Sergio Aguero delivered a striker’s master-class – an expert lesson in goal-poaching – as Manchester City beat Arsenal to re-assert themselves in the title race.
Aguero’s three goals represented his 10th hat-trick in the Premier League and only Alan Shearer, with 11, has claimed more in the competition’s history. All three goals were also claimed from deep in Arsenal’s six-yard area as Aguero showed that predator’s instinct.
The Argentinean, after receiving a bang on the head, departed to a standing ovation with 10 minutes to go and now also has 42 goals against the other so-called ‘Big Six’ clubs, twice as many as his nearest challenger, Harry Kane, with 21.
Now it is over to Liverpool who travel to West Ham United for their Monday night fixture with their lead reduced to two points ahead of City who moved back to second place in front of Tottenham Hotspur, albeit with that game in hand.
For Arsenal this was another sobering lesson, another failure to beat one of the ‘Big Six’ themselves away from home – 21 games now without having done so – and another reminder of their chronic weakness in defence. Shkodran Mustafi went off injured – it is remarkable the number of Arsenal defenders who go off when the chips are down – to stretch their resources even further.Further forward Denis Suarez, on loan from Barcelona and facing his former club in City, came on to make his debut but the contest was already over by then and Arsenal face a fierce battle to finish in the top four.
Arsenal also remain the only Premier League team yet to claim a clean sheet away from home this season – all three goals also came down their problematic right – and it did not take long for that record to continue.
Aguero was tardy in claiming his first goal – it took 46 seconds, in fact, or almost twice as long as it took for him to score in 24 seconds against Newcastle United in midweek. Not that City will want any reminder of that fixture which ended in defeat with City carelessly letting it slip.
This time it was Arsenal who were sloppy, gifting City the advantage as Alex Iwobi inexplicably tried to dribble his way past Aymeric Laporte on the corner of his own penalty area. Laporte claimed possession and delivered a cross that Aguero met with a diving header. Bernd Leno got a hand to it but the ball flew back across the goalkeeper and into the net.
It also meant that Aguero had, within a week, scored the two fastest goals in the Premier League this season and he should have quickly had the opportunity to add another when he was clearly pulled back inside the Arsenal area by Mustafi as he tried to run onto a Kevin De Bruyne through ball. Instead of awarding a penalty, though, referee Martin Atkinson waved away the appeals.
Still it appeared Arsenal would be overwhelmed with Fernandinho stepping from defence into midfield to out-number them. But they struck back. A corner was won with Lucas Torreira’s kick flicked on by Nacho Monreal with Laurent Koscielny stealing into the six-yard area to head high beyond Ederson.
