Arsenal hosted Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium in a game that was a must-win for both sides.
The Gunners are desperate to try to keep up with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League spots, while City have some serious ground to make up on rivals Manchester United if they are to retain their Premier League title.
The champions had not won an away game against the North London outfit since 1975 and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was hoping to extend that record.
In an action-packed game, both sides had a man sent off, as City earned a 2-0 win despite having had a penalty saved early on.
Here, Sports Mole decides if it was a fair result in North London.
Match statistics:
Arsenal:
Shots 9
On target 4
Possession 45%
Corners 2
Fouls 11
Manchester City:
Shots 16
On target 9
Possession 55%
Corners 7
Fouls 18
Was the result fair?
Definitely. It is hard to tell what the game would have been like had Arsenal not been reduced to ten men so early on in the match. However, City deserved their win without a doubt throughout the 90 minutes, and they took full advantage of having the extra man for the majority of the match.
Arsenal's performance
The Gunners were up against it almost from the start of the match, and after losing Laurent Koscielny so early on, it always looked as if it was going to be an uphill task for the hosts. Despite Wojciech Szczesny's penalty save, Arsenal were chasing shadows for much of the game and looked as if they could be in for a mauling. They improved after the break, but ultimately the game was already up for Arsenal.
Manchester City's performance
The champions received a huge boost when Arsenal were reduced to ten men, but they took full advantage of the situation. City enjoyed much of the possession but will be wondering how they only managed to score twice. The visitors took their foot off the gas in the second half, but did more than enough to secure victory.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Edin Dzeko: He may have had his poor penalty saved early on, but it's because of him that City won the spot kick and had a one-man advantage for much of the clash. The Bosnian caused havoc in the Arsenal defence throughout the afternoon, and was on hand to double his side's lead from a few yards out with just over half an hour gone. A great display from Dzeko, who will be assuming that he will get more starts for the Premier League champions in the future.
Referee performance
Without question, Mike Dean was under the spotlight for the entire afternoon at the Emirates Stadium. As well as dishing out six yellow cards, Dean sent off two players. Koscielny was shown a straight red for bringing down Dzeko in the box, while Vincent Kompany was dismissed for a challenge on Jack Wilshere. Both decisions were very questionable, especially the latter. I don't expect we have heard the last of his influence on the match.
What next?
Arsenal: The Gunners are in the middle of a really tough schedule, and host Swansea City in their FA Cup third round replay on Wednesday before travelling to Chelsea in the Premier League next weekend.
Manchester City: The Premier League champions return to the Etihad on Saturday, when they host Fulham.
Matt Cotton
