(CNN)Manchester City enactment connected a stunning show to thrash Arsenal 5-0 astatine the Etihad Stadium connected Saturday, dropping the Gunners to the bottommost of the Premier League array with their 3rd consecutive loss.
Ilkay Gundogan scored wrong the archetypal 10 minutes of the lucifer acknowledgment to a transverse from teammate Gabriel Jesus, putting an unchallenged header past Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno to enactment his broadside successful the lead.
Arsenal continued to autumn abbreviated passim the match, with defender Cédric Soares failing to wide the shot and giving hostile Ferrán Torres the accidental to people successful the 12th infinitesimal -- the earliest the Gunners person conceded 2 goals successful a Premier League lucifer since December 2017.
And things lone went from atrocious to worse for Arsenal, arsenic skipper Granit Xhaka was shown a reddish paper pursuing a clumsy situation connected João Cancelo.
England prima Jack Grealish, who signed with City from Aston Villa earlier this month, besides capitalized connected Arsenal's shortcomings, dribbling past Calum Chambers to acceptable up Gabriel Jesus for City's third.
Torres and chap Spanish midfielder Rodri wrapped up their side's triumph with 2 second-half goals to clinch City's 2nd consecutive 5-0 win.
A disappointing commencement to the season
Arsenal person precocious struggled with a historical impasse -- notably losing to newly-promoted nine Brentford 2-0 successful the play opener -- but the Gunners person yet to people successful 3 league matches, continuing a precise mediocre tally of signifier for the North London side.
"I person to accidental convey you to the 3,000 fans that came present contiguous due to the fact that connected a hard time similar this to springiness the enactment that they have," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told Arsenal Media aft the match.
"Coming present and starting and competing good and past going down to 10 men is mentally truly demanding, truthful we person to negociate the crippled arsenic champion arsenic we could," helium said.
"We conceded different 2 goals [after the break] and I'm truly disappointed," helium added.
Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang besides weighed in, telling BT Sport, "it's not going to beryllium easy" for Arteta to motivate the squad aft Saturday's match.
"It's going to beryllium difficult, but arsenic I said we are a squad and we person to instrumentality unneurotic successful this moment. And arsenic the elder players, we person to amusement the mode arsenic good to the young players. I cognize it's not going to beryllium easy, but we volition effort to springiness our best," helium said.
Speaking astir his team's performance, Aubameyang added, "Today, it wasn't enough, and against a squad against City, 11 against 11, you person to instrumentality risks and you person to beryllium brave connected the ball, and we didn't today."
"And aft that, we took the reddish card, it was a wholly antithetic game, but arsenic I said this is not capable and everyone has to rise the level, ticker ourselves successful the reflector and enactment hard arsenic a squad and instrumentality together. This is the lone mode to spell forward."
'I cognize the occupation helium tin do'
However, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola told BBC Sport he's convinced Arteta "will bash an fantabulous job."
Arteta had go an integral subordinate of Pep Guardiola's coaching unit astatine Manchester City, winning 7 trophies successful his 3 years arsenic adjunct manager astatine the nine earlier leaving to instrumentality implicit astatine Arsenal successful 2019.
"He knows however I emotion him. In the 2 oregon 3 years helium was here, helium was important to what we built," Guardiola said.
"I cognize his consciousness arsenic a manager and arsenic a leader, the infinitesimal everyone is back, helium volition bash an fantabulous job. I cognize this due to the fact that I cognize him, I cognize the occupation helium tin do," helium added.
Despite his club's awesome performance, Guardiola said City needs "to bash better."
"The archetypal clip we arrived successful the Arsenal half, we scored. We had problems successful the archetypal 15-20 minutes successful our physique up play. After 2-0 and sending off, the crippled is wholly different," helium said.
"We are inactive successful the process of improving -- similar I said to the players aft the game. It was bully winning contiguous but we person to beryllium better."
City's triumph comes arsenic they participate the 2021/22 Premier League play without a reinforcement up front, aft 2 failed transportation pursuits successful Tottenham's Harry Kane and Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo -- who is set to return to Manchester United aft 12 years distant from the club.
Guardiola told reporters successful a pre-match interrogation helium wasn't "frustrated" by his club's failed transfers, saying they "have an exceptional squad."
"It's bully that a subordinate similar Cristiano Ronaldo is backmost successful England for the Premier League, it's bully news."
Arsenal volition look to prime itself up adjacent Saturday erstwhile it faces chap array bottom-dweller Norwich City.
Meanwhile, rubric defender City is adjacent scheduled to play Leicester City astatine the King Power Stadium.
English (US) ·