Arsenal’s 5-1 win over Manchester City in the Premier League was a statement at the Emirates.

Not only did the Gunners get revenge on Manchester City but, most importantly, earned three points.

As the Premier League title race heats up, Arsenal must remain on Liverpool’s trail to ensure the Reds don’t extend their lead at the top.

Putting talk of the Premier League table aside, Mikel Arteta watched his squad tear Pep Guardiola’s side apart, as Arsenal beat Man City 5-1 at the Emirates.

Arsenal goalscorers (L) Myles Lewis-Skelly and (R) Ethan Nwaneri after the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester City FC at Emirat…

Premier League record matched twice by Arsenal in Man City win

There were a lot of rarities in the game, starting with the obvious.

Rarely do teams beat Manchester City 5-1 in the Premier League, and rarely do two teenagers score in style against the champions.

Myles Lewis-Skelly scored and copied Erling Haaland’s celebration to let his budding personality shine through in N5.

Ethan Nwaneri then scored in injury time to rub salt into City’s wounds, reminding the world of the talent Hale End produces.

The two goals weren’t only magical from an Arsenal point of view but from a Premier League one too, as the duo got close to the same record in the same evening.

Lewis-Skelly’s goal saw him become the youngest player to score in the Premier League against the reigning champions since 2003 when Wayne Rooney did against Arsenal.

The 18-year-old wouldn’t have been aware of his record-matching goal before Nwaneri bettered it just 31 minutes later.

Nwaneri, who is 17, then rubbed shoulders with Rooney to get even closer to the record, missing out by just 168 days.

Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly join Kylian Mbappe in record

Players rarely come through and make such a rapid impact in the Premier League, emphasising the magnitude of talent Arsenal have in their ranks right now.

Man City were rocked by the Hale End duo, who made absent academy graduate Bukayo Saka proud with their contributions.

It wasn’t only in the Premier League that the duo wrote their name into history, but in Guardiola’s own record books too

# Player Age

1 Jude Bellingham 17y 289d

2 Ethan Nwaneri 17y 318d

3 Niklas Sule 18y 60d

4 Kylian Mbappe 18y 63d

5 Myles Lewis-Skelly 18y 129d

Youngest players to score against Pep Guardiola – Data provided by OptaJoe

By scoring against City, Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri joined a star-studded list of the youngest players to score against a Guardiola side.

Only Jude Bellingham sits above Nwaneri, with other names on the list including Kylian Mbappe, which is quite the statement.

What a win it was for Arsenal and what an outing it was for the two graduates, who are now firmly members of Arteta’s first team.

Pep Guardiola says Haaland will control his emotions as striker prepares to face Gabriel in Arsenal clash

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Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes wasted no time renewing his rivalry with Erling Haaland after the Gunners scored within two minutes against Manchester City in their huge Premier League clash at the Emirates.

Champions City made a calamitous start as Pep Guardiola’s side were caught playing out from the back and Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard finished first-time to give the hosts the lead after just 104 seconds.

And Gabriel, who clashed with Haaland during the fractious 2-2 draw between the teams in September, celebrated by shouting into the Norwegian’s face as he ran past him to celebrate with his team-mates by the corner.

Haaland claps at Haaland as Arsenal went on to win 5-1 against the champions

Haaland claps at Haaland as Arsenal went on to win 5-1 against the champions

Haaland, pointedly, did not celebrate towards Gabriel after scoring a second-half equaliser to make it 1-1, before the Gunners ran away with the contest and romped to a statement 5-1 thrashing of the champions to spark their title challenge into life.

Arsenal scored just 38 seconds after the restart when Thomas Partey’s strike deflected in off John Stones before Myles Lewis-Skelly added a third. The 18-year-old marked his goal by appearing to mock Haaland as he copied his goal celebration.

There appeared to be a further flashpoint between Haaland and Gabriel as Arsenal went on to score a fourth and fifth, with the Brazilian centre-back clapping towards the Norwegian.

In another moment, Gabriel appeared to reject Haaland’s hand when the striker tried to help him to his feet. Gabriel had pulled at Haaland’s shorts when on the ground.

Haaland hit back by pointing to the golden Premier League ‘champions’ logo on his sleeve, telling Gabriel that he has won a Premier League title and Arsenal have now gone 20 years without one.

The tension between the players began in September. Haaland was tightly marked by Gabriel in the draw at the Etihad earlier this season and emotions spilled over when Haaland threw the ball the ball into the back of the defender’s head when City scored a late equaliser.

Haaland then told Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to “stay humble” and clashed with several Gunners players after the final whistle.

Haaland and Gabriel’s rivalry was a plot point ahead of Arsenal and City facing off in a must-win clash for both teams but the 24-year-old was defended by manager Guardiola before the match and his behaviour on the pitch was praised

“I’m surprised how he controls his emotions,” said Guardiola ahead of Sunday’s Premier League return encounter between the sides at the Emirates Stadium.

“Do you know that in every action he’s being pulled and the referee plays on? How many times has it happened? He’s never complained. He behaves incredibly well.

“When he pushes, it’s his fault – that’s for sure, 100 per cent – but he controls himself. He got emotional one time. For one day, I’m going to adjudicate what Erling has done? No, come on.

“It was not easy when you’re (playing) 90 minutes then Gabriel, the central defender, pushes him, hugs him and hacks him and hugs him and kisses him and these things. At the end, he’s a human being, he has to react.

Mikel Arteta ‘prefers’ two stars he wants Arsenal to sign ahead of Ollie Watkins

Arsenal had to go down their transfer pecking order before deciding to launch a bid for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins according to former Gunners midfielder Emmanuel Petit

Arsenal and Mikel Arteta would have preferred to sign two players over Ollie Watkins, according to former Gunners star Emmanuel Petit.

It emerged earlier this week than the north London side had made a move to sign Aston Villa forward Watkins, amid their desire for a new forward. Petit believes the move for the former Brentford and Exeter ace is one of ‘panic’.

Watkins has scored 10 goals already this term, in addition to providing five assists. Last term, the 28-year-old netted 19 goals and provided 13 assists.

Petit believes that the England international could prove a useful signing for Arteta. The Frenchman reckons Watkins would strengthen Arsenal’s forward line but that he was not their first choice.

Instead, Petit believes the Gunners’ preference will have been Newcastle forward Alexander Isak or Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, who is on loan at Galatasaray.

“The potential signing of Ollie Watkins to Arsenal feels like a bit of a panic buy,” Petit told Metro. “He wasn’t the first-choice target, but with the January transfer window nearing its end, Arsenal have had to act.

“I’m fairly certain Arsenal would have preferred a different striker. That being said, I do like Watkins as a player. He is highly competitive, has a strong desire to score goals and provide assists, and brings real energy to the attack. He would add a physical presence to Arsenal’s forward line, and with his pace, he offers something different.

“However, there would have been a few names ahead of Ollie Watkins that Arsenal wanted. Alexander Isak possesses everything Arsenal would want and need in an out-and-out striker.

“I think Victor Osimhen would also have been on the list, but perhaps his personality and character could have been a problem going forward for Arsenal.”

Any attempt by Arsenal to sign Watkins could yet prove more difficult. Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran is close to completing a move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, which would appear to make a transfer for Watkins less likely to be sanctioned.

The clubs are said to have agreed a fee, with Duran reported to have said his goodbyes to Villa staff on Wednesday night. Duran could fly to Saudi Arabia this weekend.

Unai Emery said of a deal: “If he is leaving it’s because he wants [to]. I told you last week I wanted him here. We are different people, different objectives. The club is working and we have to be intelligent in the market.”

Arsenal have been charged by the Football Association for the aftermath of Myles Lewis-Skelly’s red card against Wolves.

Lewis-Skelly was sent off controversially, fouling Matt Doherty around 90 yards from goal before surprisingly being shown a straight red card.

Fortunately for Arsenal, Lewis-Skelly’s red card was overturned amid a mass of complaints from fans and the footballing world, a decision not everyone agreed with.

Arsenal players surround referee Michael Oliver after sending Myles Lewis-Skelly of Arsenal off during the Premier League match between Wolverhampt…

Arsenal charged by the FA following Myles Lewis-Skelly red card

While the Gunners won their appeal to overturn the defender’s wrongful dismissal, Arsenal are not in the clear just yet.

It’s been announced that Arsenal have received an FA charge for players surrounding referee Oliver after Lewis-Skelly’s sending-off.

“Arsenal FC has been charged after its players surrounded a match official during their Premier League fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers FC on Saturday, 25 January.

“The club allegedly failed to ensure that its players did not behave in an improper manner around the 43rd minute. Arsenal FC has until Monday, 3 February, to provide a response.”

There was a wave of attention generated from Lewis-Skelly’s wrongful dismissal, including PGMOL having to release a statement in protection of Oliver.

While the card was overturned and Lewis-Skelly’s suspension has been lifted, the Gunners are set for punishment by the FA if they do not decide to appeal the latest charge.

How FA charges work as Arsenal await punishment

Arsenal have until Monday, transfer deadline day, to respond to the FA’s charge, but how do things work?

A lot happens behind the scenes when the FA charge a club or a player for an incident, stemming from a report filed by the match officials involved in the fixture.

The FA then study the incident to determine if a charge is sanctionable, deciding whether rules were broken or not – in this case, Arsenal are determined to have overstepped a line.

Arsenal have the chance to appeal, like they did Lewis-Skelly’s red, giving the Gunners the opportunity to present evidence to determine otherwise.

A commission will then evaluate any evidence against the charge provided and decide on a punishment, which in this case, is likely to be a fine.

The red card has unleashed so much controversy for Arsenal and the Premier League, with Arteta surely looking forward to putting the incident to bed once and for all.

In order to finalise a January deal, an Aston Villa striker—not Ollie Watkins—is scheduled for a medical. Watkins was included in the starting lineup for Villa’s Champions League match against Celtic, even though the club rejected an offer of £60 million from Arsenal earlier this week. As an avid supporter of Arsenal, the 29-year-old has acknowledged that playing for the Gunners would be an absolute dream. That would imply that he is amenable to a transfer, but Villa and Unai Emery don’t seem to share that sentiment, since Jhon Duran is also drawing a lot of interest this month.

The Saudi Pro League team Al-Nassr and Chelsea have both been linked to a move for the 21-year-old, and it appears that the latter is getting close to signing him. The Athletic’s David Ornstein reports that Duran will undergo a medical examination in London on Thursday prior to finalising a £64 million (€77 million) transfer.

Emery is not expected to approve both transactions, which would indicate that Arsenal needs to work hard on Watkins. With Victor Boniface of Bayer Leverkusen as their backup, Al-Nassr is acting swiftly to get a striker as the Saudi Arabian transfer market ends on Thursday, January 30. Based on that, Duran might still be at Villa Park, which would allow Arsenal to officially sign Watkins. Villa may not have a better time to sell than now, despite their insistence that they do not want to, considering his age, form, and contract status. Additionally, Duran is obviously a ready-made successor, so if one were to leave, the other would be assured of regular minutes going forward. But Villa

Mikel Arteta has responded to criticism levelled at Arsenal star by Jamie Carragher ahead of the Champions League clash with Girona

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has defended summer signing Mikel Merino following criticism from pundit Jamie Carragher. The Spanish midfielder joined Arsenal in a £32m move from Real Sociedad but has struggled for consistent game time due to injuries.

Merino, 28, has started only a third of Arsenal’s Premier League matches this season, leading Carragher to question the wisdom of the transfer. However, Arteta remains optimistic about Merino’s contributions, praising his character and recent performances.

“He’s been quite unfortunate, to be honest,” Arteta said at Tuesday’s pre-Champions League press conference. “But Mikel’s character is unbelievable. He’s so determined, and now he has some rhythm and momentum. He’s had some very good moments in the last few weeks with us.”

Although Merino missed Arsenal’s narrow 1-0 victory over Wolves due to a minor injury, he has since returned to training and is available for this weekend’s Premier League clash against Manchester City.

“Unfortunately, he had a little niggle. It was nothing serious, but when you play every two and a half days, missing two matches feels like a lot. He’s fit again, and it’s great to have him back in the team,” Arteta added.

Arsenal are set to wrap up a promising Champions League group stage campaign against Girona on Wednesday. The Gunners currently sit third in the 36-team group standings and are eager to secure their position in the knockout stages.

“We’re here to win the game, and to do that, we need to be better than them,” Arteta said, acknowledging Girona’s quality. “They’re a really good side. If you look at their Champions League games against top opposition, they’ve made life very difficult. Tomorrow, it will require a very strong performance to achieve what we want.”

In a boost for Arsenal, the FA Independent Regulatory Commission overturned the red card shown to youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly during Saturday’s match against Wolves. The decision ensures the highly-rated midfielder remains available for upcoming fixtures.