Manchester City 0-0 Arsenal: Gunners hold Champions to goalless draw to hand Liverpool advantage in title race
Arsenal held reigning champions Manchester City to a 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, allowing Liverpool to take top spot on a pivotal day in the Premier League's three-way title race.
Arsenal, who are chasing their first league title in 20 years, are second in the table with 65 points with nine games remaining, while City are third with 64. Liverpool, with 67 points, went top after a 2-1 comeback victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.
"No way can you be fully happy (with just a point)," Arteta told Sky Sports. "Listen, I think we have made a big step today. Coming to these big places not a lot of teams have done what we have done today, especially when there is a lot at stake and the pressure elevates. To respond to it is another step."
The match did not live up to its billing as a clash of titans. City dominated possession with 72.2% and attacked Arsenal in waves.
However, the visitors frustrated Pep Guardiola's men, including league-leading scorer Erling Haaland, with a textbook defensive performance, extending their unbeaten league run to nine games and ending their eight-game losing streak at the Etihad.
"Tough game ... take the point and onto the next," Guardiola told the BBC. "They make a really good pressing. They are a master of that. It is what it is. In the end we tried. They have really top players in defence, defending perfectly compact. Low block. We tried."
Man City, who are usually prolific, were limited to just one shot on goal and failed to score at home for the first time in 58 games across all competitions.
"We want all the three points obviously, and we tried our best to get the win ... but we'll take the point and move on," Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard said.
"We had to defend a lot, a bit more deep than we would have liked. It was a tight game and a tough one. So much can happen before the end of the season, we have to take it game-by-game."
Arsenal's best chances fell to Gabriel Jesus, who fired two shots wide in the first half and then narrowly missed an inviting cross from Bukayo Saka.
City's best chance came from Kevin De Bruyne's early corner kick, which glanced off Nathan Ake's shoulder but fell to keeper David Raya.
City parked themselves in Arsenal's half for a tense final few minutes, but the visitors held firm.
The normally reliable Haaland failed to make contact with the ball when he appeared to have a simple finish from Josko Gvardiol's header late in the game, holding his head in his hands in frustration as City fans groaned.
While Arsenal lacked the firepower of recent weeks, having scored an incredible 33 goals in eight consecutive league victories, shutting down City was a mission accomplished for the Gunners, who were thrashed 4-1 at the Etihad last season before City ran away with the title.
"We can't be satisfied when we draw," said Arsenal defender William Saliba. "We leave with one point, but we are not satisfied. We know they are the best team in the world, so we have to be focused."
"We didn't score but we didn't concede, so we are happy. We defended well. We have to keep going like that."
The game was the season's final clash between two of the top three teams.
SportsLigue