ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Manchester City 3
Arsenal 1
The best thing that can be said for Arsenal is that they retain their distinction as the last team to beat Manchester City, but April's FA Cup semi-final feels as if it took place a long time ago.
More to the point, City are a far better team now. Pep Guardiola's side reeled off a ninth straight league win to go 12 points clear of the Gunners. The table offers a measure of their superiority. The scoreline might not do so: It flattered Arsenal.
They could dispute the awarding of the penalty Sergio Aguero scored for City's second goal and David Silva was fractionally offside before he set up Gabriel Jesus for the hosts' third, but Guardiola's men were deserving winners. They march on, still with the joint-best start to a Premier League season. For Arsenal, a fourth defeat in six away games suggests a side with a soft underbelly.
They could have been behind after 90 seconds, when Aguero shot into the side-netting. And were it not for City's attempts to tee team-mates up for open goals and a brilliant Petr Cech save to deny Jesus, it would have been a rout.
Instead, the scoreline was respectable. At least one City player has been exceptional this season. He opened the scoring. Kevin de Bruyne had a shot parried by Cech seconds earlier. His aim was better when he tried again, the Belgian picking out the bottom corner after a one-two with Fernandinho. He already had a winner against Chelsea to his name and two assists against Liverpool: The bigger games are bringing the best out of the Belgian.
It was City's 50th goal of the season. And yet, as long as their lead was slender, Arsenal had a chance. Alexis Sanchez fashioned a glorious opportunity against the club he could have joined, finding Aaron Ramsey on the stroke of half-time. Ederson made a fine low save from the Welshman's shot.
City soon went two goals up. Aguero had been presented with a mounted blue boot beforehand, marking his feat in becoming City's record scorer. He added his 179th for the club from the penalty spot after Nacho Monreal had pushed Raheem Sterling.
The out-of-form Francis Coquelin's first league start of the season came as a centre-back, and against Aguero. He was not directly culpable for the Argentinian's goal, but this was not a happy return for the Frenchman, who was replaced by Alexandre Lacazette.
Just as he had at Anfield, Arsene Wenger initially benched his record buy. The striker came on with a point to prove, collected a caution and then delivered a goal, drilling a shot through Ederson's legs after a pass from Ramsey.
Wenger ended the game with an ultra-attacking side, lending an air of anarchy to proceedings, but the game's fourth goal came from a City replacement, Jesus securing another significant win.
