Given Manchester City scored a last-gasp equaliser in their 2-2 draw against Arsenal, courtesy of John Stones’ strike, they would have returned to the dressing room feeling relieved.
Pep Guardiola’s men were minutes away from losing their first game at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League since their 2-1 defeat to Brentford in November 2022.
As a result, Manchester City’s joyous reaction to the goal was understandable as they managed to take home a hard-earned point.
But the hosts would have also been frustrated with their performance.
With the quality that City have within their ranks, it would have been fair to expect them to create better-quality chances in the second half with a one-man advantage.
It seemed like Arsenal’s 2-1 lead at half-time was set to be inconsequential after Leandro Trossard was sent off — especially considering Manchester City were playing at home.
Keane stunned by one Manchester City flaw in Arsenal draw
However, Mikel Arteta’s side managed to make the Premier League champions’ attack look blunt on the day.
Coming into the game, City had scored 11 goals in their first four league games and in the first quarter of the clash, their bright attacking performance indicated that they could produce a devastating half of football after the break.
Perhaps Rodri’s injury derailed their flow during Sunday’s showdown.
But simultaneously, the Gunners were also at a disadvantage after Trossard’s red card as they were restricted to sitting in a low block and waiting for the referee to blow the full-time whistle.
Before Stones’ goal, it seemed like the stars had aligned for Mikel Arteta to win his first league game at the Etihad Stadium.
However, Roy Keane admitted how surprised he was by Manchester City’s predictability in the second half against Arsenal.
Keane said on Sky Sports: “The lack of movement was unbelievable. We were all sitting there watching it, we couldn’t believe it because obviously, we know how brilliant Man City are.”
“They’re passing, they’re probing, they’re challenging in different ways but they were so predictable, I couldn’t believe it!”
Jamie Carragher criticised Pep Guardiola’s decision not to make early enough changes and leaving all of his four defenders on the pitch.
Roy Keane makes a fair point about Man City after Arsenal clash
It is difficult to disagree with Roy Keane as Manchester City’s display was a tough watch to say the least.
A key reason why City’s attack struggled to create high-quality chances is because often, their defenders in Ruben Dias, Kyle Walker, Manuel Akanji and Josko Gvardiol were trying to produce a moment of magic.
Bafflingly, their defenders constantly took shots from distance and rarely even tested David Raya.
Furthermore, it was a surprise to see Pep Guardiola bring the likes of Phil Foden and Jack Grealish as late into the game as he did with Manchester City chasing a goal.
City’s lack of inventiveness in terms of combining with each other and trying to take on Arsenal’s defence also meant their attacking play was undeniably predictable.
