By beating Arsenal 2-1 and cutting the gap to just three points, Manchester City showed once again in the biggest game of the Premier League season that they are the team to beat for the title year in and year out.
MAN CITY 2-1 ARSENAL — Video highlights & recap
Who shone brightest on the season's biggest stage, and who will look back on Sunday's game as a missed opportunity to make a mark in their club's history books?
Man City player ratings
Gianluigi Donnarumma – 5.5: Perhaps the best shot-stopper of his generation, but not exactly known for otherworldly ability with the ball at his feet. You don’t say. However, he atoned for his mistake by denying Havertz on Arsenal’s best (real) scoring chance all day.
Matheus Nunes – 6.5: A quiet day down the right wing for Man City in general, but the same can be said for Arsenal's entire left flank.
Abdukodir Khusanov – 7: The perfect partner for Guehi, the confident builder out of the back. A human eraser of opposition possession with one thing on his mind: see ball, get ball.
Marc Guehi – 7.5: Seamlessly slotted into City's center of defense halfway through the season and continues to make massive plays at pivotal points. A titan of a center back.
Nico O'Reilly – 8: Left back, central midfielder, doesn't matter. He's going to get forward and carry the ball into the final third, and once it's there he's got the vision and deft touch of pass to make a goal.
Rodri – 7: Completely smothered Arsenal attacks in the middle of the field, with the lone exception of Havertz's chance in the 60th minute.
Bernardo Silva – 7: Right place, right time, all the time.
Rayan Cherki – 8.5: The silkiest, most skillful footballer in the world right now. Ronaldinho's favorite player (probably). Having a kick-about on the playground, except his playground is the biggest game in the best league in the world.
Antoine Semenyo – 6.5: Not his best game in the final third, but put in a defensive shift that kept Eze and Hincapie from having any real impact going forward.
Jeremy Doku – 7: Gave makeshift right back Mosquera a world of problems and helped to strand both Madueke and Martinelli on an island in front of him.
Erling Haaland – 7.5: Slightly anonymous for an hour, but came to life in the final 30 minutes as the game got stretched and took his goal as coolly and calmly as you'd expect of someone who'll likely win a half-dozen Golden Boots.
Arsenal player ratings
David Raya – 5.5: Was he as mesmerized by Cherki's run as we were? The angle wasn't that wide and Raya didn't get anywhere near the ball.
Cristhian Mosquera – 5.5: A tough spot he was thrust into due to injuries, and not his natural position, but recovered well after getting the run-around in the first half.
William Saliba – 6.5: Played a key role in beating City's press and getting the ball past the first line of defense, but did it leave Gabriel a little too exposed on his own?
Gabriel – 5.5: Started strong against Haaland, but by the end was a half-step slower and second to everything. Very lucky to not be sent off for headbutting the big Norwegian in the final few minutes.
Piero Hincapie – 5.5: Did well to lock down Semenyo at one end of the field, but offered next to nothing at the other.
Martin Zubimendi – 5: Only 25 passes attempted (completed just 18 of them, for 72 percent). Zero chances created. After a strong start to his Arsenal career, has become a real passenger the last few weeks.
Declan Rice – 6: Similar to Silva, he's Arsenal's "right place, right time" guy out of possession and in 50-50 situations, but the comparison falls apart when they get into the final third.
Martin Odegaard – 6: It is very clear that he is nowhere near 100 percent right now and is trying to play through something for the good of the team.
Noni Madueke – 5.5: The difference between an outside winger (Madueke) and someone that looks to cut inside and combine (Bukayo Saka) made Arsenal one-dimensional and solely reliant on counter-attacks.
Eberechi Eze – 6: Started to find more of the ball and connection with the rest of Arsenal's attack in the second half, only to be taken off shortly thereafter.
Kai Havertz – 6: Forced Donnarumma into the error to tie the game, but couldn't beat him with a one-on-one chance to take the lead right on the hour mark. In hindsight, the beginning of the end for Arsenal.
