Manchester City and Arsenal refused to part ways as they played out a tense, cagey goalless draw at the Etihad on Sunday night.
Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Brighton earlier in the day had left the Gunners second in the Premier League, but the visitors seemed more than happy to take a point to north London.
Pep Guardiola’s side struggled to break down the division’s best defense and enjoyed very few opportunities, let alone anything substantial in front of goal.
The gap between the Premier League top three may have widened to three points following the result, but there are sure to be more twists and turns in what promises to be an exciting showdown.
Here, Mail Sport’s Jack Gaughan has given his expert player ratings…
Rodri led the match for the hosts but they were unable to break through the Arsenal defence.
Manchester City couldn’t find a way past Arsenal’s towering centre-back William Saliba
Pep Guardiola looked frustrated at times as his team struggled to create space against a tenacious Gunners rearguard.
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MANCHESTER CITY (4-2-3-1)
Esteban Ortega – 6
A great grab from a set piece early on calmed the nerves. The distribution of German could have been sharper.
Manuel Akanji – 7.5
Great performance again from Akanji. Strong in the challenge and good on the ball, he stands tall.
Rubén Días – 7.5
He kept Kai Havertz pretty quiet and followed him everywhere. Reliable once again in the center half.
Nathan Aké – 5.5
He was forced to retire with a calf injury after 27 minutes. He hadn’t really gotten into the rhythm of the game until then.
Josko Gvardiol – 7
Often the ball went to City. He pushed forward with determination and completed a couple of great recovery tackles.
Josko Gvardiol (right) was surprisingly City’s best attacking outlet from left back in the first half.
Rodri (centre) was ever-present at the base of City’s midfield as they attempted to break down the Gunners’ defence.
Rodri – 8
He ran the game. Magnificent position when Arsenal counterattacked and looked like City’s driving force.
Mateo Kovacic – 5.5
A fair reflection of his debut season. Pretty neat with a couple of bugs but largely passive.
Bernardo Silva – 6.5
Quick start to the match, which faded a bit before taking a more active role after the break.
Kevin De Bruyne – 6
It didn’t get going until the fourth quarter. Then his influence grew and the Belgian seemed the most likely.
Bernardo Silva looked the most likely to find a way past Arsenal’s deep defense and he produced some trademark moments of brilliance.
Kevin de Bruyne (centre) was well contained by the visiting team’s disciplined defensive posture.
Phil Foden – 6
It’s probably a shame to get hooked. It looked shiny with nothing coming off in tight spaces.
Erling Haaland – 6
Good when he’s involved. But he didn’t get involved enough and couldn’t prepare for a late opportunity.
Subs
Rico Lewis (by Ake, 27) – 7
Jeremy Doku (by Foden, 61) – 6.5
Jack Grealish (for Kovacic, 61) – 6.5
Coach: Pep Guardiola – 6
The bold changes that occurred at the time attempted to force the issue. City really didn’t do enough to emerge victorious.
ARSENAL (4-3-3)
David Raya – 5.5
A few tricky moments, including a dropped cross, may have started the build-up better.
Ben White – 7
The most dangerous forward dressed in red, finding himself in presentable areas behind City’s back four.
William Saliba – 7.5
Very clever coverage of space as City’s midfielders tried to find space in the inside channels.
Gabriel – 7.5
He clearly enjoyed the physical battle with Haaland and constantly found himself on the back end of things.
Gabriel (left) didn’t give Erling Haaland an inch, reducing the league’s top scorer to a quiet evening
Saliba makes life difficult for City’s attackers, including Phil Foden (right), in a nervous stalemate
jakub Kiwior – 6
It is noteworthy that Mikel Arteta headed to his bench as soon as Doku came on for the champions.
Declan Rice – 7.5
Always available and bravely matched with City’s tenacity. One of the main reasons the hosts did not communicate centrally.
Jorginho – 6
Orderly display, as expected, without standing out too much in the midfield. Arsenal organized in its low block.
Bukayo Saka – 5.5
It left you wanting more. A cross that Gabriel Jesus could have held on to on a very quiet afternoon.
Martin Odegaard – 5.5
He looked a little weak on the ball when it really mattered for the Gunners. Although he is not the only one.
Gabriel Jesus – 6
He enjoyed a couple of scoring chances from the left but lacked the conviction to finish the chances.
Bukayo Saka endured a quiet afternoon at the Etihad and fights to win the match
Gabriel Jesus (right) started on the right flank against his former team on Sunday night.
Mikel Arteta (left) clashed with his former boss Pep Guardiola as he took his Arsenal team to the Etihad.
Kai Havertz – 6
While not everything was his doing, Arsenal’s possession was not enough for the centre-forward.
Subs
Takehiro Tomiyasu (by Kiwior, 66) – 6
Thomas Partey (by Jorginho, 66) – 6
Leandro Trossard (by Jesus, 72) – 6
Gabriel Martinelli (by Saka, 78)
Coach: Mikel Arteta – 6
Prepare your team to sit down and try to steal something at halftime. It almost worked perfectly.
Referee: Anthony Taylor – 6
He allowed the game to flow to such an extent that both sides seemed bewildered by the lack of yellow cards.