Man City 1 - 2 Arsenal

Second half strikes from Wiltord and Ljungberg cancel out Lauren own-goal, keep Arsenal top.

Arsenal Scorers:
Wiltord - 47′ (3)
Ljungberg - 71′ (1)

Manchester City Scorers
Lauren (og) 10′

Cards
31′ - Cole (Arsenal) Dissent
49′ - Barton (Man City) Unsportsmanlike Conduct
55′ - Sommeil (Man City)Unsportsmanlike Conduct
58′ - Lauren (Arsenal) Unsportsmanlike Conduct
73′ - Ljungberg (Arsenal) Unsportsmanlike Conduct
74′ - Tarnat (Man City) Dissent
75′ - Tiatto (Man City) Unsportsmanlike Conduct

Sylvain Wiltord scored his third goal of the season just two minutes into the second half, and Freddie Ljungberg added his first as Arsenal won a hard-fought 1-2 victory against a vastly improved Manchester City side at the brand-new City of Manchester Stadium on Sunday.

Manchester City opened the scoring about ten minutes into the match, but that wasn’t of their own doing. They got some help from Lauren, who, in an awkward attempt to clear the ball into touch, accidentally shanked the ball goalward, and past a shocked Jens Lehmann.

That’s not to say that City didn’t have their chances. Ex-Gunner, Nicholas Anelka (aka Rat-Faced Boy,)had several chances to extend the lead, but they either went begging, or Lehmann was up to the task.

At the other end of the pitch, former Arsenal hero, David Seaman made several key saves to keep his side ahead, including a scorcher from Freddie Ljungberg which Seaman tipped over the bar. However, the Gunners would not be denied, putting two past their old teammate. Wiltord’s goal tied him Thierry Henry for the team lead with three.
As for Freddie’s goal - he got so excited, that he was shown a yellow for his celebrations with the away fans!

So, now it’s a break from the action in favor of an international week (I hate these!) Next up, Portsmouth at Highbury on Saturday the 13th. Pompey are now third in the league, and doing it with some tough defensive play. Yet another test for the Gunners, but one they can definitely ace.