Sometimes I just have to admit we played well but were beaten by a team that played better. That's what happened at the Etihad today. Sure, their third goal was offside; and that penalty call was harsh. But had Ramsey or Alexis been bumped like that by (say) Otamendi, I'd have thought the penalty was deserved. I have seen us get away with such shoulder-to-shoulder contact in the area, but I can't say this was a bad call.
Fundamentally, given the way both teams played, I thought a City win was a fair result. They spurned two two-on-one breakaways too. I was proud of the way the Gunners played today. Coquelin managed to improve and did a job. Kolasinac seemed a little short today, unfortunately; I hope he makes a full recovery soon. Alexis was lively but Guardiola probably didn't see anything to make him rue his failure to secure him. I honestly can't fathom why Lacazette didn't start. Cech may have done better on the first goal but the other two weren't going to be kept out by any keeper. Kos was superb, my man of the match. I didn't see enough today to convince me that Ozil was giving 100%. Ramsey was all over the place but in general had a good game. Even Xhaka did his job, though of course he had to get one of our six yellows. Iwobi seemed to step up a bit too, and did not look out of place.
I hope Wenger can take the positives from this one and stress to the team that they need to play like this in every game. The Watford and Stoke results were inexcusable from a group that can go toe to toe with a rampant City like this. No one is going to catch City, barring a string of injuries. But a top four finish is not out of the question. Liverpool and Chelsea seem just as vulnerable as we do, and I can always hope for a Spuds implosion. (Delle Alli always seems on the verge of doing something that'll earn himself an eight game suspension.) We welcome Tottenham to the Emirates after the international break in Saturday's late game (12:30 11/18). I'm hoping for a win.
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