Manchester City 4-1 Arsenal
by Layth Yousif
at the City of Manchester Stadium

THE Coronation might be in early May but the country's kings of football brutally demonstrated their sovereignty on Wednesday evening.

For Pep Guardiola's outstanding Manchester City side regally swept aside pretenders to the throne, Arsenal, 4-1, to stage their own investiture as soon-to-be crowned champions of England.

Quite simply, City were majestic. From the opening moments, when the stadium's colourful pre-match Tifo banners were still being removed, to the final seconds when their jubilant fans sung of winning the Premier League, City were absolutely magnificent.

Their intensity, their work ethic, their pressing, their pace, their power, their movement on and off the ball, their flair, and their mastery of all they surveyed was searingly evident throughout this one-sided affair.

Yes, you can argue that unsavoury sportswashing has brought us to this moment, and that in providing the funds for the footballing alchemist that is Guardiola to assemble a team for the ages, the club's administrators have allegedly brought the game into disrepute - and then some. 

Such serious issues demand explicit and specific answers - and yet, for this correspondent on Wednesday evening in northeast Manchester, all that mattered for 90 mesmerising minutes was charting the terrible beauty unleashed by Guardiola's unprecedented side.

Despite Mikel Arteta's Gunners heading into the match five points clear, albeit having played two games more than the home side, City were far too good for the Gunners on a challenging evening for those with North London affiliations.

An early goal by Kevin De Bruyne, followed by a John Stones header moments before the break ensured Manchester City went into the half time interval 2-0 up against the Gunners. In truth it could and should have been more, as Ramsdale proved an obdurate opponent against the rampant Erling Haaland.

De Bruyne made it 3-0 nine minutes in the second half to kill the game - even if Stones pre-interval header, awarded following a VAR review, moved the dial on Gunners dreams from hopeful to fanciful - prior to Holding firing a late consolation for a bedraggled Arsenal. Yet, there was still time for Haaling to finish with aplomb and make the final score 4-1.

Everywhere you looked City won their duels – because, quite frankly, there is no weakness in this team. From the sublime Ruben Dias at the back, to the metronomic Rodri at the heart of everything in the heat of battle, City purred with intent, efficiency and style. 

While a glance at City's riches in attack, from the sumptuous De Bruyne, to the impish Bernardo Silva, to Jack Grealish and his colossal calves, let alone his devilish creativity, was enough to make the tormented Rob Holding nearly lose his second thatch of hair, such was the fear, worry and anxiety, caused every time City crossed the halfway line.

City ruthlessly and emphatically altered and elevated our national game into a merciless sport played on a totally different level to anyone else.  

While City carved their potency into the defeated hearts of scorned opponents, a press box colleague asked if any Arsenal players would be selected in this stunning City XI. Bukayo Saka, came the answer, offered weakly, despite such a stellar season from the talented young gun. But we all know in souls that the Herculean Haaland will be collecting Player of the Year come the Merry Month of May. No questions remain after such a comprehensive display of brute force, allied with no little artistry and finesse - even if his rare petulant actions border on the edge of propriety at times.

City's movement on and off the ball, allied with their attacking prowess, spearheaded by the beast that is Haaland and supplemented by De Bruyne's dangerous marauding, meant a challenging opening 45 minutes for the Gunners, as City so purposefully authenticated their hegemony.

Speaking afterwards, a generous Guardiola refused to condemn the visitors his merciless side had just ravaged, saying: “I don’t underestimate for one second how good Arsenal are [but] maybe we [Manchester City] were really good [tonight].”

There was no shame in Arsenal losing to such an outstanding team, after such a tremendous season - and with the prospect of Champions League football at the Emirates once again next season. 

Arteta deserves plenty of plaudits, rather than brickbats, for the young, hungry side he has patiently assembled, but also, for ridding the club of the tiresome, underwhelming, underachieving, clique-ridden squad that he bravely dissembled at the start of his project back in 2020.

For that alone, Arteta merits praise, not to mention the thrill he has given every single Arsenal supporter during this enthralling campaign. No wonder the 3,000 vociferous traveling supporters sang their hearts out in recognition of the fact when the game was lost and City were dominant.

However, a visibly deflated Arteta spoke after the match, conceding with honesty - how could he not - that "the better team won the game...we got punished, and we could have been punished even more."

Next stop is surely the Premier League title for City, for how soon is now? Then the Champions League, followed by the FA Cup for an imperious trio, because if Guardiola’s kings maintain this level of performance for the next six weeks, the finest team in the world is simply too good not to be crowned treble winners.