Man City player ratings vs Arsenal as Mateo Kovacic poor

Manchester City lost 1-0 to Arsenal as Tottenham remain top of the Premier League heading into the October international break.

Pep Guardiola made three changes from the side that beat RB Leipzig 3-1 in the Champions League in midweek, with Mateo Kovacic coming in for the suspended Rodri and then Nathan Ake and Julian Alvarez taking the places of Manu Akanji and Jack Grealish; those two were on the bench, alongside John Stones as he works his way back from injury.

City had chances early on through Josko Gvardiol and Nathan Ake but were also fortunate not to be reduced to ten men in the first half after two poor challenges. The game was heading for a draw until Gabriel Martinelli's late effort deflected in off Nathan Ake into the net.

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Ederson: Despite Arsenal's pressure, he had very little to do all game apart from a few routine saves. Distribution was fine and he never ran the risk of a yellow for timewasting, unlike this game last year. 6

Walker: A strong second half to keep Martinelli quiet and ensure City did not lose control once they had won it back. His pace remains essential in these games. 7

Dias: A few ropey moments at the back and he was too ambitious with his forward play, but the commitment was there as ever. 6

Ake: Nearly produced a glorious finish early on in what became a big chance missed, although his defending was sharp against an Arsenal side looking to catch him out for pace. 6

Gvardiol: Also went close in the opening minutes and produced one of his best performances so far for City, working well with Foden to keep the left side tight. 7

Silva: Spent most of the game sitting in front of the centre-backs before pushing up when the first subs came on.