The Pole has emerged as one of Arsenal’s most consistent performers this season and was sharp from the off, dominating aerially and coming off his line to deny Balotelli. Tipped over Aguero's looping header to keep the scores level early in the second half.
Dealt superbly with Balotelli in the opening exchanges and supported Walcott well, breaking up the right to cause Clichy all sorts of problems. A top class full-back performance at both ends of the pitch.
Terribly unlucky to block Van Persie's goalbound header off the line on the 17th minute but was imperious in defence, giving Aguero no room to spin when he received the ball to feet.
Showed great strength to deny Aguero a goalscoring opportunity seven minutes into the second half. It was indicative of an afternoon in which he positioned himself well, breaking up City's attacks with minimal fuss.
Delivered a couple of dangerous outswinging crosses from the left and was given free rein of the wing with City lacking an outlet on the right. Too inconsistent with his delivery to seriously trouble the visitors, however.
Was the catalyst behind Arsenal's early dominance. Started off brightly, cutting through the middle and winning a free-kick from Yaya Toure to set the tone and glided behind Van Persie. Was a little more sloppy with his passing in the second half but still a lovely player to watch when in form.
Retained possession superbly for the hosts, supplying his more advanced team-mates with unerring consistency. Delivered some excellent set-pieces to trouble Hart and then delivered the seeming death nail to City's title bid with a phenomenal right-footed strike.
Will have counted himself very lucky to have escaped unscathed from Balotelli's dreadful challenge. Was a little wasteful in possession, giving the ball away to Pizarro with a simple pass shortly before the half hour mark. Atoned with a fantastic cross to pick out Van Persie, only for the Dutchman to hit the woodwork.
Replaced Aaron Ramsey in the starting lineup but started sloppily, dallying on the ball with Arsenal in a good position to break. Moved well but failed with a number through balls aimed for Van Persie. Lacked quality when it mattered.
Looked all the world to have opened the scoring until his first-half header was blocked on the line by team-mate Vermaelen. Was frustrated even further after heading a meticulous header against the post shortly after the hour mark and had a goal correctly ruled out for offside. Will be flabbergasted as to how he didn't get his name on the scoresheet.
Worked hard down the right flank but, as has too often become typical for the England winger, was let down by his final ball, often struggling to beat the first line of City defenders. Left Gunners fans calling for Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Replaced the inconsistent Gibbs 10 minutes into the second half. Looked a little out of shape but defended sensibly, tracking Nasri throughout.
Was neat and tidy after coming on for Benayoun and kept Arsenal ticking over to help Arsenal to all three points. Missed an absolute sitter late on to have the ground in stitches.
Replaced Walcott in the closing stages but didn't get enough of a chance to impress.
Struggled to command his box under a number of dangerous looking balls from Gibbs and Arteta and relied heavily on Kompany and Lescott. Received an ovation from the entire ground after skilfully controlling the ball out of the sky, and looked to have kept his side in the title race with a phenomenal save from Walcott with 12 minutes to go, but could do nothing about Arteta's fantastic winner.
Was forced to clear City's lines a number of times early on as the Gunners exerted pressure on the visitors' defence and was the personification of solidity throughout. A superb showing from the City captain.
Had little trouble in coping with Gibbs down the channel and looked to lead City's counter-attacks from the back. Was unlucky to see Aguero fail to dispatch his excellent 52nd minute cross.
Worked superbly alongside Kompany to quell the threat of Van Persie, but should have tested Szczesny with a headed chance shortly before the half-hour mark.
Was tasked with keeping former team-mate Walcott quiet for the afternoon after coming in for Kolarov and did well to force the England man down to the byline. Looked to break but struggled to get forward with any real purpose.
Started far too deep to have a real impact on proceedings as the home side overran Mancini's men. Was forced out left to quell the threat of Gibbs and Walcott but never really got a chance to run with the ball.
Lacked mobility in the middle as the home side dominated the midfield battle. Drifted right as Milner occupied the deep-lying position and looked out of sorts.
Faced a barrage of boos from his former supporters every time he touched the ball and did little to trouble his former employers, eventually being forced out wide in order to look for space. Was replaced with 10 minutes to go after a completely ineffectual display.
Hauled down Rosicky and received a booking after only two minutes before hobbling off with an injury shortly before the 20 minute mark. Not one of his better days.
Started for the first time since City's 2-1 win over Chelsea last month after recovering from a freak foot injury and despite making some bright runs in behind the City defence, the Argentine struggled to gain a foothold in the game.
Was ineffective on the left flank and was extremely fortunate to escape any kind of punishment after connecting with Alex Song's knee in a dreadful challenge. Cut a frustrated figure for much of the match, kicking the post on the 25th minute and refusing to track back. After another week in the headlines for the wrong reasons, his late red card seemed inevitable. Why oh why always him?
Came on late to shore up City's left-hand side after Arsenal dominated down the flank.
Replaced the injured Yaya Toure after only 19 minutes and provided a calming influence to his team-mates, nearly playing in Balotelli with a sublime through ball not long after coming on.
Came on to a chorus of boos for the closing stages but had little impact.
| Tournament | |
| Position | |
| Ranking |
| Rank/Player | Position | Team | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Luis Suárez | Striker | Liverpool | 3.52 |
| 2. Coutinho | Midfielder | Liverpool | 3.42 |
| 3. Juan Mata | Striker | Chelsea FC | 3.37 |
| 4. Marouane Fellaini | Midfielder | Everton | 3.35 |
| 5. Santi Cazorla | Midfielder | Arsenal FC | 3.33 |
| 6. Carlos Tévez | Striker | Manchester City | 3.27 |
| 7. Robin van Persie | Striker | Manchester United | 3.26 |
| 8. Leighton Baines | Defender | Everton | 3.25 |
| 9. C. Benteke | Striker | Aston Villa | 3.24 |
| 10. Eden Hazard | Midfielder | Chelsea FC | 3.24 |
| 11. Tomas Rosicky | Midfielder | Arsenal FC | 3.22 |
| 12. Gareth Bale | Midfielder | Tottenham | 3.21 |
| 13. Romelu Lukaku | Striker | West Bromwich Albion | 3.20 |
| 14. Phil Jagielka | Defender | Everton | 3.19 |
| 15. David Silva | Striker | Manchester City | 3.19 |
| 16. Leon Osman | Midfielder | Everton | 3.18 |
| 17. Daniel Sturridge | Striker | Liverpool | 3.18 |
| 18. Kevin Mirallas | Striker | Everton | 3.17 |
| 19. Shinji Kagawa | Midfielder | Manchester United | 3.15 |
| 20. Theo Walcott | Striker | Arsenal FC | 3.15 |
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Robin van Persie Striker Manchester United |
26 | 3 |
|
Luis Suárez Striker Liverpool |
23 | 0 |
|
Gareth Bale Midfielder Tottenham |
21 | 0 |
|
C. Benteke Striker Aston Villa |
19 | 3 |
|
Michu Midfielder Swansea City |
19 | 0 |
