Five talking points: Guardiola-Arteta rivarly replacing that of Ferguson and Wenger

NEW RIVALRY: Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta and their teams have long been touted as the modern day Premier League combatants to replace Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger. Picture: Julian Finney/Getty Images

RIVALRY 

FINALLY A RIVALRY to savour. Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta and their teams have long been touted as the modern day Premier League combatants to replace Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger. Manchester City overthrew Fergie’s Manchester United as the keepers of the throne and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool had a good run at Pep’s men. 

Now Arsenal are the pretenders. But even with two exceptional managers and two dynamic sets of players, it still did not feel quite right. It was all too friendly and tactical — until this match sparked it to life. The players clearly do not like each other, the supporters certainly do not and the managers are now the best of Frenemies: the closest of friends but the deepest of rivals. 

A blockbuster perfect for the biased and neutral alike that could run and run. Pep called Arsenal one of the best teams in the world afterwards and playing against them motivates him and his players as they see them as their main rivals. If he is so excited, why shouldn’t we be?

HAALAND – 100 NOT OUT 

ARSENAL came here boasting they had Erling Haaland’s number after keeping him quiet in their last three matches. It was a narrative that lasted for all of nine minutes. The Norwegian was throwing his weight around from the off and then showed his speed and guile to leave Gabriel in his wake and score past the Premier League’s form keeper David Raya. 

The line that City play better football without their star striker should be put to bed too. One hundred goals in 105 appearances are fantasy figures. Two Premier League winner's medals and being an integral member of their 2023 Champions League history makers says it all. 

The best goalscorer in the world bar none. "Imagine today without Erling. It would have been impossible," Guardiola stated in his post-match press conference.

WHY ALWAYS OLIVER?

BEING known as the best referee in the Premier League is no great claim to fame. The one-eyed man is king of the land of the blind, after all. Michael Oliver is supposed to be THE man these days but so often seems to find himself the centre of attention for controversial decisions. At least his two biggies here were handed out equally to each side. 

First he handicapped City by calling Kyle Walker out of position for a chat and then allowed Arsenal to take a free-kick down the right-back’s vacant side of the defence and let the visitors score. Baffling. 

Then he seemed to get caught up in the excitement and thrilling atmosphere by sending off Leandro Trossard. It is debateable whether Trossard was deliberately delaying a free-kick, as was reported by PGMOL, especially as he knew he had already been cautioned. Even if it was Oliver allowed City’s Doku to do the same much more obviously earlier in the game. 

Inconsistent at best. Either way it made for a needlessly one-sided second half. He hardly handled Arsenal’s relentless time-wasting with great insight either. When both sets of supporters are booing the man in black, surely something is not quite right?

RAYA IS REAL DEAL

THE SEASON is only five matches old (plus one in Europe) and David Raya has saved Arsenal’s skin four times. He made the difference in a home win against Wolves, spectacularly kept Aston Villa at bay in a tough win there and was the difference between his side drawing and losing in Italy. This time he faced 33 attempts on his goal, 11 on target, making nine saves. 

He only showed any weakness when he was trying to buy some time with a spurious looking injury. The argument as to whether he is better than the man he replaced at Arsenal, Aaron Ramsdale, is long over. 

Now he is playing so well he has earned a right in the debate as to whether he is the best in the Premier League. City’s Ederson, Villa’s Martinez and Liverpool’s Alisson are first class. Raya is now in the conversation with them.

TITLE INDICATOR?

TOO early in the season for this match to settle the title race, but who will have come away happier? City, for me. Arsenal needed to win to show they have really risen to the levels of the defending champions and they so nearly did. But they did not win, and although Mikel Arteta will be delighted to show that his side can go to City and compete, an away point here is never a bad one, but it will feel like a defeat. 

Pep said it was a good point or his side afterwards. They refused to concede defeat — even with 99 minutes on the clock. This was not Guardiolaball at its best, but it was City once again showing their steel. 

Probably a fair result all that said, but in no way convincing enough from either side to make them feel too cocky — even though they both celebrated like boxers at the end of a bruising 12-rounder.