City Ran Past Arsenal Six Times 6-1 scoreline

Manchester City emphatically showed their Premier League title credentials as they consigned leaders Arsenal to a high-scoring defeat in a pulsating encounter.

City made a storming start and quickly claimed the lead; a wall of pressure told as another corner was delivered by Samir Nasri. At the near post Martin Demichelis flicked on with a header and there was Sergio Aguero to acrobatically steer his right-foot volley into the net. City made their early dominance count.

City were rampant – but also careless when Aaron Ramsey stole possession from Yaya Toure inside the centre circle. Ramsey ran on and fed Mesut Ozil who cut the ball back to Theo Walcott. He side-footed a first-time shot that appeared to skim of Demichelis’s head and into the net. Somehow, having been dominated, Arsenal were level.

Stung, City hit back. Alvaro Negredo was put clear, this time by David Silva, and he curled his shot around Wojciech Szczesny – but also wastefully past the post.

But Negredo would not be denied. Toure picked out Pablo Zabaleta with the outside of his right boot and he crossed low for Negredo to turn over the goal-line ahead of Koscielny who then departed, stretchered off with a deep laceration to his leg.City went close again. Again Demichelis was allowed to reach a corner – turning the ball narrowly over with a header before City had to cope with the loss of Aguero to injury. They brushed it off and added a third with Fernandinho collecting a woeful pass infield by Ozil – aimed at Mathieu Flamini – to stride on and superbly curl a right-foot shot around Szczesny.

Arsenal needed an immediate response. But Olivier Giroud volleyed over and then horribly screwed an attempted cross wide when through before, unluckily, guiding a diving header narrowly past the post. Arsenal howled for a penalty after the ball struck Zabaleta’s arm but their appeals were ignored.

The goal was coming, though, and Walcott claimed it. Wilshere dinked the ball over to the winger and he curled a right-foot shot high and around Pantimilon and into the net. City had been complacent but they regained their two-goal advantage with substitute Jesus Navas running to the byline and cross low for David Silva to steal in ahead of Per Mertesacker and steer his side-footed shot past Szczesny.

Pantilimon pushed over a fierce drive from Wilshere and Navas struck the side-netting after rounding Szczesny as the contest flowed brilliantly from end to end with Fernandino capping the scoring after Wilshere again lost possession. Nasri ran on and picked out the impressive Fernandinho who rode Per Mertesacker’s challenge to prod the ball past Szczesny.

Arsenal, to their credit, pushed on and claimed another goal – with Mertesacker diving to head home. Amazingly it did not end the scoring as City broke and Szczesny tripped substitute James Milner. Up stepped Toure to drive home the penalty.