The title race challengers were as excited as a kid at Christmas after Roberto Mancini’s men lost 2-1 at Chelsea last week having just gone out of the Champions League.<\/p>\n
And, had City failed to win yesterday, the doubts would have increased about their ability to stay the course. But David Silva’s 52nd-minute winner ensured normal service was resumed and that arch-rivals Manchester United enjoyed a mere four hours at the top of the table following their success at QPR.<\/p>\n
Of course it is the same reward of three points as from any other victory \u2014 but it felt like this was worth so much more.<\/p>\n
Two months ago beating Arsenal was nothing to boast about, everyone was doing it.<\/p>\n
But the Gunners had taken 22 points from the previous 24 available since losing to Spurs to drag themselves back into contention at the top.<\/p>\n
Now, as manager Arsene Wenger admitted, they are too far adrift to be in with a realistic chance of the title. “We couldn’t afford to lose,” said Wenger, who had cause to complain about two crucial decisions which went against his side.<\/p>\n
Skipper Robin van Persie, a \u00a330million target for City, clipped home four minutes after City’s goal but was just offside.<\/p>\n
And Van Persie berated referee Phil Dowd for rejecting penalty claims when Micah Richards blocked Laurent Koscielny’s cross with an arm.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, right at the death, England keeper Joe Hart sprang to tip over Thomas Vermaelen’s strike from the edge of the box and Vermaelen was also inches wide with a curling 25-yarder.<\/p>\n
This is a much better Arsenal team than the one which started the season and, considering they are without four injured full-backs, they have tightened up markedly.<\/p>\n
Koscielny was excellent, Per Mertesacker is finding his way and Alex Song gets better and better.<\/p>\n
If only they had a bit more on the bench when they need to change the game. Andrey Arshavin was an absolute disgrace when he replaced Theo Walcott for the final 20 minutes.<\/p>\n
Walcott, ineffective though he was, threw a little strop as he trudged off, probably because he knew Arshavin would not try a leg.<\/p>\n
The Russian was scandalously wasteful every time the ball came his way.<\/p>\n
And Marouane Chamakh, who is apparently a striker, might as well not have bothered coming on for the last eight minutes. He is just not up to Premier League standard and Wenger must know it.<\/p>\n
The sponsors gave the man-of-the-match award to ex-Arsenal man Samir Nasri \u2014 but surely that was out of devilment.<\/p>\n
Nasri did well in the face of some fierce abuse from Gunners fans but his captain Vincent Kompany was immense and is becoming the league’s best centre-back.<\/p>\n
It might have been a more comfortable afternoon for City if Sergio Aguero had taken his opportunity from Pablo Zabaleta’s cross. The Argie controlled well but amazingly blazed over the top from eight yards.<\/p>\n
Fantastic player though Aguero is he does have the occasional aberration in front of goal.<\/p>\n
He missed a great opportunity at Chelsea after working hard to create the opening.<\/p>\n
But having Hart in goal gives Aguero and City real assurance that, as long as they keep mounting attacks, the odds are they will win in the end.<\/p>\n
Hart got lucky when he scrambled Gervinho’s shot round the post but, from the corner, he got down well to turn Aaron Ramsey’s shot away.<\/p>\n
His opposite number Wojciech Szczesny was equally impressive.<\/p>\n
The Pole saved superbly when Mario Balotelli cleverly brought down Richards’ cross when he was between Johann Djourou and Mertesacker and still got his shot in.<\/p>\n
Szczesny saved again from Aguero but was finally beaten seven minutes into the second half.<\/p>\n
Nasri picked out Balotelli who had acres of space and fired in from the left.<\/p>\n
Szczesny blocked the shot but, as Aguero and Mertesacker challenged for the loose ball, it popped out for Silva to finish at the far post.<\/p>\n
Provided they beat Stoke on Wednesday night, City are guaranteed to be top of the tree at Christmas for the first time in more than 80 years.<\/p>\n
There are no presents for sitting merrily on high in December but City are not going to be chopped down easily.<\/p>\n
STAR MAN \u2014 VINCENT KOMPANY (Man City)<\/p>\n
MAN CITY: Hart 8, Richards 7, Kompany 8, K Toure 7, Zabaleta 7, Barry 7, Y Toure 6 (De Jong 5), Silva 7, Aguero 7, Nasri 7 (Dzeko 5), Balotelli 7 (Milner 5). Subs not used: Pantilimon, Lescott, Johnson, Savic. Booked: Barry, Aguero.<\/p>\n
ARSENAL: Szczesny 7, Djourou 6 (Miquel 6), Koscielny 7, Arteta 6, Mertesacker 6 (Chamakh 5), Vermaelen 7, Song 7, Ramsey 6, Walcott 5 (Arshavin 4), Van Persie 6, Gervinho 8. Subs not used: Almunia, Rosicky, Frimpong, Benayoun. Booked: Song, Koscielny, Arteta.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The title race challengers were as excited as a kid at Christmas after Roberto Mancini’s men lost 2-1 at Chelsea last week having just gone out of the Champions League. And, had City failed to win yesterday, the doubts would have increased about their ability to stay the course<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n