Takehiro Tomiyasu Kevin De Bruyne Man City Arsenal 2022-23Getty Images

WATCH: Shocker from Takehiro Tomiyasu! Kevin De Bruyne capitalises on Arsenal man's glaring error to open scoring

  • Tomiyasu's backpass too soft
  • De Bruyne intercepts
  • Neat finish past Ramsdale for 1-0

WHAT HAPPENED? Tomiyasu tried to sweep a left-footed pass to Aaron Ramsdale in the 24th minute, but it swerved right onto the path of De Bruyne, who whipped a perfect first-time shot past the goalkeeper from the edge of the box. While Manchester City did well to apply pressure on Tomiyasu and force a quick decision, the backpass was well below the standard of a Premier League player.

Arsenal found an equaliser through Bukayo Saka from the penalty spot before half-time as they pushed to overcome Tomiyasu's error, but Manchester City finished on top with a 3-1 win.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Tomiyasu came into the starting line-up for Ben White, with manager Mikel Arteta telling Amazon before the match: "Tomi deserves a chance as well, because you need to be very adaptable in these games and Tomi has this quality, and we want to give him a chance."

Arsenal entered the game with a three-point advantage at the top of the table but altered the look of their line-up from the weekend. In addition to the Tomiyasu inclusion, Arteta brought Jorginho into the fold because of a late injury setback for midfielder Thomas Partey.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR ARSENAL? Arsenal's game in hand ensures they will maintain at least a slight title advantage despite being level on points entering Saturday's match against Aston Villa, but it's getting dicey for the Gunners.

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