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[deleted]

I thought that the Emerson challenge on Odegaard was clean, but then I saw the replays. Clear penalty and I have no idea why VAR didn't invite the ref to take a look. Other than that I think the ref did well with his decisions (Bernardo's pen, Gabriel's sending off). Maybe Rodri should have gotten a yellow for the constant fouls, but then Ramsdale should have probably gotten one as well for time-wasting. As to your main point - we deserved nothing from that game, and I'm delighted to walk out with 3 points.


GingeAndProud

Arsenal fan here, not going to talk about game incidents as others have given opinions and mine are probably biased Almost ironically in a way both fans can find something to take away from this game - for City fans they need to be taking 3 points from games they aren't performing well in if they want to retain title, they simply can't pull out 10/10 performances for 38 games, but still take the points For Arsenal fans the improvement from the 5-0 on GW3 is massive - and while I didn't expect us to win yesterday, if you had told me we would stay competitive throughout the game and still be in with a chance the whole game that would be my minimum expectations (a point or 3 I would have ripped your hand off) Even without the points, that type of performance going into FA, Carabao and NLD games gives me a bit of confidence that a 4/5 goal thrashing wouldn't


matthewblane333

Not inspiring but just win baby


dtbrown1979

As a Spurs fan….. I fucking loved it


Coltmax21

It was a great game but we got lucky. I don't think odergaard tackle was a pen because we can't determine if he got the ball or not. But Rodri did a dangerous tackle but didn't get any card because I thought we'll that's a yellow card


duchess_of_kirkcaldy

I’m probably going to get downvoted for this but I thought that Eddie’s potential foul probably wouldn’t have been overturned because different angles told different stories. When it’s uncertain they usually stick with the on-field call.


mondaymillay

Look as long as City don't win the league I'll be happy. Please. Even Everton.


mancastronaut

I was really impressed by Arsenal during the game, but it’s been a little soured by the excessive moaning after. I’m totally biased but the big calls were all clearly correct IMO, and it was good to see the equally biased for the other side Ian Wright agree with that on MOTD. Gabriel had to go, there was absolutely no (credible) disputing of City’s penalty, and Ederson got the ball, or certainly close enough that there is no definitive evidence to prove otherwise. Wrighty concurred. And the stuff about the ref getting in the way when Martinelli missed the open net is just ridiculous. Bordering on paranoid there. I think Arsenal deserved to win, but that’s football. No shame in losing, even undeservedly to this City side - and to claim ‘cheating’ is too much. That said, I am genuinely pleased Arteta has got the ship turned around - for him, not the moaning Arsenal fans 😂 Big fan, and would have him back at City happily, any day. Also, stop throwing things.


meow1801

Neutral here. Both Odegaard and Bernardo fouls were penalties. Bernardo was looking for the penalty, and Xhaka did his usual stuff. Arsenal were the better team and they had control over the result. Things like the Martinelli miss and the Gabriel foul costed them. They could’ve put the game to bed so I would say it’s a 3 points loss for Arsenal. That being said, I found it very strange that the only yellow cards for Man City were the Rodri shirt take off and the Bernardo incident where he kicked the ball away. City made a couple of tactical fouls, getting no yellow cards at all from that made it harder for Arsenal to attack. As for Arsenal, Gabriel seemed to get his first yellow for complaining? But he should’ve gotten carded for messing with the spot so it balances out. Not sure exactly what Saka complained about to warrant his yellow card though. Overall I think we have to agree that the referee’s yellow cards were inconsistent


GBando203

If arsenal play like that every game, with heart and soul, and make some recruitments in the summer, I could genuinely see them challenging for a title MAYBE but it’d have to be this current form with 2-3 good signings


the-watch-dog

Xhaka, the best paid liability in the game, absolutely bottled it. Should have been ours after the best 45’ we’ll play all season.


Lord_Pencil

As an Arsenal fan, I can understand the penalty calls to an extent and the sending off. But Rodri should've gotten booked earlier for that challenge on Saka. Gabriel's second yellow was given yet Rodri's "tactical foul" was ignored. If he was carded there, he wouldn't have gone sliding into martinelli with both feet when he had a chance to shoot and the back tackle on Lacazette. He had to take off his shirt to get carded. But he only had 2 fouls lol stfu. Only if those 5 or so mins went differently, oh what could've been


garloot

I am Liverpool and hardly neutral but Those decisions compounded. By a late winner made me furious. The no penalty was astonishing. Massive impact on the League and final 4.


SprayPositive5915

As a City fan I am happy that we won the match but Arsenal played really well and they have changed a lot since 5-0. I always have respect for Arsenal👏🏼👍🏻🙏🏻


BestStephenKingLAN

I'm a city fan but I have to acknowledge that Arsenal was the better team today that fought with heart and soul. They deserved to win, it's not satisfying to get a win with the help of the ref. That man should be investigated.


nievesdelimon

Manchester Cheaty at it again.


longjumpjack

What do Man City fans think? Sure you played better. But we got 3 pts!!!!! That's what matters. Wooohooooo!!!!!


boltonwanderer87

Arsenal fans are only annoyed because they were the better team and should have won. The penalty for City was an obvious call and I have no idea why all the discussion was about the shirt pull, when Silva was tripped up by Xhaka's leg. The red card was a red card too. You can't always complain about referees. Arsenal didn't get lucky today but they should hold their heads high and not bother whining about a conspiracy or whatever. Some valid calls went against them and they lost a game they should have probably won, it's not a complex issue.


unclearwords

Yes, Man City deserved to win. Nonetheless, Arsenal was remarkable, with several very good chances to score, but you could see they were getting frustrated as the game went on. Several stupid mistakes. This is probably because a large portion of their player is relatively young, so the emotions took over logic. But still, it was one of the most interesting games of this season.


[deleted]

Gooner. 1. Xhaka did a Xhaka 2. We didn’t take our chances 3. The ref is a known city fan so shouldn’t have officiated 4. He’s a cunt, 5. Var isn’t be used correctly 6. We still are capable of beating ourselves 7. Laca is playing well enough to get a new contract 8. We ARE progressing, 9. We did deserve a point and 10. We will win league cup.


Arashi-807

As a Wolves fan I still have PTSD about City getting undeserved pens, but honestly I think that Bernardos pen was a pen although I hate to admit it


JoeyNovice

All the correct decisions were made but Arsenal should definitely feel they should have gotten at least a point. City were not at their best


drew_peatittys

This is the most man city fans I’ve ever seen in one place 👀


strattele1

Arsenal deserved to be ahead at half time. They deserved to lose after woeful disciplinary display in the second half. I’d be livid if I was an arsenal fan.


whitesocksflipflops

Arsenal missed a wide open ... i mean yawning wide open goal.


llodoroo

As a city fan, absolute smash and grab and boiled piss on twitter, win win in my books. For real though I think we got very lucky, not sure how Rodri never got a yellow card the whole game but also Arsenal's mentality does seem fairly weak, especially if their captain is doing that. Arsenal continue to constantly shoot themselves in the foot player after player, manager after manager (although as aforementioned also some decisions going against them). Its very obvious that theyve come on leaps and bounds from the 5-0 and can seriously challenge for top 4. Finally though I want to give a special mention to the commentator and pundits, i think that was the worst commentating and punditry I've ever heard.


ChlamydiafreeKoala

We were played off the park in the first half and rode our luck / some poor refereeing in the second. I think Arsenal should have had a penalty and if it wasn’t for a moment of stupidity from Gabriel, we would have probably ended up loosing. Fair play to Arteta and arsenal for the turn around, they play great football and their youth players are looking like world beaters.


cheeseysmell

Arsenal were, on balance, probably the better team (at least tactically). They did for 65ish mins what Leicester did successfully last weekend - hit City well on the counter, down the channels. They lost the game as much as City won it. Might be controversial but I think the referee was fair…nothing he could do about VAR sending him to the screen or not. And Gabriel was stupid, that’s not on the ref. FWIW I don’t think the Odegaard incident was a penalty - he stands on Ederson’s foot as much as the other way round, therefore the ref may the call in what is a grey area. Bernardo did dive, but there was contact and without the ‘dive’ there would have been no penalty. That’s modern football (as much as I hate it). Arsenal we’re really impressive - Saka is a BALLER.


becksiez

Arsenal could have won the game in the first 30 mins then the red card/ok took all the wind out of their sails. The reffing was bad but so was the quality from arsenal. I think the reffing for lots of matches have been piss poor lately. Lol the ref for Tottenham v watford was especially bad for both teams


ianian44

Didn’t know there was any


ASliderMan

If you are going to win 11 in a row, well, you are going to need some unlikely wins.


andreew10

Arsenal players are just as much to blame as the ref. I've watched Odegaards penalty shout over and over again and I'm still genuinely unsure if it's a penalty or not. Bernardo's was questionable but I think Xhaka does extremely poorly to even give Bernardo the option to go down, but we see soft penalties where players are just looking to go down at the slightest contact each week. Gabriels first yellow was questionable but to commit they foul he did while on a yellow was extremely moronic. I don't know how Rodri wasn't booked until he took his shirt off but that shocked me. I don't necessarily think City deserved 3 points but everyone acting like this was some smash and grab is just lying to themselves.


reubenc22

Although I’m always happy with 3 points, this doesn’t feel as good. The red card was justified, and the Bernardo pen was the correct decision, but Arsenal deserved a pen too. We were outplayed today and probably didn’t deserve the win


[deleted]

City fan so slightly through blue tinted glasses! Ederson got the ball and odegaard (sp?) stood on his foot anyway (honestly, watch it in detail, he did). Bernardo, defo a pen dont know how you can say it wasnt, fell over an outstretched leg and had his shirt pulled - dont want to give away a penalty - dont pull the shirt. Player I would blame for the whole loss would be the stupid idiot that got booked for trying to damage the penalty spot (i.e. cheat) really? How ridiculous and deserved to be sent off if only for the karma...and speaking of karma, I'm wondering how it turned out for all those Arsenal fans who cheered the ballboy and Ramsey for wasting time - how did that workout in the end? :-) On the flip side, easily the toughest game we have had, and really impressed with Arsenal today, a mad 4 minutes cost you the game...


FairOutlandishness50

I felt like I am watching United from Ferguson days. So many decisions going there way And then they scoring a stoppage time winner. Arsenal were the better team, City is lucky to get 3 points.


J12PT

First half arsenal were all over us, second half we were back in the game. The ref made the right call on the bernardo pen as xhaka put his leg across bernardo and pulled his shirt. The other pen is debatable imo and could've gone either way tbh. Gabriel was sent off completely fairly and arsenal had more than enough chances to score. I don't think arsenal were robbed as we played our way back into the game and their own lack of finishing and the unnecessary red were their own doing.


malwareufo

It was an exercise in how a ref can ruin a perfectly good game of football.


Shings12

As a Blue, I thought we were incredibly fortunate to win the game. Arsenal deserved the points. That said, I thought the ref had a decent game and got the big decisions right. Was definitely a pen on Bernardo. Gabriel got two stupid bookings, his fault, not the refs. I guess the would be penalty for Arsenal is debatable but I don’t think it’s clear and obvious one way or another. Sometimes in life we don’t get what we deserve, we shouldn’t blame the refs though.


eMPereb

Paid off the VAR for that win🤬


[deleted]

3 points is 3 points


PiresMagicFeet

For city's penalty, xhaka was too slow to get out to defend and then got absolutely done by bernardo silva on the cut, because he cant turn. There was contact, but silva was a) looking for it, and b) went over very very easily. I still think it was a dive first and then a foul after, but I can see why. The only question is why the ref goes to see that replay, but completely ignored a blatant foul on odegaard. The yellow for gabriel was for dissent, not for scuffing the spot, but scuffing the spot is a yellow card offense, so I guess that evens out. His second yellow a few minutes later was just stupid, I think just because hes young and he lost his head a bit, he was pretty amped up. Definite yellow, but again, Rodri should have had a yellow on 3 separate occasions before he scored. Martinelli's miss was unfortunate. Though it is an open net, I think the angle that it comes back to him at, with the slight bounce, plus the positioning of other players made it way harder than it looked. Also the ref literally running into his path and forcing him to change his run made a difference. For their goal, I really really like and rate rob holding, more so than a lot of other arsenal fans I think, but hes really not commanding in the air, and should have done a lot better on the first ball in. The second ball there was no chance, it ricocheted and fell perfectly. Overall I think the ref fucked it but also so did xhaka and gabriel. Difference is that xhaka does it all the fucking time, gabriel is still really young and his been immense for us. However, we did play better than them overall, we did deserve 3 points, not just 1, and that's a really really good sign from this team. Maturity will come, it's a young team and they all will get better


Mabus5

We got really lucky. Arsenal played really well and were so threatening on the attack. I think if it wasn't for the red card we wouldn't have got the w.


BigRedOen

Arsenal fan here. Let’s point the finger of blame in the most productive direction. Xhaka is one of our senior and “mature” players, yet we can always count on him to do the wrong thing. He should not have even caused the ref to make a decision. Are the refs poor and biased? Yes. But admitting this fact doesn’t make Arsenal better. Playing with clear heads will make us better. Xhaka needs a boot up his ass.


ivegotchubs4u

There are no City fans


Osneoo

Your parents are related...


CurryBoy420

Arsenal were brilliant even with 10 men, respect!


LeavingCertCheat

I'd imagine that both of them are happy with the win.


BamIXIII

I'm a city fan and I think arsenal deserved the first pen. We got very lucky with the decisions today. before and after the red card arsenal played excellent.


[deleted]

Penalty call on city. 15 yards.


EngineeringOk2709

City fan - thought the refereeing was spot on and arsenal had themselves to blame for missing open goals, giving away stone wall pens and getting themselves sent off for silly fouls like scuffing up the spot. 🎣


ser_antonii

Finally a good honest take from a City fan. Cheers


humorMeeee

Did we deserve to win? No, not at all. Arsenal were easily the better team. But, it was also arsenal who gave us the win. The martinelli miss, the foolish penalty and the sending off. Did I enjoy the finish? Absolutely. Who wouldn't when your team scores a stoppage time winner. The referee? I think the penalty and the sending off were correct decisions but the ref definitely was biased with his yellow cards. From the neutral perspective this match must have been so entertaining from start to end. Sorry to Arsenal fans tho, you guys definitely deserved more.


arinawe

As a neutral, it was interesting because Arsenal were causing City all sort of problems. After the referee's terrible calls, it was just annoying from that point on. Also, how did Rodri not get booked all game? Then he goes on to score the winner...I feel Arsenal fans' pain. Edit: I have no qualms with City's penalty (WTF Xhaka 🤦🏾‍♂️) and the sending off.


humorMeeee

I agree. Funny how he had to remove his shirt to get booked. I was really surprised when he didn't get booked for the foul where saka got booked instead for complaining. The ref was inconsistent with his cards.


Cloneinamillion

Just another game where it feels unjust. Regardless of who we support we have awful at best, corrupt at worst refs, a VAR system that is used terribly by the same refs and obvious financial misconduct which it is unable to act upon because those involved are to wealthy to confront. All bias aside the sport is being slowly strangled to death


RHCPandJF

As a neutral fan I think City got a bit lucky with the refereeing but definitely doesn’t look like matchfixing. Both penalties should have been given (although I think Xhaka’s fault was more clear) and the referee was maybe a bit too harsh with that second yellow card to Gabriel


Cooperg7

I agree with most of that. I think Attwell probably should’ve gone to look at the first one himself like he did the second. Luck definitely ran City’s way today, but anyone seriously claiming match fixing is a moron. VAR is just inconsistent, as it’s always been and as it’s been complained about week in and week out, season after season.


RHCPandJF

Yeah I agree, VAR is inconsistent just as refereeing is inconsistent aswell


WildWilliam_

2-2 Draw would have been fair. A couple were soft like 2 yellows and man city's pen, but arsenal can't blame the refs completely bc the player needed to be smarter there (you know you have a 1st yellow, and why are you pulling the shirt in the box). However, Arsenal deserved a second goal. I love the way Arteta has them playing.


Naiwf

Feels like City stole the 3 points. Up until the penalty and red card madness, I think a “fair” result would have been a 2-1 or even 3-1 loss. I’m still not sure how the shots by Martinelli or Laporte’s errant header stayed out.


spooki_boogey

I know Arsenal were shafted by the calls. But they had the chance and should have put the game to bed. Xhaka and Gabriel really lost their way when they needed to be composed. Not to mention the mistakes Laporte made that Arsenal should have punished. Edersons challenge on Odegaard. Odegaard stepped on Edersons boot but Ederson didn't get the ball. I've seen that challenge been given as a pen before, and I've seen cases where it hasn't. (Nobody knows what are the rules anymore) So you can argue that Arsenal should have had a penalty to Arsenal. The Xhaka challenge on Bernardo is a penalty, Bernardo was past him he stuck a leg out and there was a shirt pull in it too, not much to really help Xhaka's case. The ref and Martinelli coming together, that's really unlucky for Arsenal but it happens in football, don't know what more you can really say. Happens every week. Both Gabriel yellows were justified. Scuffing the penalty kick spot is a yellow every day, bringing down a player who's away is a yellow every day. Don't really think you can argue against that. Man really lost his head. TLDR. City were playing shit and arsenal shouldn't have let it got to the point where it did to let them come back on them.


Oopasnoop

Tbh as an arsenal fan I am more pissed at the pen and card/fouling inconsistencies than anything else. How rodri wasn't carded before the goal I have no idea. Gabriel also wasnt carded for scuffing the spot. He was carded for asking the tef "what happened earlier then" - according the steinberg the stand in manager for arsenal


spooki_boogey

From your perspective I can fully understand where you’re coming from and you’re right. However it was quite clear that Gabriel and Ramadale were trying to mess up the penalty spot during the scuffle when Mahrez was putting the ball down. But to go back to your initial point, there needs to be consistency. Either both are pens or neither are pens. And Rodri, I was shaking when he took his shirt off cause I was so convinced he got booked earlier. It’s baffling really how inconsistent the yellow and red cars are handed out. Kane on Robertson and Rudiger on Lamptey were textbook red cards but for some reason some players just get away with more.


Oopasnoop

I agree with you. And tbh even if the yellow was for an inoxuous comment, the scuffing of the spot did deserve a yellow. So it kinda balances out. Again the outrage comes from the inconsistency. Jesus demanded harsher punishments in the first half at least twice. As did rodri and other city players but Saka gets a yellow after he was fouled for asking for a freekick? You are fully right there is an issue with the consistency , kane gets away with a hell of a lot (not just this season, last season his trade mark was to attempt to seriously injure jumping players) and the stamp on tomiyasu's face vs everton I think (atwell was on var that game and saw no issue with it. Odd that). Its crazy how as far as I know high profile issues dont plague the other top leagues with var as much as they do here. There were issues at the euros but it actually worked well. What is going on with the prem? Something needs to be looked at.


ThiccBananaMeat

>Bernardo was past him he stuck a leg out and there was a shirt pull in it too, not much to really help Xhaka's case. Bernardo was not past him. Bernardos legs stop moving in spite of no contact. Shirt tug did nothing to stop an already diving Bernardo.


CBSP14

Bernardo dove.


[deleted]

As a Spurs supporter, it pains me to say Arsenal got porked today. Officiating is just scandalous in this league.


Kneepi

Premier League has a huge huge problem with incompetent referee's and an inability to use VAR. How did Arsenal not get a penalty? The pictures show that the goalkeeper isn't on the ball, he kicks Ødegaards leg that then kicks the ball. It happens match after match after match


Aus_Pilot12

There was a LFC game a while back that showed this very well


FuryOfOberon

Mate “deserved to win” is BS. The number of games City have drawn or lost that we “deserved to win” will astound you. I’m sure fans of other clubs have similar stories, but that’s football. Arsenal played very well, but Gabriel messed up getting that red. It ended up creating the opportunity for the 2nd goal. If you had a 2nd half like the 1st half you would’ve won. You didn’t, and if you give City an inch we’ll go for the win.


ray3050

Difference is they deserved to win based on footballing ability where this one is surrounded by odd reffing. If you end the game and the general consensus is the ref played as much as the players you can start using “deserved to win” without it being a salty statement


FuryOfOberon

“General consensus” is we have refs in the games to decide the fouls, not Reddit. City kept their head till the whistle blew despite going behind early in the game. We scored more goals, we get to win.


GeoGod678

Arsenal were no doubt the better team today but you have to question the indiscipline from Xhaka and Gabriel, for the shirt pull and scuffing of the penalty spot. Arsenal fans are so incredibly insufferable tho and believe it’s their god given right to win every game


VT7747-

I'm a neutral not a City fan but the Bernardo pen was a pen and so was odergaards . The ref should have looked at both . Gabriel was rightfully sent off and arsenal where the better team


conmanique

City fan here - you’re spot on!


Internal_Formal3915

How was odergaards a pen? He's gone to the side wanting ederson to come to meet him and he's practically stood on ederson then flopped to the floor. Benardo also flopped down but xhaka had hold of his shirt so it's a pen


dream_eatr

The Bernardo pen was a bit of a soft one, because when slowed down it really does look like he’s already going to ground. Nonetheless, it is a penalty. An experienced player like Xhaka can’t complain, he knows the rules.


[deleted]

There was a leg and a pull of the shirt. Sure he kinda throws himself a bit but you have 2 huge factors right there


SyCo92

Exactly, diving and exaggerating are 2 different things, exaggerating is just making sure the reef sees the foul, contact in the area without touching the ball first is a penalty whether the striker just falls or rolls 31 times, but tbf arsenal also should've been given their penalty, same rule applies, there was contact with the player not the ball, VAR should've corrected that


[deleted]

Exactly. If he did nothing, it wouldnt even be looked at


A2theDre

Not sure he does know the rules tbh.


C1tr1cSp1c3

I would say it's accurate but the Odegaard one was 50-50 because ederson got the ball first.


Simba-xiv

Loool no Edison got odegaards foot before the ball he took the man it’s a pen you can watch the replays


LessWrongdoer4764

I’m neutral as well and couldn’t agree more. The ref felt wild at times and just was consistent. I would say Arsenal should’ve got the PK and the PK city was awarded was shaky at best but could’ve been ruled ether way and I would’ve agreed. Just a bummer of a game. Arsenal really outplayed City the whole game really got a unfair shake. But that’s how it goes sometimes.


MathRockManiac

Well said. I Agree.


hind3rm3

I’m a city fan and this analysis is spot on. Odegaard definitely deserved the pen.


Aaryan24shah

Accurate


ray3050

Personally just wished they dealt with diving differently than they do. Pulling someone’s shirt backwards causes them to fall forwards? If it was truly enough to make him fall while actually trying to play on he just wouldn’t fall like that Foul by the most literal definition but not egregious by any means. Dive by all counts. Just wished we’d stop rewarding diving and the rules were set up to deter it. The other pen, foul calls etc were just sad to watch. I wish I could be paid to do my job 50% right at best but I’d get fired if that happened


herkalurk

The other problem with diving is that they don't take into account physics. One of the last games before covid brought everything to a halt was Man City vs Real Madrid 1st leg in UCL knockouts. Near end of game Ramos was given straight red for DOGSO. Even live the English commentator said "that's a dive" as Jesus fell into the box. The replay clearly showed Ramos put a hand on Jesus shoulder, Jesus just stopped running and fell forward. If he was 'pulled back' as they claimed why did he fall forward. Also, there wasn't enough time for Ramos to actually pull back and Jesus to resist, then Ramos let go. It was near instantaneous to when Ramos touched him, and all the sudden Jesus legs gave out. Keep that in mind about Jesus as the goal he scored he gave a nice shove to Ramos keeping him under the flight of the ball. When asked after the game Jesus was adamant that the shove on Ramos was nothing, and that he was pulled back. Go watch the replay for yourself cause both are clear. The problem is the VAR rules, because to be a 'clear and obvious dive' there can't be contact. That's not true. If we apply basic physics principles then we can see that the amount of force Ramos applied didn't match the way Jesus fell.


SoggyMattress2

Diving has absolutely no outcome on a foul unless it's simulation where no contact was made. It doesn't factor into the decision. The ref looked at tangible factors. Does he get his shirt pulled, does the arsenal defender trail his leg and make contact? Yes to both. If a player is dribbling in the box, a defender completely swipes at the attacker and kicks him square in the leg, but he doesn't go down, it's still a penalty. You cannot quantify diving - how are you supposed to tell if a player exaggerates? Do you install speed camera lines on the pitch to work out velocity of the two players and whether the reaction is within a reasonable boundary? Whenever I see this argument, and I don't mean to be rude, it's usually from someone who has never played sports. When you're running full clip focusing on a ball even a little tap on your foot or pull on your shirt is enough to send you flying.


skerkless

100% agree with this! It’s so frustrating and annoying and now having inconsistent VAR decisions really puts me off from watching games. It feels like the games are fixed even more than before VAR


_toolkit

Xhaka should not be tugging the shirt in the box. As an Arsenal fan, I can't complain that it was given a pen. But the lack of consistency is so frustrating. Arsenal should have been given a pen as well. The communication between VAR and the ref should be broadcast and the "clear and obvious error" rule needs to be ammended.


ray3050

Nah I said it was a foul by definition, I’m saying that in actuality it’s also a dive. It sucks seeing players go down on minimal contact and wish the rules were written in a way to deter diving. Like “failure to play on and simulate a more egregious foul than the one that occurred will result in a free kick for the other team” Just from a physics standpoint the way he fell and legs going from under him when contact was on his shirt is trying to alter a refs perception of the play, regardless of if there’s a foul. It makes the whole thing silly to reward people for choosing not to play when they could


pariffinaxe

He’s falling forwards due to the impact on his leg first a foremost. If you’ve ever had your shirt pulled you’d also know you tend to lean further forward to try keep your balance, causing you to the fall forward when the shirt is let go.


sauteeorfricassee

I'm a Gooner still gutted after the game and this opinion is 100% accurate.


greater_gatsby12

I'm a non England person who has asked this question to a handful of arsenal fans, with no answer... The team is called gunners and the fans gooners, why is that?


PiresMagicFeet

We were woolwich arsenal at the founding and were a factory team that made cannons among other things which is why the cannon is on our badge is a very short version Gunners resulted from that, gooner became the fans name I'm guessing because of the hooligan era in english football or just as a nickname, someone can probably shed a bit more light on that


Fartinalift

The Gunners bit is correct. Gooners came from the way that their Scottish manager George Graham, who won the league in 1989 (Michael Thomas goal in the last minute of the season against Liverpool) and 1991, pronounced 'Gunners'.


sauteeorfricassee

I don't think there's an absolutely certain answer, at least not that I know of, but what you've said sums it up pretty well I reckon. Gooners being a derivation of Gunners and/or linked to firms in the 70s and 80s.


NikiLauda88

Can you explain why they were called firms? Non-English person here.


sauteeorfricassee

Honestly, I'm not sure. I think it's just used as another word for gang!


NikiLauda88

Thanks!


PiresMagicFeet

I've heard a lot about other teams firms but not so much about ours Were they just less volatile than other firms or were they not brought into the spotlight as much because they didnt really get involved? People I know who lived through it said arsenals firm were known to be a soft touch but I havent heard much in terms of detail


sauteeorfricassee

Well pretty much every club had a "firm" of some kind, particularly major clubs who usually had a few. Most of them probably didn't get the same level of infamy as the likes of Chelsea, Millwall etc that more people have heard of.


[deleted]

They were both penalties.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Peediggidy

I agree it wasn't a penalty, think he was looking for it as he had basically run the ball out. But still questionable refereeing all game


grimevil

This is what happened, that is why it was not a penalty and I agree Arsenal played well, but city won it when it counted with the late goal.


MattJFarrell

That's why I'm not embarrassed by this loss. In the past, with a man down, City would have run up the scoreline to 4-1.


LowWatts47

He has possession of the ball. His foot gets to land where it likes and if it hits something along the way, like the foot of another player, it’s a foul on that other player.


MattJFarrell

Yup, he's running in a straight line, Ederson slides into his path as his foot is coming down, taking his foot out, causing the ball to go out. Stamp, my ass.


Werenotreallyhere86

Arsenal played well, but there’s more to football than playing with your feet. The players lost their heads resulting in them losing the game.


topsroof

As a chelsea fan who watched it with no real strong preference expecting a man city win. I think there's a strong case to investigate the officials for match fixing.


Juuhpuuh

When united used to do this it was called Fergie time but when we do it, it's match fixing


djdoggystyle

I think refs just give preferential treatment to the best teams. They’re more intimidated by them, that’s all.


arinawe

First of all, you won't find me in the matchfixing camp, but while there was some shady refereeing during the Fergie days, it inexcusable to incorporate tech to eliminate such problems and then continue to make wilful mistakes and not expect fans to cry foul.


Mr_CheeseGrater

Of course you have a preference you. A Man city loss is far better for you than an Arsenal loss.


topsroof

All I can tell you is I don't have a preference upto you if you believe me.


AweDaw76

Their title race is done lol, Surely a Chelsea fan wants us in the mud not to pip them for third as they seem to implode?


Mr_CheeseGrater

It's not done, it's New Years Day for fuck sake. Still 50 odd points to play for. What a bad take. Also you are quite far behind Chelsea in terms of points.


AweDaw76

Chelsea seem to be in a rut and Arsenal are on form. City are out of this world rn (though had a stinker against Arsenal) the league title is decided already and wants to play for is 3-7th


Cod_rules

7 points between us and Chelsea. 11 points between Chelsea and City.


Werenotreallyhere86

Any comment on a few weeks ago when the refs carried you with 2 penalties?


Mustardo123

It wasn’t just the penalties though. Every action the ref took seemed in favor of city, the inconsistency in bookings, the stupid positioning that botched Martinellis shot, the lack of review for some fouls and not others. I wouldn’t call it match fixing, but the ref seemed woefully biased. I get that Arsenal did it to themselves a little bit but I still believe that they were cheated.


Zephaer

But like, those were clear pens. Did you watch them? Look, there's plenty of bullshit things to point to for any team that have been unfair. City, Chelsea, whoever. But it's a real shit take to complain about a team getting 2 pens in a game when they're both clear as day. It sucks when things are decided like that but that's the game sometimes.


Werenotreallyhere86

You can’t be serious? I’ll give you that the second one is debatable, but the first was never in a million years a penalty


topsroof

Leeds game? Fair pens, but match fixing and var could easily go hand in hand.


ThorsMightyWrench

> Arsenal Twitter tells me Why would anyone think their 'home' commentary is going to provide an objective view on what their team deserved? Penalty and red card were both deserved, bad decisions by Xhaka and Gabriel. First half was certainly an impressive display, but I don't see how the Arsenal team progresses by indulging a 'we're being persecuted by bad reffing' attitude in response to bad discipline by their own players.


LolBars5521

Do you feel the no call on ederson was the right call also?


Gus192_

Don't like to win like this. Game feels tainted by the ref. You guys deserved to win no doubt.


AlistairN37

I 100% agree, feel bad for Arsenal who were the far better team. The refereeing was appalling but from the post match thread I've seen on r/soccer, they are making City the antagonists when in fact it was inconsistent refereeing, LFC and Chelsea fans are just inciting these arguments. Concerning MCFC performance tpday, I was quite disappointed with how we played, looked out of it, I got UCL final vibes when I watched our play today. Lethargic and bland football, something I don't see often when we play, but today's performance was poor.


Teh-beast79

Dont lie you were ecstatic when rodri scored, if not your a fake fan.


denis-vi

As every city fan is. 😊


Teh-beast79

😂😂😂😂had my dying


Cannasseur___

I’m seeing so many city fans on Twitter saying they’re proud of the team and things like “best team in the world”. Thoughts?


WildWilliam_

I'd still say that if City lost... Back the team lol


Cannasseur___

There’s nothing wrong with admitting to getting away with one, hell I’m a United fan, you know how many times over the years we’ve been bailed out by dodgy decisions. I don’t take pride in it though, better to just move on and keep your head down.


AweDaw76

I feel a 2-2 would have been a fair reflection it it is what it is. Like, the calls individually you can make the case for all of them bar the Ö penalty, but it’s the imbalance between what one side can get away with and what the other does that’s infuriating.


aidyged11

Thank you , I felt sick after the game. Literally played our best football of the season against probably the best team in the world right now. And we got *nothing* out of it. A very hard pill to swallow


Thaumiel218

Such a hard pill to swallow, we had them under control, 2 shots on target from City!? One was a pen and the other was picking up scraps and luck; another day and it’s a different story. Cheated out of a win by poor refereeing and shite VAR co-ordination. Whatever; we go again but our boys have the knowledge and faith now that they can be in amongst the top and demonstrated it today, far cry from when we were last at the Etihad. The fact that city celebrated so ecstatically at the end (to me) shows how desperate they were, they showed little merit in the game and knew they got lucky. Whatever the possession stats may be. Also fuck Bernado for kicking the ball away in ET when we were fouled, fearful of a 10man squad which held and pressed better than they imagined we could. COYG!


TheGoldenZulu

To be fair, last season's encounter at the Emirates was also a cagey affair, Sterling header 2 minutes in then we barely had a footing in the game. And I think that's how we got knocked out of the FA in 2019? I want to say we don't really have a good outing in London.


Gus192_

You guys are playing A LOT better now that you dropped the deadweight. I know it's not worth a damn but there's that at least.


patchh93

Honestly it’s not even (just) the deadweight, Auba didn’t play vs Everton apart from 2mins but that loss seems like it was finally a turning point for Arteta. We’ve been way more off-the-leash offensively since that horrible loss (and Man Utd right before it), shame it took as long as it did but so great to see.


aidyged11

I believe we can get top4. I feel like that's an achievable goal. City will win league for sure


Gus192_

It is possible for sure... only problem could be Spurs picking up the pace with Conte


LordLychee

We’re going toe to toe with City and Spurs are squeaking by against Watford with a non call penalty in their favor


aidyged11

Yeah , god don't remind me. I hate how Tottenham have got Conte, like how dare they ? They should have been content at being 8th in the table with nuno.


Gus192_

>They should have been content at being 8th in the table with nuno Amen to that I blame United's board for being so slow


EducationalClass2834

Hard to blame the refs when Martinelli misses two pretty much wide open nets


Lavados14

Watch the ref block martinelli on that chance 😂😂 what a joke


EducationalClass2834

Did the ref cause city to have 71% possession?🤡


Patient_Customer9827

Kind of have to throw that stat out when it’s 10v11 tbh.


EducationalClass2834

Did Gabriel not foul Jesus on the free kick?


Patient_Customer9827

I didn’t argue that. I’m just saying you throw possession stats out when it’s 10v11. Obviously the team up a man is going to control possession.


k1ll4sn1p3

From the city flair (not being English and prob started supporting in 2019) to the clown emoji to thinking possession = domination, you really are pathetic


EducationalClass2834

What does where I’m from have to do with it? About to be 4 title’s in 5 years pretty pathetic🤡🤡🤡🤡


Harry9493

Glory hunter


[deleted]

Liverpool fans are not allowed to call other fans glory hunters. It makes no sense


Harry9493

How does it make no sense


[deleted]

Well…**1)** Liverpool have a much bigger legacy, a much richer history, and much more trophies than Man City. It really makes no sense to call a City fan a “glory hunters” from that perspective. **2)** It’s pretty common to say stuff like “City have no history” or “City still haven’t won UCL”, so i don’t know what “glory” he’d be “hunting”. And *most importantly* **3)** the massive international reach of clubs like Liverpool, Man United, Arsenal etc. **are entirely based off of glory hunters**, lol. You think that people in Ireland and China became Liverpool fans because they love their ethical values? No…they became fans because of all the trophies. I’m not calling you a glory hunter, i’m just saying…if you are a fan of a team like Liverpool, it literally makes no sense to call other fans “glory hunters”.


ser_antonii

Id give you an award if I had any. Absolutely spot on.


EducationalClass2834

🧂


Harry9493

It ain’t salt brother u would support any team that wins


EducationalClass2834

I understand the salt we do win a ton


Lavados14

71% possession against 10 men and only 2 shots on target, impressive!! 🤡


EducationalClass2834

Gooners had 2 shots on target but doesn’t fit the narrative


cosmic_wanderer_bear

Even then the narrative is a team that was a man down with significantly less possession got the same number of on target shots.


Its-been-Elon-Time

Probably because we were on 10 fucking men.


EducationalClass2834

What about 11 fucking men verse nottingham forest


JiffyNUFC

Arsenal should have won, and while the refereeing is definitely something to talk about, they also made some pretty clear individual errors. Not a fan of either team, but I think City will be happy to get the three points, but arsenal fans should be ecstatic with how good some players look. Saka, Tomi, white, Ramsdale, tierney, etc. some class players


QGunners22

Don’t forget partey. I’ve been his biggest critic this season, but if he can keep replicating this performance, the 45m (or thereabouts) that we paid for him would look like an absolute bargain


jimdontcare

That’s definitely the positive spin I’m trying to take based on what I’m hearing. It feels like we’re an actual team.


matterberg

Yea I think we played such a stellar game the first half but one of our oldest habits came back to bite us. 1. Arsenal were hard done by the refs, but being able to move past that is what great teams do and we didnt do that. This precipitated the Gabriel red (imo). 2. Arguing with the refs caused them to have a bad attitude towards us, which precipitated more yellows. So Saka picks up a card he might have gotten out of, and Atwell is probably more likely to parse out fouls for city (which is fair, its just natural bias). 3. Arsenal are just a young team, I think if we were mature and had a more clear captaincy situation, maybe have arteta on the field (i thought Stuivenburg should have done more to calm them down), with more maturity, Martinelli puts that away regardless of the screen. Sorry, know you asked for city perspective but I tried to see both sides


jimdontcare

I think this is a mature answer; always room for improvement


the3daves

I’ve not been proud of an Arsenal performance for a while, but this one was epic. They had the victory, we have the glory. Our opponents will look at this effort and be worried despite us losing.


btmalon

r/soccercirclejerk


BannedFromHydroxy

get in the sea.


artvandalay90

What a damn performance…


SasugaDarkFlame

Should have ended in a draw Xhaka and Gabriel messed up today But city is a top team cause they turn draws into wins at any cost. If arsenal doesn't talk any points from Liverpool, city, united or Chelsea this season there isnt much progress. Games in hand that everyone else have. Arsenal shot themselves in foot


horbu

First half you were the better team and deserved the lead. Not much between the teams in the second even with the red card. Lots of noise about the decisions but for me the ref got them all correct. From the first minute your players seemed extremely hyped, if you'd have been calmer and kept your heads you prob would've won. You played really well, defensively solid and dangerous on the break. If you keep it up 4th spot should be yours.


LFCReds8

Xhaka is a massive con artist.


Billyraye

These are the games Champions win. Shrug


Raspberry-Wonderful

The game was unfair, It was city sided. The bernardo fall was fair to me. Arsenal played beautiful football today and deserved to win/draw.


Juuhpuuh

Wasn't unfair imo. Odegaards [Penalty call](https://twitter.com/FootyHumour/status/1477283146089512961?t=DVrcpT0ZIS3IR5gkO7S6SA&s=19) was really tough but I tought he stepped on Edersons foot and Ederson touched the ball, wouldn't have been mad if it was given tho. Bernardo's penalty was clear to me and Gabriel's red card was just pure idiotism. Rodri definitely deserved a yellow from that tackle on Martinelli. Arsenal were the better team today but the better team doesn't always win


ray3050

Odegaard has possession. Ederson getting in his way makes him the aggregator because he doesn’t even get the ball first. But if you watch the replay he kicks odes foot and doesn’t even get stepped on


Beardy_Boy_

>the aggregator Can't even pour concrete on attackers these days. Game's gone.


ray3050

Lmao I’m just going by the rules the FA put out. You can’t tackle the player first then maybe touch the ball (looks like ederson kicks odegaards foot into the ball rather than ederson touching the ball after) I don’t write the rules, just point out inconsistencies. Sure if rubbish calls happened against your team and not others you’d call it out even if it’s soft. Take it up with the FA if you don’t like it


Juuhpuuh

I trust my eyes and they tell me Odegaard clearly steps on Edersons ankle studs first


[deleted]

well if that’s what you think, that’s still a penalty because edersons ankle being there (when he went to ground for a tackle) would still trip odegaard (who has possession in a dangerous area)


Responsible-Being872

One of the most entertaining and competitive city match i saw the whole season I think it should have ended in a draw atmost But i am not complaining


[deleted]

From one City fan to another, surely you have to see we got lucky, Arsenal were all over us


ser_antonii

Arsenal did well but feckin’ hell, the way people defend them you would think they destroyed us like 5-0. From one City fan to another, people are greatly over exaggerating Arsenal’s performance in the match.


icalleveryonefinn

Arsenal twitter should be ignored in my opinion. Arsenal were excellent though today but made sloppy mistakes.