football.co.uk web
skip to content
It's all over! BARTON'S first-half penalty has given City a great 1-0 win over the Gunners.
Stuart Pearce decides to make a change in injury time to take some time off the clock and Ishmael Miller comes on for Corradi.
Arsene Wenger is cutting a frustrated figure on the touchline but his side have just three minutes of injury time to salvage a point.
Georgios Samaras is on for Dickov.
City look like they are going to hang on for their first win of the season.
Mathieu Flamini is on for Emmanuel Eboue.
Richards takes the ball off Walcott's toe and clears for a corner. Van Persie goes close with a header from the set-piece.
Danny Mills is on for Vassell.
Walcott wins a corner with a direct run but it comes to nothing.
Emmanuel Adebayor is on for Hleb as Arsenal look for a goal.
Henry squanders another free-kick. This time it is over the bar.
Sinclair's cross is too close to Lehmann and the Germany number one gets down to cut out the danger.
Arsenal are piling the pressure on but City are holding firm. Alexander Hleb then bizarrely pulls the ball back when he had the chance to shoot.
The Eastlands crowd are cheering every tackle as they get behind their team.
Theo Walcott is on for Rosicky.
Dunne is forced to concede a corner as Arsenal prepare to make some changes in a bid to pull level.
Van Persie flashes wide again after a great pass from Fabregas as Arsenal search for an equaliser.
Henry's 25-yard free-kick hits the wall and City survive another scare. The home fans are really getting behind their side now.
At the hour mark Barton's penalty on the stroke of half time is enough to separate the two sides.
Stephen Jordan fires just over from a tight angle.
Fabregas shoots wide but City's defence was well organised and he had few options on.
Henry's quick free-kick fails to catch Weaver out and the crowd let out a jeer aimed at the France international but the referee had no objections.
Jordan is booked for handball.
Dickov fires straight down Lehmann's throat after a good surge forward by penalty hero Barton.
Arsenal overplay again on the edge of the City area as another attack breaks down for the Gunners.
Neither side has elected to make any changes at the interval.
Arsenal kick-off and they'll need to come from behind it they are to take all three points.
Kolo Toure crashes a shot off the bar but City lead 1-0 at the halfway stage.
Van Persie is cautioned for dissent.
BARTON on target to open the scoring from the penalty spot. it's City's first goal of the season.
Justin Hoyte brings Sinclair down.
Weaver denies Henry again as the striker stabs at the ball 12 yards out.
Gilberto's shot is blocked as Rosicky creates another chance but somehow City hold firm. Surely an opening goal is coming from the Gunners?
Henry wastes another opportunity as he over-plays it 20 yards out.
Corradi goes close to heading home Dickov's cross from close range but it forces a stunning save out of Lehmann. It's the best chance of the game so far but against the run of play.
A rare foray forward by City results in a corner for them but Micah Richards heads wide of the goal.
Henry is well marshalled by Richard Dunne as he tries to control Gilberto Silva's 30-yard pass. He doesn't look to be at the races today.
Henry's touch lets him down after Rosicky's dummy catches him out on the edge of the area following good work from Van Persie.
Distin manages to catch Henry and clears the danger at the expense of a corner.
Dickov and Lehmann have a difference of opinion as City wait to take a corner. The ball eventually comes in and is cleared only as far as Sinclair who fires wide.
Henry fires wide of Weaver's goal from a tight angle after getting behind the defence. He looks a little rusty and should have buried the chance.
Joey Barton spurns a wonderful chance when Trevor Sinclair's cross finds him with the midfielder firing wide. He should have opened the scoring for the home side.
Cesc Fabregas surges forward but his one-two with Henry just fails to come off on the edge of the area.
The Gunners string together a few passes but Van Persie's ball to Rosicky is just behind the Czech international. Thierry Henry is then denied by Nicky Weaver with the Frenchman one-on-one with the keeper. Jens Lehmann then survives a scare.
City are still looking for their first goal of the season but on this evidence it might be a long wait.
The tackles are flying in but there hasn't been one effort on target yet. Dickov has just gone down in the box and appeals for a penalty but there's nothing doing from the referee.
Neither side has really settled and the game has had a scrappy opening.
Bernardo Corradi has the first effort on target but his header from a free-kick is just over the bar from six yards.
Arsenal launch a free-kick into the box but it's well dealt with by City who have been boosted by Sylvain Distin's decision to stay at the club amid interest from Middlesbrough.
Paul Dickov has become the first player to concede a foul. He's up front with Bernardo Corradi with Darius Vassell on the left wing.
City get the game underway at Eastlands with both sides looking for their first league win of the campaign.
City make three changes with Ousmane Dabo, Stephen Jordan and Bernardo Corradi all coming back into the side from the infamous midweek draw with Portsmouth. Ben Thatcher has been suspended by the club for his challenge on Pedro Mendes. Visitors Arsen
Manchester City finally secured an elusive first ever Premiership victory against Arsenal with a 1-0 success at Eastlands. Joey Barton's first half penalty earned Stuart Pearce's side a win in what was the upset of the day in the Premiership. City, who had picked up only one point from their opening two League matches produced a battling performance against last season's Champions League finalists. Though City had luck on their side - Arsenal were twice denied by the woodwork - Pearce's team deserved reward for their efforts. And it was a notable victory, their first in 19 Premiership meetings and City's first win against the Gunners since 1991. City made three changes following their midweek goalless draw against Portsmouth as Ben Thatcher was dropped for disciplinary reasons Claudio Reyna was injured and striker Georgios Samaras relegated to the substitutes' bench. Stephen Jordan replaced Thatcher at left-back, Ousmane Dabo was drafted into midfield, while there was a home debut for Italian striker Bernardo Corradi. Arsenal fielded a strong line-up, though Ashley Cole, Phillipe Senderos, Jose Antonio Reyes and Freddie Ljungberg were absentees. After a luke-warm opening the matched sparked to life in the 14th minute when Thierry Henry beat the offside trap but was denied by the legs of keeper Nick Weaver. City might have stolen into the lead moments later when Trevor Sinclair set up Barton who rolled his shot agonisingly wide when he looked certain to score. Henry wasted another glorious chance shooting wide from the far side of the penalty area. But City had the best chance of the early stages when Paul Dickov's cross was met by Corradi whose goal bound header was brilliantly kept out by Jens Lehmann diving low to his left. A goal eluded Henry for the third time in the opening half after he was let in following a terrible error by Sylvain Distin, but Weaver came to the rescue again blocking his shot with his legs. Arsenal were also denied a penalty when replays showed Richard Dunne clearly took the legs Cesc Fabregas after the ball had gone. Robin van Persie crashed a shot against the upright as Arsenal were frustrated again in front of goal. Then, against the run of play, City were awarded a spot-kick when Justin Hoyte clattered into Sinclair and Barton stepped up to score with a shot which went in off the underside of the crossbar. Arsenal were denied by the woodwork on a second occasion in stoppage time when Kolo Toure headed Fabregas's corner against the crossbar. Arsenal cranked up the tempo in the second half as they pulled out all the stops to get an equaliser. But despite the considerable pressure they exerted they were repelled time and time again by City's well marshalled defence. And City restricted Arsenal to only a couple of clear-cut chances, notably when Fabregas and Van Persie both shot disappointingly wide from great goal scoring positions. Arsenal brought on Theo Walcott and Emmanuel Adebayor as they switched to a 4-4-2 in pursuit of that elusive goal. Van Persie ought to have equalised in the 83rd minute but somehow contrived to head Fabregas's corner wide from five yards, and that was to prove their last chance of the match.
Corners
Fouls
Goal attempts
Shots off target
Offsides
advertisement
football.co.uk