

Manchester City extended their winning run to 18 games as they continued their impressive march towards the Premier League title with victory at Arsenal.
The visitors have not dropped a point since 15 December and looked confident right from the outset, taking the lead with just two minutes on the clock as Raheem Sterling somehow managed to outjump Rob Holding to head in Riyad Mahrez’s cross.
City had four shots to Arsenal’s none in the opening quarter of an hour and it looked like the Gunners were in danger of being on the end of a heavy defeat as Pep Guardiola’s side poured forward at every opportunity.
To Arsenal’s credit they weathered that early storm and grew into the game as Kieran Tierney tested Ederson with a strong effort from distance, while there were glimpses of a threat on the break through the pace of Bukayo Saka.
City failed to kick on after the break although still looked the most likely to add to their lead as Kevin de Bruyne – making his first start in over a month – lifted an effort just wide while Ilkay Gundogan saw a shot saved by Bernd Leno before Joao Cancelo clipped a lovely strike inches past the post late on.
In the end, a second goal was not needed as City took the three points that means they remain 10 points clear at the top of the table with 13 games remaining.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are 10th and six points off the top six.
Impressive City keep run going

City have been back to their free-scoring best this season and had bagged 18 goals in their six previous Premier League games going into this fixture.
It looked like another high-scoring game was on the cards when they took a very early lead through Sterling, with Guardiola and his former assistant coach Mikel Arteta having barely finished exchanging pleasantries on the touchline when the ball was bring picked out of the Arsenal net.
But the additional goals failed to materialise as City were uncharacteristically not at their best in the final third, with Gabriel Jesus launching well over late on after a quick counter, while Gundogan and De Bruyne could arguably have done better with their opportunities.
While it was a narrow win in the end it was one that never really looked in doubt, with Ederson making just the one save all game.
This was City’s 23rd clean sheet of the season, more than any other team in the top five European leagues or top four divisions in England, while they have not been behind in any of their past 17 Premier League games.
The victory also equalled a club record 11 successive away wins in all competitions. Impressive statistics for City, worrying ones for any side hoping to somehow deny them a third league title in four seasons.
Saka shines as Arsenal recover from worrying start

Arsenal had gone into this game having lost their past seven league games versus City, so a victory against Guardiola’s in-form side always looked a tall order.
Their dreadful start when they were completely overpowered by their opponents suggested this was not just going to be another defeat, but also a hefty one.
While Ederson was never really troubled in the City goal, Arsenal had their moments with Saka once again particularly lively.
The 19-year-old’s pace on the counter meant City could never truly relax and perhaps accounted for why the visitors failed to go on and win by a bigger margin.
Saka was lining up on the left, despite having got more goals and assists on the right this season, so could arguably have provided even more of a threat if he’d started this game in that position.
Regardless, while Arteta will be unhappy that his side did not threaten Ederson’s goal more he can be happy that they did not at least crumble after their poor start.
Sterling scores on the road again – the stats
- Arsenal have now lost each of their past eight league games against Manchester City – their joint-longest run of consecutive league defeats against an opponent, along with an eight-game run versus Leeds United between 1973 and 1976.
- Arsenal have lost their past four Premier League games against Manchester City without scoring a goal. This is the first time in their history they have failed to score in four consecutive home league games against an opponent.
- Manchester City are unbeaten in their past 25 games across all competitions (W22 D3) – their second-longest run without defeat under Guardiola, after a 28-game spell between April and December 2017.
- This was Manchester City’s 15th clean sheet in the Premier League this season – the most by a team after 25 games of a top-flight campaign since 2008-09, when both Manchester United (19) and Chelsea (15) had as many.
- Since the start of last season, no player has scored more away goals than Sterling in the Premier League (20). Indeed, Sterling’s total is twice as many as Manchester City’s second-highest away scorer in this period (Gabriel Jesus, 10).
- Manchester City’s Sterling is the third player to score in three consecutive away games against Arsenal in the Premier League, after Nicolas Anelka (four games ending in May 2009) and Ian Harte (three games ending in May 2003).
- Manchester City’s opener after 75 seconds was the first time they’ve scored in the opening two minutes of a Premier League game since December 2019, which was also away at Arsenal (Kevin de Bruyne after 89 seconds).
What next?
Manchester City switch their attention to the Champions League as they face Borussia Monchengladbach in Budapest in the last 16 on Wednesday, 24 February (20:00 GMT), while Arsenal play Benfica in Athens in the second leg of their Europa League last-32 tie (17:55 GMT).

Player of the match
SterlingRaheem Sterling
Arsenal
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Squad number3Player nameTierney
Average rating5.81
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Squad number7Player nameSaka
Average rating5.71
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Squad number1Player nameLeno
Average rating5.12
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Squad number32Player nameSmith Rowe
Average rating5.03
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Squad number34Player nameXhaka
Average rating4.71
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Squad number25Player nameMohamed Elneny
Average rating4.69
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Squad number16Player nameHolding
Average rating4.68
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Squad number22Player nameMarí
Average rating4.67
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Squad number11Player nameØdegaard
Average rating4.62
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Squad number9Player nameLacazette
Average rating4.55
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Squad number14Player nameAubameyang
Average rating4.53
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Squad number8Player nameDani Ceballos
Average rating4.43
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Squad number2Player nameBellerín
Average rating4.40
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Squad number23Player nameDavid Luiz
Average rating4.21
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Squad number19Player namePépé
Average rating4.17
Manchester City
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Squad number7Player nameSterling
Average rating7.43
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Squad number3Player nameRúben Dias
Average rating7.38
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Squad number5Player nameStones
Average rating7.25
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Squad number26Player nameMahrez
Average rating7.11
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Squad number25Player nameFernandinho
Average rating7.07
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Squad number8Player nameGündogan
Average rating7.03
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Squad number27Player nameJoão Cancelo
Average rating6.95
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Squad number20Player nameBernardo Silva
Average rating6.92
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Squad number11Player nameZinchenko
Average rating6.91
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Squad number31Player nameEderson
Average rating6.87
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Squad number17Player nameDe Bruyne
Average rating6.79
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Squad number9Player nameGabriel Jesus
Average rating6.63
Line-ups
Arsenal
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Leno
- 2BellerínBooked at 87mins
- 16HoldingSubstituted forDavid Luizat 82′minutes
- 22Marí
- 3Tierney
- 25ElnenySubstituted forCeballosat 86′minutes
- 34XhakaBooked at 53mins
- 19PépéSubstituted forSmith Roweat 73′minutes
- 11ØdegaardSubstituted forLacazetteat 73′minutes
- 7Saka
- 14Aubameyang
Substitutes
- 6Gabriel
- 8Ceballos
- 9Lacazette
- 12Willian
- 17Cédric Soares
- 23David Luiz
- 32Smith Rowe
- 33Ryan
- 35Martinelli
Man City
Formation 4-3-3
- 31Ederson
- 27CanceloBooked at 64mins
- 5Stones
- 3Rúben Dias
- 11Zinchenko
- 17De BruyneSubstituted forGabriel Jesusat 63′minutes
- 25Fernandinho
- 8Gündogan
- 26Mahrez
- 20Bernardo SilvaBooked at 51mins
- 7Sterling
Substitutes
- 2Walker
- 9Gabriel Jesus
- 10Agüero
- 13Steffen
- 14Laporte
- 16Rodri
- 21Torres
- 22Mendy
- 47Foden
- Referee:
- Jonathan Moss
Match Stats
Live Text
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Match ends, Arsenal 0, Manchester City 1.
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Second Half ends, Arsenal 0, Manchester City 1.
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Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Foul by Dani Ceballos (Arsenal).
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Ilkay Gündogan (Manchester City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Foul by Emile Smith Rowe (Arsenal).
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Rúben Dias (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by David Luiz (Arsenal).
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Foul by Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City).
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Dani Ceballos (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Foul by David Luiz (Arsenal).
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Attempt missed. Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Oleksandr Zinchenko following a fast break.
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Foul by Fernandinho (Manchester City).
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Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Foul by Raheem Sterling (Manchester City).
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Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by David Luiz.
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Héctor Bellerín (Arsenal) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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