I prefer the position in the Premier League of Arsenal because if Arsenal had beaten us it’s in their hands. But now it is in our hands.”Pep Guardiola called out Ederson right after Man City scored their first goal against Arsenal #Pep #ReInventingTheGame pic.twitter.com/6N75IryGff— The Pep (@GuardiolaTweets) April 26, 2023 Simply put, Manchester City went into the match convinced they were the better team and hugely motivated to show it. On the other hand, Arsenal looked like a talented, young group of players who couldn’t even begin to show their worth faced with superior opposition.As it happened: City blow Arsenal away in the crucial Premier League encounterArsenal were eight points ahead of City at the start of April. Now they have just two more points but have played two more games. They aren’t out of the running completely, but they are punished for three successive draws in the three games leading up to the trip to Etihad. Wednesday’s game felt like an execution, a brutal punishment for the crime of trying to de-throne the Premier League holders. Arsenal are having a good season compared to the last. After all, they secured a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League. But not many Gunners’ supporters will find that comforting – at least not today.PLAYER RATINGS De Bruyne’s masterclass, Haaland’s lousy xG and stealth OdegaardCity still now need to win six of their last seven matches to be sure of becoming champions for a third successive season. However, even though they are still two points behind Arsenal with two games in hand, the manner of their victory here suggested they will sprint to their third title in a row and their fifth in six years. Arsenal looked so overwhelmed that it is hard to see them sustaining their challenge in the five games they have left.Losing control will hurt Mikel Arteta and his team. The Spaniard is used to being on top of every aspect of the game, but recently he couldn’t keep the team in check.”We have to accept the reality. That is the best way to move forward. We never had a chance to win the game. We have to improve, be better and be humble enough to accept that in sport if we are going to get better. We knew we would need our best as a team and individually. You need eleven players doing that. Today we were far from them.”##NAJAVA_MECA_7208831##Over the past month, there were too many conceded goals, lapses in concentration and periods in games where they tend to switch off. It all contributed to Arsenal losing their grip on the top spot. Injuries and fatigue all played their part, but this shouldn’t be the end of the campaign for Arteta and his men. Ahead of the season, they were predicted to finish sixth or seventh – but they showed they’ve got huge potential. Experience may not be on their side, but the 4-1 loss in Manchester will undoubtedly add to that.
