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MOTD- Manchester City 6-3 Arsenal

By on December 14, 2013

20131214-214213.jpgIt was already set to be a big match. A must win for both sides to seriously keep up a huge title threat, and a clash between the fourth and first place teams in the Premier League. Yet the entertainment that was provided as Arsenal traveled to the Etihad for a beating from Manchester City was what the Premier League has become known for. Nine goals and thirty-four shots, attacking end-to end play at times and moments of brilliance from the twenty-two men on the pitch iced the cake for one of the highest scoring matches since the turn of the decade.

Although the match didn’t end well for Arsenal, who had their lead at the top of the table once again reduced, it was a great 6-3 scoreline for neutral fans, and mostly City supporters. The stunning match even began at a blistering pace, with City keeping control in the opening minutes. The home side were completely in charge, and it took only eleven minutes for Sergio Aguero to fire home the opener. Samir Nasri curled a cross in from the left, which Martin Demichelis flicked on at the near post to Aguero, who acrobatically smashed a volley home from six yards out.

Yet Arsenal regained a foothold in the match, and grabbed an equalizer in the thirtieth minute when Theo Walcott’s deflected effort from the edge of the box wrong-footed City goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon and flew in off the head of Demichelis. Just five minutes later it was City threatening, and Manuel Pellegrini’s side came so close to retaking their lead as David Silva slipped Alvaro Negredo in on goal. Pantilimon came out to stop the former Sevilla winger, who poked a curling effort around the goalkeeper and just wide of the post. But Negredo was just not going to let Arsenal keep it level and put City back in front in the thirty-eighth minute. The winger lifted Pablo Zabaleta’s low cross from the right over Wojciech Szczesny into the back of the net to put his side up 2-1 leading into half-time.

City continued the astonishingly fast-paced play as the second half began, doubling their lead five minutes into the second period. Mesut Ozil gifted Fernandinho possession of the ball, with the Brazilian tip-toeing into the Arsenal box from the left completely unmarked before curling an absolute stunner into the top right corner. However, it was Arsenal who immediately responded, with Olivier Giroud tapping Jack Wilshere’s cross just wide before heading Sagna’s delivery wide from six yards.

Finally Walcott managed to pull one back, looping a fabulous strike into the top corner from seventeen yards when Aaron Ramsey played it into the Englishman just after the hour mark. Yet Arsenal’s tiny bit of hope was short lived as Silva tapped home Jesus Navas’ cross from the right to reinstall City’s two goal lead four minutes later. The action just increased as Wilshere’s drilled long-range effort destined for the top corner was barely pushed away by Pantilimon moments later.

Fernandino then made it five for City in the eighty-sixth minute, poking it above Szczesny after jinxing through the heart of the City box. Per Mertesacker didn’t want to miss out on any of the action either, nodding one of his best goals in Arsenal colors past Pantilimon from Sagna’s beautiful cross a minute into stoppage time. Yet it wasn’t even the final goal, with Yaya Toure concluding the goal fest by smashing a City penalty into the back of the net after Szczesny had brought down James Milner to make it 6-3 to City five minutes into stoppage time. The stunning match finally ended, leaving City having scored thirty-five goals in only eight home league matches and sitting just three points off of the top of the table behind Arsenal.
Man of the Match: Fernandinho

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.