Terrace Talk: It is time to admit Arsenal resistance has become a little more serious

The best rivalries are not just about good football, there's a bitterness to them. 

RED HOT: Players clash toward the end of the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal. Picture: AP Photo/Dave Thompson

With red-shirted players scattered about like the blobs in a Mondrian sketch disfigured by Mancunian rain, the scene of utter devastation in Arsenal’s penalty area on Sunday afternoon was mirrored off the park by the uncontrollable glee all around the stands. As Erling Haaland bobbed the ball off Gabriel Maghalaes’ head, buried as it was deep inside his shirt, it felt like City v Arsenal was reaching its zenith.

Screeching, groaning and the gnashing of teeth. People shaking their fists at the sky, at each other and into the shuddering cameras. Shredded tempers everywhere, bulging eye sockets and rich profanities in Dutch, Italian and Portuguese.