Sports

Brave Arsenal Fails To Hold ‘Lucky’ Man City In New Year’s Opener

Ten-man Arsenal produced a brilliant first half performance but capitulated in the second stanza as they gave up a lead to start the year 2022 with a 2-1 defeat to Premier League leaders Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Bukayo Saka put the dominant Gunners ahead in the 31st minute which was the first Premier League of the new year but a second half penalty converted by Riyad Mahrez after 57 minutes when Granit Xhaka tugged on the shirt of Bernardo Silva and a late Rodri finish ensured that City stretched their consecutive wins in the league this season to 11 matches.

Arsenal’s last Premier League win over Manchester City came in April 2015 in a 2-1 victory albeit they have overcome City twice in the FA Cup to lift the title, the last being in 2020.

Before City’s winner, Gabriel Malgehues was handed his second yellow card of the match for a foul on countryman Gabriel Jesus in the second half.

However there was a major talking point in the first half which will reverberate for a few hours after Martin Ordegaard was brought down in the City penalty box by goalkeeper Ederson which the referee or the Video Assistant Referee felt deserved a second look.

Chelsea will face Liverpool on Sunday with both sides hoping to close the gap atop the league table with Pep Guardiola’s side now 11 points adrift of the challenging heavyweight rivals.

Izuchukwu Okosi

Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc. In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio. He worked there for 13 years until October 2017. Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch. He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations. Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line. Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.