Gary Neville felt Arsenal were ‘really good’ in defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, but one lapse cost them in the crunch game in the title race.
Pep Guardiola’s side won the game 2-1 thanks to goals from Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland either side of a Kai Havertz equaliser.
It was a thoroughly entertaining contest as both teams played with energy and intent, while the stakes were incredibly high at the top of the table.
Arsenal came up short and Neville points to one moment in the build-up to the home side’s second goal which he believes cost them in an otherwise impressive performance in dealing with Manchester City.
Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast, he said: ‘The one mistake…on the goal where Manchester city counter-attack. What Arsenal did brilliantly in the first half was all push up together when Manchester City had the ball deep with Donnarumma or the centre-backs.
‘When they counter-attack they all get back really quickly and sunk in. I don’t know what went wrong, but Donnarumma plays a ball for the goal, he throws it, and it goes in between maybe Martinelli and Havertz on this side and all of a sudden there was acres of space. Why?
‘That shouldn’t happen. Something’s gone fundamentally wrong.
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‘Either the back four haven’t pushed in and made it all compact high up the pitch with the forward players or the forward players have gone too high. I would say probably the midfield players and back players haven’t pushed in. In the first half, if you remember, Gabriel was pressing on the edge of the 18 yard box at one point.
‘Arsenal’s fatigue, maybe, and City wearing them out means that they’ve probably just not done the full press like they were in the first half. Half of them have gone and half of them have stayed back and that’s when you get big gaps from front to back
‘That was the mistake I think they made on the goal when they’re counter-attacking and Haaland gets that goal.’
‘That was a disappointing one because they really did work that defensively well. They either went full press or they all went back and defended deep. They got stuck in between, half and half.’
The tactical error was also spotted by Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira in the Sky Sports studio, but both pointed the finger at Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli for pressing too high and too early, leaving the space behind him.
‘Martinelli helps the goalkeeper by pressing too early, they’re not really set,’ said Keane. ‘And they don’t need to go chasing the game. Martinelli doesn’t have to press there and, if anything, it encourages the goalkeeper to throw it out.’
His old rival said: ‘I completely agree. Even when Donnarumma gets the ball in his hand there’s a huge space between the Arsenal back four and the front players, a huge space that Arsenal wasn’t ready to put pressure.’
Neville may have pointed to one tactical mistake over the game, but Arsenal also missed chances to score which will haunt them if they do not win the Premier League title.
Mikel Arteta’s men remain top of the table, but maybe not for much longer as Manchester City can leapfrog them with a win at Burnley on Wednesday.
‘They weren’t ruthless today, because I think the performance was there,’ said Neville. ‘That’s as good as you’ll see a team come and play at Manchester City. They were really good, however, they’ve missed three or four big chances.
‘Havertz misses the one-on-one when Donnarumma comes out, [Eberchi] Eze’s one off the post, then you’ve got the Gabriel header and the Havertz header at the end. Three or four massive chances.
‘If you said you’re going to get three or four chances like that against Manchester City here, you have to take one of them! They’ve not been ruthless and taken it.’
The title race is still very much on as victory for City at Turf Moor would only put them level on points with Arsenal, but ahead on goal difference or goals scored.
Then would come a sprint finish with five games to go and neither team able to afford a mistake.
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