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David Davies
AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: Arsenal v Manchester City, Premier League

Today’s early kick-off sees champions Man City travel to the Emirates. Join us for live minute-by-minute updates on all the action.

WHAT BETTER WAY to welcome back the Premier League after the international break? Arsenal host champions Manchester City in today’s lunchtime kick-off.

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the action. Email will@thescore.ie, tweet @football_ie, post a message to our Facebook wall, or leave a comment below.

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Get outta bed, it’s football time! Arsenal welcome Man City to North London in today’s early start.

While you’re popping the kettle on (and while we’re popping the kettle on) here are the two teams:

Arsenal: Szczesny, Debuchy, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Flamini, Wilshere, Ramsey, Alexis, Ozil, Welbeck

Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Clichy, Fernandinho, Lampard, Navas, Silva, Milner, Aguero

Danny Welbeck starts up front for Arsenal while there’s a new face in the City line-up… 36-year-old Frank Lampard makes his debut for Manuel Pellegrini’s men.

What do we think of the starting teams? Are you surprised that Lampard is in the City side?

“Is Jack Wilshere good enough to play in midfield for a team trying to win the title?”

Paul Scholes: “To be honest, I don’t really know.”

Scholesy really doesn’t rate Wilshere, does he?

We are about five minutes away from kick-off, so it’s time for predictions! Arsenal are 13/8, Man City are 9/5 and the draw is 9/4.

Can Welbeck inspire Arsenal or will Frank Lampard be smoking another victory cigar at the finish?

I suppose it could be goalless……no, we should think positive thoughts.

Ugh, BT Sport on the coverage means we are subjected to Michael Owen on commentary. Does anyone think he is good? He called Shamrock Rovers “Shamrock”, which should be grounds for termination.

We are off! Very strange seeing Lampard in a different shade of blue.

Three minutes in and nothing of note has happened yet. If you need to poach an egg, or make an urgent business call, do it now.

Fernandinho just gave Ramsey a late shoulder in the back, ‘just to let him know he’s there’, as the cliché goes.

Wilshere goes down under a challenge from Clichy but the ref says no. Paul Scholes was rubbing his hands, no doubt.

Arsenal have been pressing well so far and Sanchez just had a strong shot saved by Joe Hart.

And moments later a lovely dink over the top from Wilshere needs Hart’s immediate attention and the keeper just about punches clear.

Jesus Navas gets forward for City but delivers a brutal cross. Is it just me, or has Navas been one of City’s more underwhelming signings of recent times?

City have finally started linking up well. Sergio Aguero goes on a nice little dribble into the box but he can’t make a strong connection on his pass and Arsenal deal with danger.

WELBECK HITS THE POST! The striker was clean through but his chip comes back off the inside of the post. Should have scored, although he was unlucky.

The game is being played at a really enjoyable pace so far, with both sides showing promise in attack. Doesn’t look like it will be goalless for much longer….

Here is that Welbeck chance.

Arsenal threaten again but Ramsey’s shot is straight at Joe Hart. City are being overrun in midfield so far. Should they have started Lampard?

Some intricate City play in the Arsenal box almost unlocks the defence but James Milner is crowded out by Mathieu Debuchy.

In the build-up, Arsenal’s poor performances against the top teams last year was talked about a lot, but they are playing very well here so far. Ramsey and Welbeck have been dangerous.

Kompany bundles over Ramsey and Arsenal have a free in a promising area.

But Sanchez’s cross is too long and Hart claims it.

The first yellow of the game goes to Frank Lampard. Ramsey got a step on him and Lampard lunged in. Already, it looks like the pace might be too much for him.

The camera cut to Pellegrini on the sideline and it reminded me of something: he looks exactly like the eagle from The Muppets.

Is Ozil even playing? The German international has barely had a kick so far. In other news, Samir Nasri got booed severely when he went for his warm-up.

GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Man City

The ball ricochets out of midfield and is just kept in by Navas who plays a perfectly delayed pass across the box for Aguero to finish.

Arsenal had been well on top but City are just so ruthless when they get a chance.

Also, I said something about Navas earlier that I sort of regret now. That’s what I get for criticising someone named Jesus!

Monreal makes a hash of a clearance and Szczesny has to be strong to hold Aguero’s shot. City are starting to get some momentum now.

Here is the goal from Aguero. It really was a gorgeous ball from Navas, and I’d like to think I inspired him with my earlier comments.

Arsenal had a good spell of possession in City territory just now, but Monreal’s cross was blocked by Fernandinho.

Navas fouls Sanchez just outside the box, and Arsenal have a chance. Ozil and Sanchez are standing over the free.

According to BT, this is Arsene Wenger’s 1,017th Arsenal game, so he is probably used to seeing disappointing frees like the one Sanchez just curled over.

Ozil finally gets on the ball in the attacking third, but pulls his shot harmlessly wide.

Navas fouls Sanchez again in a dangerous area. Clattenburg doesn’t produce a card though.

Sanchez’s free was only cleared as far as Ozil but the German once again can’t keep his shot on target. Arsenal are having a lot of success breaking from midfield so far, and have exploited Lampard’s old legs on a few occasions.

Navas makes up for his fouls with another lovely weighted pass into the path of Aguero. The Argentine can’t get a hold of the ball though, and it also agonisingly passes Lampard on the edge of the box.

Debuchy gets his revenge on Milner by sliding through him from behind. The ref calls it a tie, and doesn’t produce a yellow.

Half-time: Arsenal 0-1 Man City

Arsenal were completely dominant in the early exchanges but Welbeck couldn’t take their best chance, with his dink coming back off the post. City were more clinical, with Sergio Aguero sweeping home a delicious pass from Jesus Navas, which the Spaniard timed to perfection.

There hasn’t been any real clear chances besides those two, although both sides have had plenty of possession in opposition territory.

What have you made of the first half? Arsenal really should have taken the lead with that Welbeck chance, and his critics no doubt wet themselves with delight at the miss. Jack Wilshere is still being broken down and analysed by everyone. It is the Seconds Captains Ken Early who gives his take this time.

Has the Lampard gamble failed? I don’t want to keep picking on him, but it is VERY easy to spot the 36-year-old out there.

The BT lads make a good point: whether he delivers the end product or not, Navas is being given an awful lot of space from Monreal, who is being exposed.

“Is that miss the reason Welbeck isn’t still a Manchester United player?” – Host Jake Humphrey asking the question that everyone is probably thinking.

Nasri is coming on for Frank Lampard. Guess that answers the question about the Frank Lampard experiment.

We are off in the second half here. Can Arsenal stem the flow down both wings?

Ramsey links well with Sanchez to release Danny Welbeck but his shot gets blocked and cleared.

Arsenal cut City wide open after Ozil plays in Sanchez on the right hand side of the penalty area but his cross is excellently cleared out of the six yard box by Zabaleta.

Fernandinho picks up a booking as Arsenal continue to push the tempo at the start of the second half.

Just to update you on the odds: Arsenal are 11/2, City are 4/7 and the draw is 13/5.

Fernandinho is playing very well for City and breaking up a lot of play. So strange that he looked so inept against Germany at the World Cup.

Nasri tees up Aguero but his shot is wild and ends up at the very back of the lower tier.

Ozil produced a nice pirouette to evade one challenge but Clichy comes in to dispossess him. If you type the German international’s name into the Twitter search bar, you will get a very frank appraisal about his performance so far.

David Silva breaks with menace and gets fouled by Mathieu Flamini, who gets a card.

David Silva spots Ozil out of position and plays Clichy through on the left but the defender’s finish just goes to the wrong side of the post.

Monreal gets yellow carded for a late challenge on Navas. The Arsenal defender is no doubt frustrated at the complete and utter roasting he is receiving from the winger.

GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Arsenal dispossess Aguero in midfield and Ramsey feeds Wilshere, who beats Clichy with a beautiful touch before slamming the ball to the net. City were furious that the ref didn’t give a free for a foul on Aguero.

Edin Dzeko is warming up for City.

Debuchy finds himself in possession high on the right after being picked out by Ozil. The Frenchman decides to shoot rather than cross, and doesn’t end very well. Meanwhile, Dzeko is on for Aguero.

There has already been some reaction to Wilshere’s goal:

Demichelis was trying to let the ball run back to Hart but Welbeck nipped in ahead of him. The striker shot hits Hart in the body and the ball is cleared.

Clichy and Silva combine to put Nasri in a good shooting position. The Arsenal fans take a deep breath…but Nasri’s shot doesn’t trouble Szczesny.

GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 Man City

An initial attack is cleared by City but a Jack Wilshere header into the box lands in the path of Sanchez, who unleashes a thunderous volley into the back of the net. Sanchez beat the offside trap but he then gets a yellow for taking off his shirt.

Also here are the two Arsenal goals. Not bad, are they?

 

What a turnaround for Arsenal! City have brought on Kolorov for Fernandinho, and City also had a shout for a penalty after a Jack Wilshere handball. Can City get back into  the game?

Bad news for Arsenal as Mathieu Debuchy goes down with what looks to be a serious injury. On the replay, it looks like the Frenchman got his studs caught in the turf.

Calum Chambers is coming on for Debuchy. Hopefully it isn’t a serious injury.

Great restraint showed by Michael Owen:

‘I don’t want to speculate on what it was….but it looks like a lower leg injury.’

Goal! Arsenal 2-2 Man City 

Martin Demichelis has headed in a Kolorov corner, but it was easily avoidable, as Szczeny palmed the ball off the head of Mathieu Flamini, who likely could have cleared it.

Here is the header, could Flamini have cleared it? He seemed to think so.

Danny Welbeck almost became an instant Arsenal hero, but his curling shot from outside the box goes just wide. He has just been replaced by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Kolorov has just smashed the post with a drive from the left hand side. The thud of the impact reverberated around the ground.

A minute of normal time to go, is there a winner out there?

After the Debuchy injury, we have six minutes of added time here. And Michael Owen has just given Wilshere the man of the match award, after the midfielder grabbed a goal and an assist.

A beautifully floated pass by Silva is tipped past Szczesny by Dzeko…..but the ball bounces off the post and clear. A very strange passage of play, think the ball came of Dzeko’s thigh.

Samir Nasri just put the ball in the net after a Dzeko shot was saved, but the flag is up. Dzeko was onside from the initial pass and probably should have scored, but Szczesny got down well to save. It has been a frantic finish.

Silva was fouled in the very corner, and City was have one last chance to win the game.

FT Arsenal 2-2 Man City 2

Nothing comes from the corner and that is it here. City controlled the game for long periods but Jack Wilshere changed the game, first by showing great skill and composure for his goal and then for picking out Sanchez with a header.

Arsenal will be frustrated to let the lead slip, especially since Szczesny and Flamini got in each others way for Martin Demichelis’ equaliser.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable game and thanks for joining us for all the action here today!

Now, take a quick 15 minute breather and then sit down to enjoy the rest of the day’s football.

‘Is it time for us to think a little differently?’ – Niall Quinn has a vision for Irish football

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