I'm not going to lie going into the game I didn't expect much from us in fact I expected the worse and after 18 minutes, I expected it even more. The match started lively and actually would have been a good game for a neutral to watch, both teams were attacking but when Silva broke with City the deadlock was soon broken. The tricky Spaniard looked to shoot but instead squared it to Dzeko who hit the near post but much like at Old Trafford the rebound fell to Silva who put it away. Lucky? Maybe, but when your charging to the title you need luck and Silva had the instinct to follow it in.
The half went on in a tit-for-tat kind of way with both sides creating the odd chance. Mathieu Flamini put the ball in the City net but it was rightly ruled out for offside. The half drew to a close but there was some optimism around the Emirates for the second half and for good reason, the second half started and Arsenal immediately looked better.
There was more urgency and more drive to Arsenals game as they began to pull the City defence across the field. Then 7 minutes in, we struck. Displaying the patient play on the edge of the box that we so often do, found Podolski on the left hand side of the box. The German looked up and curled the ball towards an onrushing Flamini who guided it past Hart. It was a big goal and you could really see what it meant to the Frenchman who as proved to be a phenomenal piece of business from Wenger.
The rest of the game was all Arsenal and moment later we probably should have been 2-0 up. Some clever interplay with Cazorla found Podolski again but this time inside the box on the left with Hart to beat. I thought almost certainly he would fizz it across the face of the goal and into the far corner, but instead he tried to put it between Harts legs but the England keeper got the lucky with the ball brushing off his heel and wide.
That was really the best chance we fashioned for the rest of the game but credit to Wenger, I expected him to throw on some more defensive players as the game progressed but he went for it bringing on Alex OC and Sanogo but it just wasn't to be. After a bad week a big point against Man City was much needed ahead of our final game of the dreaded run we've had to endure.
The game next weekend is without a doubt the biggest of the season. We sit 4 points ahead of Everton who have a game in hand. Assuming they win that, there's a point in it meaning that we have to go to Goodison and get a result. A draw isn't ideal but a loss is catastrophic. If we lose it's out of our hands and we rely on other teams at this silly stage of the season to save us.
I'd just like to take a moment to remember that 13 years ago today, Arsenal lost David "Rocky" Rocastle to non-hodgkins lymphoma at the age of just 33. For those who saw him play, many will never forget his unusual combination of flair and power. For those who didn't he lives on through the stories passed down from fan to fan. RIP Rocky.
