Arsenal 1-4 Man City stands out and reaction when Jesús, Mahrez, Foden and Laporte attack

SEE: Guardiola on the victory over Arsenal

Players react on social media

The City team have been reacting to tonight’s win on Twitter.

Arteta reacts

City was the best team, but Arteta will regret a lot of bad luck in that game that was against his men.

Guardiola in tactical battle with Arteta

Guardiola tells Sky Sports how Mikel Arteta’s mid-game changes forced him to make some tactical changes of his own to get past Arsenal.

He said:

Of course, both teams need to score goals. We scored four, we started well, we had a good 10-15 minutes. After they changed the setting to four on the back, we struggled a bit. Then they score a good goal and after the second half we change something in the way we attack. We were more fluid. The second goal was helpful, the third perhaps offside. In knockout games he makes a difference. After 3-1 it was a completely different game.

They started at 5-4-1 and then changed to 4-1-4-1. The way we attacked was different, we put another player in the position we created where we could make him dangerous.

We didn’t even wake up with this game and score. It is not easy to play 20 minutes brilliantly and score a goal. We had good moments, we didn’t suffer and they couldn’t pass in a row. It has happened in the second half. They changed the settings, they pushed better. We struggled to find our players, in the second half we adjusted and we were a little more comfortable.

WATCH: Featured Images of Emirates Stadium

Semifinal draw details

City join Brentford in the last four, with Stoke vs Tottenham and Everton vs Man Utd tomorrow.

Giveaway details here:

Mahrez reacts to the great victory

Riyad Mahrez spoke to Sky Sports:

About the performance:

It was a solid performance. We started well and then they tied. In the second half we scored with the lucky free kick and we got the third and it was easier for us.

Granting the equalizer:

Sometimes it is like that, we cannot always dominate every game. We were good but we didn’t score second. So when you don’t score the second, they can always score anytime. In the second part we mark the second and third and we make it easier.

Any luck with your free kick?

I was surprised by the position of the goalkeeper. It was so close to the post, I thought it was going to move a little bit, so I put it there, but it didn’t move. Fortunately, it didn’t get it right for us.

Momentum to score four?

We have been fighting but it is football, we will be back. It’s not easy to score four, five goals, even if it has always been our standard. Today we scored four goals, we conceded one, it’s a solid performance.

Player ratings – Foden and Fernandinho good

Steffen: He showed excellent game awareness in breaking his goal and pulling his team out of a series of tough opportunities. He couldn’t do anything with the goal but gave it a slight wobble. 7

Cancel: A better first half than a second, with his attacking effort early causing trouble at Arsenal before he later struggled to find the same space. 7

Days: The man who never makes mistakes was not at his best when Arsenal threatened in the middle third of the game, although there was nothing too costly. 6

Laporte: His passing improves the attack and he earned a goal, but you suspect he’ll have a hard time kicking John Stones off if he lets the attackers score by not being on the right side of them, even if it wasn’t all his fault. 6

Read the full ratings here.

Full time!

Great triumph in the capital for City, which advances to the semifinals for the fourth consecutive year.

Two additional minutes

Riyad Mahrez puts Runarsson to the test, but this time the keeper almost grabs his left.

Added two minutes.

Running for the clock

The reason the updates have dried up since City’s fourth is that hardly anything has happened. I hope there is not much discount time.

The pace has slowed

Those changes for City, and their three-goal lead, mean both sides are accepting that it will be the Blues in the semi-finals.

With a busy Christmas schedule, it’s not surprising both sides have slowed things down, even if Arsenal are still looking for an unlikely route back to this one.

Rodri replaced

Kyle Walker replaces Rodri. Does that mean Aleks Zinchenko will move to midfield?

To make matters worse for Arsenal …

Now there is Sergio Agüero. Gabriel Jesús replaced after a much improved performance by the Brazilian.

Laporte makes four!

Phil Foden takes a short corner with Riyad Mahrez and recovers it. The cross is sublime and Aymeric Laporte has the simple job of nodding at home.

Torres enters

Bernardo Silva is replaced by Ferran Torres. It could be a rare opportunity to see Torres on the right wing, although it seems he’s set up on the left with Phil Foden moving inside.

Omen for him to come?

Sky shows Sergio Agüero stepping up his warm-up. This is an ideal scenario for him to move on: City are leading comfortably, but a goal could turn things around, so there is still some intensity to the game, demonstrated by Lacazette shooting into the side net.

However, Ferran Torres could be before the Argentine.

Bernardo reserved

Bernardo Silva knocks down Dani Ceballos and enters the book.

They will miss the semi-final if City get there.

New goal for City

Riyad Mahrez showing why he is Reach 2020’s Man City Player of the Year (possibly) and poor Arsenal goalkeeper showing that Mikel Arteta’s problems can, apparently, get worse. City have already let Arsenal back in once and need to improve to avoid doing it again. Phil Foden’s goal should give them the cushion to keep Arsenal at bay.

Two pieces of good fortune

Minutes after Runarsson gave City the lead, City have a two-goal lead.

However, replays show that Phil Foden might have been slightly offside, and VAR would certainly have been drawing lines on his screen had he been up and running. City are having the luck they have lost in recent weeks, as Arsenal’s misfortune continues.

Foden makes three!

You wait forever and then two show up at once.

Simple from City, with Fernandinho advancing and feeding Phil Foden to lift the ball over Runarsson at a tight angle.

Mahrez scores !!

There is the lead!

Riyad Mahrez is fouled, then stands up and throws it into the far corner where Runar Alex Runarsson can clear it.

Except the goalkeeper can only hit him in the top corner. Horrible upkeep, but City won’t mind.

Arsenal change

No, Martinelli has not recovered from that injury. Arsenal must have been giving him a chance to see how he reacts, but he has to be replaced early in the second half and Nicolás Pepe is in place.

Back on track

There were no changes for either team at halftime, which means that Gabriel Martinelli has recovered from that injury.

How long before Guardiola turns to Agüero?

Pep Guardiola said that Sergio Agüero is not ready for 90 minutes, but is he fit enough for 45?

Gabriel Jesus is having his best game in a while, so it would make sense to keep him, but it’s good to know that Agüero will be coming at some point.

There are also Raheem Sterling and Ferran Torres if Guardiola wants to freshen up the attack, or could he look to Ilkay Gundogan for midfield experience?

Featured images of the Emirates

Part time qualifications

Steffen 6

Cancel 7

6 days

Laporte 5

Zinchenko 6

Rodri 6

Fernandinho 7

Bernardo 6

Mahrez 6

Foden 7

Jesus 7

Halftime

So City looked complete after taking the lead two minutes through Jesus, but they have allowed Arsenal to get back into the game and it was a much more even clash towards the end of the half.

Work to be done in the second period, and while City should be ahead, Guardiola will have seen enough to encourage him to have more goals to score.

Martinelli continues

Gabriel Martinelli is back on his feet and will be limping back onto the pitch to try to execute it for the time being. Good to see.

Martinelli in pain

Gabriel Martinelli watches with some discomfort when Zack Steffen catches him. Steffen had just hit a long pass in front of Martinelli, and appears to have caught the youngster in the ankle. It wasn’t intentional, but it would be a horrible moment for the forward if his game ends, after returning from a long-term injury.

Three minutes were added.