Pep Guardiola wants Manchester City to emulate the great Tiger Woods by never giving up in their title tussle with Arsenal.

City beat the Gunners 3-1 in a thrilling encounter at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday to move top of the Premier League.

The defending champions have played a game more than Arsenal and are only top on goal difference, however, with Guardiola convinced his team have had some good fortune.

Yet he pointed to golf legend and 15-time major champion Woods – who returned to the PGA Tour this week for the first time since suffering serious leg injuries in a car crash in 2021 – as a source of inspiration.

"Right now, we could be 10 or 12 points behind. We are a bit lucky," he told reporters ahead of Saturday's trip to Nottingham Forest. 

"If [Arsenal] won at Everton when they played to win, we lost at Spurs, we lost to Arsenal then we are 10 points behind and the game is over.

"Now we could be 10-12 points behind even [with Arsenal having played] one game less. We're top of the league after two nights when they have been top all season.

"You never, ever, ever can give up. The biggest athletes never do. This weekend is the best weekend because Tiger is back. He's playing at the Genesis Invitational.

"We have to learn from the greatest and he never gives up. He is two over, one over, then finishes the last round with birdie, birdie, birdie. Never give up, continue until the end."

Guardiola said in the wake of City's win in north London that his first-half tactics had been "horrible".

Bernardo Silva was deployed as a left-back until Manuel Akanji replaced Riyad Mahrez early in the second half,  enabling the Portugal international to switch to the right wing.

City, who took the lead through Kevin De Bruyne but were pegged back by Bukayo Saka's penalty, went on to clinch the points through Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland.

"I meant in general how I imagined the game, it didn't work, not because Bernardo played left-back," said Guardiola, explaining his post-match comments.

"If it works I am brave, if it doesn't work I am overthinking. Arrogant. 'What is Pep believing, changing tactics? Why don't you play Kevin De Bruyne all the time? Why don't you play the other ones?'

"Because Kevin De Bruyne cannot play all the games. He needs to be fresh here [in the head]. He has to get the message, he can do better.

"I cannot go to sleep or wake up in the morning, have something inside of me visualising what the opponent can do and think: 'The normal thing is play the starting XI that people around the world say is the best.'

"In 14 years, starting with the second team Barcelona, I never took a decision like: 'I am going [to show off].'"

Haaland's neat finish brought up his 26th league goal of the season, though City's use of their star striker had been called into question after the 1-0 loss at Spurs.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher went as far as to say Haaland "might have picked the wrong club to actually get the best out of him".

Asked about Carragher's comments, Guardiola said: "I understand it. What can I say – I'm open to all opinions. So [Jamie] will have his argument.

"It's important I have the feeling that [Haaland] feels so happy here. Committed. Not because he already scored 26 goals, but it was a surprise for all of us, a real surprise.

"We didn't know him. We knew his stats, his numbers, his laughs when he played at Dortmund, but we are all of us really surprised at how he is as a boy – because he's a boy."

Guardiola is also hopeful Ilkay Gundogan will sign a new contract at City, with his deal set to expire at the end of the season.

Arsenal and Manchester City have been charged by the Football Association for surrounding referee Anthony Taylor during Wednesday's Premier League clash.

Defending champions City replaced the Gunners at the top of the table with a 3-1 victory at Emirates Stadium.

Tensions were high during such a huge showdown between the top two in the battle for the title.

The FA on Friday announced both clubs had been charged for allegedly failing to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion in relation to three incidents that saw official Taylor confronted.

A statement from the governing body said: "Arsenal and Manchester City have been charged after their players surrounded the match official at different times during the Premier League fixture on Wednesday 15 February.

"It's alleged both clubs failed to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion, with Arsenal's players surrounding the match official during the 56th minute, and Manchester City's doing so during the 42nd and 64th minutes.

"Both clubs have until Tuesday 21 February to provide their respective responses."

Pep Guardiola claims Manchester City are in the position he "dreamed" of at the beginning of the season as he urged Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish to keep them top of the Premier League.

It remains a nip-and-tuck title race, but Guardiola is more than happy with City's standing within that battle for silverware after they nudged into top spot with victory at Arsenal.

He insists Arsenal remain firmly in the hunt but would have settled for this situation, being confident his City team can apply a kick finish and leave their rivals scrapping over second place.

Manchester United could yet have a big say in the destiny of the title, being just five points adrift, but City and Arsenal are the frontrunners for now, locked on 51 points.

"Arsenal still have one game in hand, so nothing has changed much," Guardiola said initially at Friday's press conference ahead of the weekend trip to Nottingham Forest.

He later pointed to City's mindset in Premier League campaigns and their view that nothing is won early in the season.

The gap to Arsenal reached eight points at one stage, but it has been clawed back, with the Gunners suffering a dip in form.

City have the scent of a third successive Premier League title and a fifth in six seasons.

"We were aware we had to put the shoes on again and try to be close to the top of the league, and now we are there, we are close," Guardiola said.

"There are still 15 games left, a lot of games, but we want to arrive at the last eight, 10 games, being there, close, top or close to the top of the league."

Guardiola added: "We have to make the last rush, the last effort. The last weeks have helped us, for the results of Arsenal but especially for the victories we have done.

"We are in the position I would have dreamed at the beginning of the season.

"I could not expect to be a lot of points in front; after winning back to back, it's almost impossible."

All the same, Guardiola is not buying into talk of City momentum.

"Momentum is where you win 10 games in a row, and that didn't happen this season. We lost three games ago in London against Tottenham, so momentum is tomorrow at 3pm be ready mentally against a team who have lost one game in their last six," he said.

De Bruyne and Grealish, City's midfield pearls, both scored in the 3-1 win at Arsenal on Wednesday.

Neither man has been guaranteed a start, with De Bruyne notably benched for the Tottenham game.

But Guardiola spoke of the influence both can now have, hailing Grealish's "ambition and his aggressivity" to attack defences.

"The quality was always there but his commitment to take a risk in important decisions is making the difference. But he has to continue," Guardiola said.

It was a similar message for De Bruyne, whose form Guardiola described as "really good".

"It's like Jack and like everyone, I'm so pleased for everyone, but I want more," Guardiola said. "So I still have the feeling Kevin can do more, Jack can do more and can do better.

"They can do it. Of course, he made a fantastic goal, but I know the demands we have here until the end of the season and a tough and aggressive opponent, and we need the players to have the feeling we can do better."

The manager also said it was healthy for City's players sometimes to have discussions without him present.

"It's good," Guardiola said, "because at the end they play, and they are the artists, and they have to take the solutions and decisions and everything that is going on on the pitch, and I cannot be involved in that."

Mikel Arteta felt there were "a lot of positives" to take from a defeat to Manchester City but wants his Arsenal side to be more efficient.

City replaced the Gunners at the top of the Premier League table with a 3-1 win at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.

Arsenal, who have a game in hand on the champions, are without a win in four matches in all competitions and need a response when they travel for a reunion with former boss Unai Emery and his Aston Villa side on Saturday.

However, manager Arteta is confident Arsenal can rediscover the sort of form that had at one stage given them an eight-point cushion over City at the summit.

"I know the right things we have to do to continue to be there [at the top]," the Spaniard said.

"We have seen where the level is and what we have to do to be at that level. There are a lot of positive things to take, for sure, from the season so far [and the loss to City].

"We know that the level of efficiency has to be good with every single game to beat them [City] at the end.

"We are highly motivated to do that."

He added of the defeat to Pep Guardiola's men: "You have to give credit to a team when they beat you, but when you analyse the game again, I think we lost it."

Arteta says Arsenal are relishing the opportunity to return to the top of the table when they face Villa.

He said: "It is normal that you want to get maximum points, which we didn't in the last few games. We have to improve because we want to win more games.

"So we are highly motivated for tomorrow's game because we want to perform well and win the game."

Meanwhile, Arteta condemned the behaviour of fans who threw objects at City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, who opened the scoring in the blockbuster midweek clash.

"Our fans were extraordinary in the game with their level of support and the way they helped to inspire the team," he said.

"There was an incident at the end that no-one is going to tolerate within this stadium and the club is investigating."

Kevin De Bruyne served up a reminder of his match-winning brilliance as Manchester City usurped Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, so Nottingham Forest will be on high alert.

City go to Forest on Saturday, looking to stay at the summit, and their Belgian playmaker is set to be a key figure once more, and potentially a big points winner when it comes to fantasy leagues.

In an unlikely top-seven battle, Brighton and Hove Albion will look to in-form left-back Pervis Estupinan to contribute at both ends of the pitch against Fulham, while Wolves and Brentford will be hoping for big contributions from Ruben Neves and Ivan Toney as they tackle Bournemouth and Crystal Palace respectively.

Stats Perform, using Opta data, has chosen these four players for your selection consideration ahead of the weekend games.

Pervis Estupinan (Brighton v Fulham)

With three assists in his last three Premier League appearances, including last time out against Palace, Ecuadorian Estupinan is making a huge impact for the Seagulls.

Only three defenders have provided more assists than him in the competition this season, while Estupinan is one of only four such players to create at least 20 chances from open play (21).

Head coach Roberto De Zerbi has welcomed the efforts of the former Villarreal player, saying: "He's very important in build-up, but he's becoming a complete player now."

Kevin De Bruyne (Nottingham Forest v Manchester City)

Dropped to the bench at Tottenham recently, De Bruyne has responded by showing his value to City.

After scoring the opener, De Bruyne assisted for Erling Haaland's clincher in the 3-1 win at Arsenal, meaning the Belgian has been involved in 16 Premier League goals this season (4 goals, 12 assists), bettered by only three players.

Since the start of the 2019-20 season, only Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (14) has both scored and assisted in more games in the competition than De Bruyne (13).

Forest beware: De Bruyne has assisted Haaland six times in the Premier League this season, more than any other player has assisted another.

Ruben Neves (Wolves v Bournemouth)

Wolves midfielder Neves has scored five goals in this Premier League season, equalling his best tally from the 2020-21 campaign.

Four of those five goals have come at Molineux, including in his last such appearance against Liverpool, so he will fancy his prospects of adding to that haul and setting an outright personal best for goals when second-bottom Bournemouth visit.

He is Wolves' joint top scorer in the league, matching Daniel Podence's total, and Neves brings abundant creativity too.

Ivan Toney (Brentford v Crystal Palace)

The visit of Palace should bring the best out of Toney, given he has scored in his last three London derby appearances (against Arsenal, West Ham and Tottenham), helping Brentford to a healthy five points.

Only Haaland (30) and Harry Kane (18) have been involved in more Premier League goals this season than Toney (17 – 14 goals, 3 assists).

Another factor in his favour is that among players with 30-plus shots this term, only Haaland (33.3 per cent) has a better shot conversion rate than him (23.7 per cent).

Neymar's interest in a move to the Premier League is gaining momentum, with Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool among the teams alerted about his potential availability.

The 31-year-old star had reportedly come up in a recent conversation between Chelsea owner Todd Boehly and Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, and with a deal not being ruled out, Neymar's team have contacted more of England's top sides.

Neymar is tied for the Ligue 1 assist lead with 10, while he has 12 goals in 19 appearances.

Now in his sixth season in France since arriving for a world-record €222million fee, and on the brink of another disappointing Champions League exit, Brazil's joint all-time leading scorer is eyeing a new challenge.

TOP STORY – NEYMAR'S TEAM GAUGES THE INTEREST OF TOP PREMIER LEAGUE CLUBS

According to 90min, Neymar's "intermediaries are believed to have spoken with Chelsea, Liverpool, City, United, and Newcastle United" – informing the clubs of his desire for a Premier League transfer.

The report claims Paris Saint-Germain are not desperate to part ways with Neymar, but would be open to facilitating a deal.

Chelsea owner Boehly is believed to be "intrigued" about the potential for such a high-profile signing, although it remains to be seen who else would be willing to meet what is expected to be an enormous contract demand.

ROUND-UP

– ESPN is reporting Liverpool, City and United are closely monitoring Mason Mount, who only has one more season on his current Chelsea contract, and is hesitant about signing the kind of long-term deals Chelsea have been handing out.

– Newcastle, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and City all want 22-year-old Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but the Serie A leaders have no interest in selling, and are in the process of rewarding the Georgian with a big new contract, per 90min.

– According to Tuttosport, Real Madrid, Barcelona, City and Chelsea are keeping an eye on 17-year-old Velez prospect Gianluca Prestianni, who is the third-youngest debutant in the history of Argentina's top flight behind Diego Maradona and Sergio Aguero.

– Calciomercato is reporting Bayern Munich will continue their pursuit of Tottenham striker Harry Kane, but are unwilling to meet their £100m (€112m) valuation. 

– Arsenal have sent scouts to watch 17-year-old Athletico Paranaense forward Vitor Roque, who is reportedly valued at over £50m, per CaughtOffside.

Manchester City defender Nathan Ake believes Arsenal remain favourites to win the Premier League title despite his side moving top of the table on Wednesday.

Reigning champions City defeated Arsenal 3-1 at Emirates Stadium to overtake their opponents at the summit for the first time since November.

Pep Guardiola's side trailed the Gunners by eight points less than a month ago, but a return to form – coinciding with a wobble from Arsenal – has seen that margin evaporate.

While City are top by virtue of a superior goal difference, Arsenal still have a game in hand and travel to the Etihad Stadium for another blockbuster fixture in April.

Asked if City are now favourites to finish above Arsenal, Ake said: "No. They still have a game in hand so they still have three points on us. We don't want to get carried away.

"We will keep doing what we are doing, go game by game and take it from there. 

"We knew beforehand it was going to be a very big game and we just wanted to win the game and get the three points and we did."

City's victory was their 11th in a row against Arsenal in the league, with Guardiola having now won eight of his nine meetings with Mikel Arteta in all competitions.

Second-half goals from Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland earned the win for City after Bukayo Saka's penalty had cancelled out Kevin De Bruyne's opener.

City's quality ultimately told as they look to add to the four titles won in the past five seasons, success that Ake feels will stand them in good stead.

"We know there is still a long way to go. They have a game in hand but for us it is good to come to a tough place like this and get the win – that is important," the Netherlands international said.

"It's small margins. It was so tight and both teams can create something out of nothing. We still have a long way to go but we do have that [title-winning] experience."

Arsenal have condemned the "unacceptable" behaviour of fans who hurled objects at Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne in Wednesday's Premier League match.

De Bruyne was pelted with bottles and cups from the stands as he made his way around the outside of the pitch towards the dugout after being substituted late on in City's 3-1 win.

The City playmaker, who opened the scoring at Emirates Stadium, later made light of the situation by posting a picture of a cup landing near him with the caption: "Beer anyone?"

The Football Association has already launched an investigation, while Arsenal are reviewing footage to track down the culprits.

"We are studying CCTV and if we are able to identify the culprits they will be subject to strict sanctions," a widely released statement by Arsenal on Thursday read.

"This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated."

City's win was their 11th in a row against Arsenal in the league and saw them usurp their opponents at the top of the table on goal difference, though the Gunners have a game in hand.

Jack Grealish felt Arsenal were "a lot better" than Manchester City despite the champions running out 3-1 winners at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.

Goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Grealish and Erling Haaland, were enough to earn City a vital three points in the Premier League title race despite Bukayo Saka scoring from the spot for the hosts.

The victory leapfrogs City above Arsenal on goal difference as they chase a fifth title in six seasons, although Mikel Arteta's men do have a game in hand.

Grealish feels City were fortunate to beat the Gunners, who held 63.6 per cent of the possession and had 10 shots to the visitors' nine.

"If I'm being honest, I don't think we actually played that well," Grealish told Amazon Prime after his fifth goal involvement in nine Premier League matches since returning from the World Cup.

"I think Arsenal played a lot better than us. I thought they were the better team, I think so."

Grealish won the Premier League title last season in his first campaign with City after they made him the most expensive English player of all time by activating his £100million release clause at Aston Villa.

The 27-year-old believes City showed the mentality of champions against Arsenal, saying: "If you win titles, you've got to come to grounds like this.

"Even when you're not at your best, you've got to win games."

Grealish scored in the 2-1 derby defeat to Manchester United last month and added another goal in a big game against Arsenal on Wednesday.

The winger says scoring in important matches is exactly what he had in mind when he made the move to City, explaining: "Honestly, it was massive. For me, it was a great night.

"That's what I’ve wanted to do. I feel like I've been playing well. I want to come and affect these big games.

"To score tonight was so important, honestly, I was absolutely buzzing, for myself and the team. I thank the manager really, he's letting me play a lot and with freedom."

Grealish had a potential red card on his mind as he celebrated after his 72nd-minute strike, having already been booked earlier in the game for dissent.

"I know [Ilkay] Gundo[gan] and I knew he was going to pass it. He's so unselfish, I just knew he was going to pass," Grealish recalled.

"As it was coming, it felt like 10 seconds. I was going to try and reverse it, but I know [Aaron] Ramsdale from our time at England.

"When I was celebrating, I was going to take my top off, but I was on a yellow card already!"

Erling Haaland made light of his longest goalscoring drought as a Manchester City player after netting in Wednesday's crucial 3-1 Premier League win over Arsenal.

The prolific striker scored City's third goal at Emirates Stadium to seal a victory that lifted his side above Arsenal at the summit for the first time since November.

Haaland took his tally for the season to 32 goals in 30 games in all competitions, which is seven more than any other player across Europe's top five leagues.

He now has 26 Premier League goals to his name, already matching Sergio Aguero's tally from 2014-15 as the most ever by a City player in a single campaign in the competition.

Haaland's latest strike ended a run of three games without a goal since bagging a hat-trick against Wolves four games ago on January 22.
 
Asked how he felt after getting back on the scoresheet, Haaland told Amazon Prime: "It's been 20 minutes since I last got a goal – I have to keep working!"

A Jack Grealish strike restored City's lead against Arsenal after Bukayo Saka's penalty had earlier cancelled out Kevin De Bruyne's opener.

Haaland sealed the win from one of his game-high three attempts as City recorded their 11th successive league victory over the Gunners, who still have a game in hand to play.

City claimed a massive victory despite having just 36 per cent of the ball, which is the lowest possession registered by a Pep Guardiola-managed side in his top-flight career.

"We have to play a little bit more like this sometimes and that is what we did today," Haaland added. "I am so proud of every guy here and so happy to be here.

"We can all agree [Arsenal] have been the best team this season so to come and play against them is not easy.

"But we played an amazing game and got three really important points. We are in it again.

"I am so happy with everything. We needed this one and now we have to go on a run, because that's what Manchester City should do."

City have now won each of their past 23 Premier League games on a Wednesday – the longest winning run on a specific day of the week in the competition's history.

Next up for Guardiola's side, who lead the way on goal difference, is a trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Mikel Arteta bemoaned Arsenal's mistakes handing Manchester City a significant psychological blow in the Premier League title race.

Pep Guardiola's champions battled to a 3-1 victory at Emirates Stadium to move ahead of Arsenal, who have played a game fewer, on goal difference at the top-flight summit.

Kevin De Bruyne punished Takehiro Tomiyasu's errant pass to open the scoring before second-half goals for Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland ensured Bukayo Saka's first-half equalising penalty would prove irrelevant.

Manager Arteta, who coached City under Guardiola before taking the Arsenal role, acknowledged the Gunners were punished for their mistake-laden display in north London.

"We lost it, it was an incredible battle against two teams and we had them - but we gave them the goals," Arteta, who has lost eight of nine games against Guardiola in all competitions, told Amazon Prime Video.

"We had them in big moments, but in the big moments they were better than us. We were really imprecise, we put ourselves in trouble, in certain areas of the pitch we overplayed and we got punished.

"We had three big chances but didn't put them away and that was the difference. To beat them we have to be over our level because they are such a good team.

"The atmosphere and performance was really good, if you take away the way we gave them three goals."

Despite defeat, Arteta says the performance only served to further his belief Arsenal can claim their first title since the 2003-04 'Invincibles' campaign.

"I have more belief than I had before the game, with the performance and the level the team put in against City," he added to BBC Sport.

"They wanted to play a different game than the one we played and with the crowd we have we can do it.

"They still have it [the belief], I can sense it. They feel they can do it."

City had just 36 per cent possession in the victory, the lowest figure on the ball in a league game for a team managed by Guardiola in his top-flight managerial career.

While dominating possession, Arsenal's only shot on target in the game came from Saka's penalty after Eddie Nketiah was felled by Ederson.

Captain Martin Odegaard was far from his usual lofty standards and the Norway international lamented his side's performance at either end of the pitch.

"The game is decided in the boxes and we were not sharp enough in front of the goal and in our own [box] as well," Odegaard told Amazon Prime Video.

"They were better [in the boxes]. Apart from that, we played a good game, did many good things and had many good periods, but we have to be better in the boxes.

"It is football. Sometimes chances go in, sometimes not. But that is where we need to improve and be more clinical. And [we must] defend our box. That is not just about one player, but the whole team.

"As we have said all season, work hard and take it game by game. It is the same now.

"It is one game we have lost here and now we look to the next one.

"It was an unbelievable atmosphere and we are so grateful to everyone who came here and made the game special. We will work hard to give them something to make them happy about."

After going three straight Premier League games without a win, Arsenal travel to play Aston Villa on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola believes his decision to change his "horrible" first-half tactics was the key to Manchester City's crucial 3-1 victory over Arsenal.

City headed into Wednesday's vital clash at the Emirates Stadium three points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, but Kevin De Bruyne struck to give City the lead after 24 minutes.

Although Bukayo Saka levelled from the spot, Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland scored second-half goals to earn three points for City and put them top on goal difference.

Arsenal had seven first-half shots to City's four, and a much-improved display was required from the champions after the interval to hold the Gunners to no shots on target in the second period.

Guardiola, who has now won eight of his nine matches against Mikel Arteta's Arsenal after having him on his coaching staff at City between 2016 and 2019, pointed to a change in tactics at the break as the key reason for his team's excellent second-half performance.

"The first half they were much better than us," Guardiola told Amazon Prime. "The second we were much, much better.

"We were not playing, we were defending because they were so good. In the first half, my tactics, I tried something new and it was horrible.

"We adjusted in the second half and we were more aggressive towards [Martin] Odegaard and controlled more of the ball. Erling used his power to keep the ball.

"We suffered in the first half, but in the second we were there, we were more aggressive, winning duels, and when that happens we are a better team. We are built to go as a crazy team."

When asked why he felt City were better in the second half, Haaland also noted Guardiola's half-time changes, explaining: "[There were] small adjustments in half-time from Pep.

"In the end, we have good quality players and we have to get it out of every player and we did today.

"We have to play a little bit more like this sometimes and that is what we did today."

Despite City leapfrogging Arsenal to the Premier League summit, the Gunners hold a game in hand as they look to lift a first title since the 2003-04 'Invincibles' season.

Guardiola knows the title race is far from over, saying: "Now we are top of the league, but they have one game in hand. We have a lot of games to play.

"Arsenal will be back. In three days we have another one. [There are] still many, many games to play for everyone, and we are not an exception."

Jack Grealish joined Manchester City for moments like this.

Upon completing a £100million move from Aston Villa in August 2021 – a British-record fee that was eclipsed by Enzo Fernandez's move to Chelsea last month – Grealish was asked about his biggest motivation after leaving his boyhood club.

"Competing for major trophies is something that I wanted to do," he replied. "[The move] was something I couldn't turn down. Let's hope it is a successful one."

With a Premier League title under his belt from last season, Grealish had already achieved that aim. But after playing a peripheral part in that first triumph, the England international is starting to make far more of an impact this time around.

Never was that more evident than in Wednesday's top-of-the-table showdown with Arsenal at Emirates Stadium, in which his 72nd-minute goal helped City on their way to a 3-1 win that moved them above the Gunners in the table.

A poor Gabriel Magalhaes pass was pounced upon, and Grealish had the ball in the net seconds later to restore City's lead after Bukayo Saka's penalty had earlier cancelled out Kevin De Bruyne's opener. 

At 1-1 with less than a quarter of the pivotal clash to go, sitting three points clear with a game in hand to play, Arsenal would still have considered themselves title favourites. Grealish's goal, which Erling Haaland added to before full-time, changed the complexion of the title race entirely.

Grealish had impressed in spells up until his decisive moment, with no player on the field completing more dribbles (four), but it is goals and assists he was brought into the team to provide.

The 27-year-old admitted as much in a candid interview at the turn of the year when saying he never expected to find life at City so difficult. How quickly the narrative can change.

From scoring just one goal and providing no assists in eight Premier League appearances heading into the World Cup break, Grealish now has two goals and three assists in nine matches since.

Not that Arsenal were not already aware of his quality when he has the ball at his feet in the box, as he proved with an assist for Nathan Ake's winning strike when these sides met in the FA Cup last month.

Another telling Grealish contribution made Arsenal pay as they suffered an 11th successive league loss to City – their longest losing run against any opponent in their league history – and squandered top spot.

There will be plenty of twists and turns ahead, particularly with the two sides set to face off again at the Etihad Stadium in April, but City's pursuit of Arsenal has had a sense of inevitability about it. From eight points adrift a month ago, they are top on goal difference.

This was undoubtedly a huge psychological blow for Arteta's side, who did well to respond to a City lead that was self-inflicted as Takehiro Tomiyasu's blind pass was seized upon by De Bruyne. The Belgian needed only one touch to loop the ball over a stranded Aaron Ramsdale for his sixth league goal against his favourite opponents.

Arteta said on the eve of this match he would not be satisfied with an apology for the officiating in Saturday's 1-1 draw against Brentford until Arsenal were given their two dropped points back.

A controversial penalty award in Arsenal's favour might have gone some way to easing those tensions as Ederson was adjudged to have felled Eddie Nketiah, allowing Saka to convert his fourth successful spot-kick from four since his Euro 2020 heartbreak.

Another big call went Arsenal's way when a penalty awarded for Gabriel's challenge on Haaland was overturned by the VAR as the prolific striker was marginally offside. 

However, the referee was not the big talking point come the end of this huge tussle thanks to Grealish's crucial strike paving the way for what was a deserved victory in the end for Pep Guardiola's side.

Having already matched his tally for both goals and assists (three each) from the whole of last season's Premier League campaign, Grealish may yet prove to be City's difference-maker – even accounting for Haaland's goals – in a title race that looks set to go right down to the wire.

Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland all scored to put Manchester City top of the Premier League with a vital 3-1 victory against title rivals Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal headed into Wednesday's top-two clash with a three-point lead, but De Bruyne ruthlessly punished Takehiro Tomiyasu's error for the opener,

Bukayo Saka's penalty looked to have maintained Arsenal's advantage at the summit, only for Grealish to strike in the 72nd minute before Haaland added a third to make it seven straight away victories for City against the Gunners.

Arsenal drop points for a third game in a row, though they do hold a game in hand over City as they look to win their first title since the 2003-04 'Invincibles' campaign.

Eddie Nketiah missed a golden early opportunity when he headed Oleksandr Zinchenko's pinpoint cross wide, and Arsenal were made to pay moments later, De Bruyne latching onto Tomiyasu's shocking backpass before lofting first-time into the net.

After Tomiyasu skied a decent chance to atone for his mistake by volleying over, the Gunners were awarded a penalty when Nketiah was wiped out by Ederson, who avoided a second yellow having been previously booked for time-wasting.

Saka stepped up, and coolly stroked into the bottom-left corner to restore parity heading into the break, though City did hit the bar in added-time when Rodri's header deflected off Nathan Ake and onto the woodwork.

The hosts received a huge let-off after the interval when a penalty was awarded for Gabriel hauling down Haaland, with a VAR review adjudging the City striker to have been offside before the foul had taken place.

Grealish, having been fed by Ilkay Gundogan, excellently buried a low effort into the bottom corner to restore City's advantage, before Haaland expertly drilled past Aaron Ramsdale having been teed up by De Bruyne eight minute from time to secure what could prove to be a vital triumph.

Erling Haaland was selected to start for Manchester City in Wednesday's vital clash with Arsenal, who were without midfielder Thomas Partey.

Haaland came off at half-time of City's 3-1 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday, with Pep Guardiola explaining after the game the striker had picked up a knock that made him unsure of his availability for the clash with the Gunners.

But Premier League top scorer Haaland was named to lead the line for City at Emirates Stadium, with Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish named on the wings while Kevin De Bruyne started in midfield.

After seemingly filling in at left-back off the ball against Villa, Bernardo Silva seemed set to play a similar role against the Gunners, with Nathan Ake, Kyle Walker and Ruben Dias selected in defence.

Partey's precautionary absence due to a tight muscle meant Jorginho, signed from Chelsea in the January window, was called in for his first start for Arsenal.

Oleksandr Zinchenko was selected to feature against his former team in the Premier League for the first time, though he did come on against City in the 1-0 FA Cup fourth-round defeat last month.

A victory for City would see them move above the Gunners and top the Premier League table on goal difference.