Manchester City eased to a 3-0 victory over Arsenal at the Etihad as the premier league return after the Covid-19 pandemic forced break.

The win was the Cityzens seventh in a roll against Arsenal and they scored 20 scores in the process with the Gunnars scoring just two. Interestingly, both teams finished with 10-men. David Luiz got a straight red card while City’s defender Eric Garcia went of injured but Pep Guardiola couldn’t make any more substitutions because they have used five already.

Here are five things we noticed:

Arteta axed Mesut Ozil
Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta is not a huge fan of Mesut Ozil and showed it clearly when he left him out of the match day squad against Manchester City.

The Gunnars struggled for creativity from midfield and left Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang frustrated all evening. Ozil could’ve added a little more spark to a colourless Arsenal midfield.

Arsenal make first half substitution
The Gunnars were forced into first half substitutions due to injuries. First, Granit Xhaka injured his ankle and couldn’t continue. The Switzerland international was replaced by Daniel Ceballos while Pablo Mari, who was making only his second appearance for Arsenal in the premier league pulled an hamstring also in the first half and replaced by David Luiz.

Both teams support ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement
Manchester City and Arsenal showed support for the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement and the NHS. They were joined by referee Anthony Taylor in kneeling down before kick-off.

The jersey had ‘Black Lives Matter’ written at the back and NHS in front. The BLM is against racism while NHS are frontline workers against the deadly Covid-19.

Sterling scores first goal of premier league restart
Raheem Sterling became the first player to score after the premier league restart as the first match between Aston Villa and Sheffield United ended goalless. Sterling’s goal was his 12th of the season and 21st in all competitions this term.

David Luiz receives first Red Card
David Luiz had a nightmare game against Manchester City. He was a first half substituted for the injured Pablo Mari but was at fault for the Cityzens first goal when his miss controlled a de Bruyne pass and Raheem Sterling scored from the mistake.

At the start of the second half, Luiz pulled down Riyad Mahrez inside the box to give away a penalty and was sent off by the referee. It was the Brazilian’s fourth penalty giveaway this season. Man City had missed their last four penalties in the league but Kevin de Bruyne scored with absolutely certainty.

source:- fcnaija