'Manita' from Arsenal to Manchester City: A thrashing that excites Real Madrid

Pep Guardiola experienced one of his worst nights as a coach on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Arteta's Arsenal crushed Manchester City (5-1) in matchday 24 of the Premier League, a result that leaves the Manchester team one victory away from Chelsea to fall out of the TOP-4 of the English league and, consequently, out of the Champions League zone. Despite the equalizer scored by Erling Haaland in the 55', the reigning Premier champions completed a lamentable final half hour.

The 'gunners' took the lead in the 2nd minute thanks to a goal from Martin Odegaard, following a mistake in the build-up by goalkeeper Stefan Ortega. The first half was very even, with clear chances for both teams, but the score remained unchanged until halftime. Haaland equalized at the start of the second half, but Thomas Partey restored the advantage to the hosts just a minute later, with a shot that deflected slightly off a rival.

With the score at 2-1, City dramatically collapsed. Lewis-Skelly scored Arsenal's third in the 62', punishing another mistake in the build-up from the 'sky blue' defense. Kai Havertz turned the score into a rout in the 76' with a remarkable finish on a lethal counterattack. To top it off, the young Nwaneri (17 years old) scored the fifth in the 90+3'. This is the first time a Guardiola team has conceded five goals. In November, City also lost by four goals (0-4) to Tottenham.

Arsenal revives Madrid's hopes in the Champions League

The 'manita' from Arsenal comes just nine days before the first leg of the Champions League 'play-off' against Real Madrid. A result that generates excitement among Madrid fans after the surprising defeat against Espanyol (1-0) and the injury of Antonio Rüdiger, confirmed to be out for the tie against the English due to a right thigh injury. Although the 'merengue' team is a disaster in defense, the fragility of the 'sky blue' defense somewhat balances the scales against a rival that has been clearly superior in recent years.

After the heavy defeat, Pep assured that, despite the last 20 minutes, the team did not play a bad match. "Nwe have been giving away too many things all season. We are aware that this cannot happen and it did, but we reacted very well. We played with personality and defended very well," commented the Santpedor native before admitting that, like several players on his squad, he is also "aging," something that is normal in football.