Arsenal have held Manchester City to a goalless draw in a thrilling Premier League matchday 29 clash.
It was a title-deciding clash with a lot at stake for the two sides. Meanwhile, Liverpool have clung to the top of the table following a 2-1 win over Brighton in the early kickoff.
Arsenal needed a win to regain their top spot while a win for City would have seen the Premier League and European giants heap pressure on Liverpool in the three-horse title race.
Pep Guardiola made two changes to the squad that saw off Newcastle United in the FA Cup quarterfinal. Nathan Ake deputised for injured Kyle Walker while Kevin De Bruyne started ahead of Doku.
Mikel Arteta made only one change to the Champions League squad against Porto. Leandro Trossard was dropped to the bench with Gabriel Jesus leading the attack for the Gunners.
It was an uneventful first half as the match kicked off. Manchester City were dealt another defensive with Nathan Ake forced off in the 27th minute with an injury. Rico Lewis was subbed on for the injured Swiss.
City wielded more possession, but it was a deadlock in Arsenal’s final third. William Saliba made good his effort keeping Erling Haaland in check and cutting off supplies to the prolific Norwegian forward.
The best chances in the first half fell to Arsenal. Gabriel Jesus came close twice and would have given Arsenal the lead but blew wide his effort.
Manchester City’s only chance in the first half fell for Nathan Ake after a corner kick. The Swiss was served on a platter from the corner kick but could not sort himself out in time to make an attempt.
With both sides unable to break the deadlock, it ended goalless at the break.
Arsenal improved their game in the second half, matching City’s press and possession. Nevertheless, City still had much of the ball but struggled to create chances.
A minute after the hour mark, Pep Guardiola elicited City’s attack and injected more momentum into the frontline by subbing off Phil Foden for Jeremy Doku.
Mateo Kovacic was also out for Jack Grealish. Arsenal also made a double substitution to keep their opponents in check with Jakub Kiwior and Jorginho coming off for Tomiyasu and Thomas Partey, respectively.
It was still a barren run after the hour mark with both sides unable to break the goal deadlock. Gabriel Jesus picked up the first booking of the game for petulantly throwing away the ball while Manchester City were awarded a freekick.
Mikel Arteta made further substitutions, bringing off Gabriel Jesus for Leandro Trossard. Saka was also subbed off for Gabriel Martinelli due to an injury scare.
With a few minutes left to play, the hosts made a late push for a winner but could not break through the Arsenal wall.
Meanwhile, the Gunners maintained a good balance of both defensive and offensive play despite City’s searing pressure.
The game finally ended goalless with both sides sharing spoils. The draw has seen Liverpool go two points clear on top of the table with 67 points with Arsenal coming second with 65 points, a point better than City in 3rd position.
