Arsenal had played with real blood and guts in this match!
After Su Dong scored, Man City immediately launched another attack. Hazard sent a brilliant pass to David Silva, and the Espanyol player fired from inside the box, coming within inches of piercing the Gunners' goal again.
Even so, Arsenal still charged forward fearlessly.
Starting in the sixteenth minute, the Gunners once again committed players to the midfield and front line, surrounding and harrying Man City.
They were behind in possession, but that did not matter. Arsenal's players used even more running to suppress their opponents.
Still, even a battered ship had three pounds of nails left in it. Once the Gunners truly went all out, throwing caution to the wind and battling Man City to the death, they really could produce a wave of momentum. This was especially true from the eighteenth minute onward, when Arsenal created chance after chance.
First, Gervinho's fierce shot was parried out over the byline by Courtois. Then Ramsey's shot from the edge of the box was gathered by Courtois as he went to ground. After that, Walcott won a corner on the right, and the ball was sent into the penalty area. Courtois decisively abandoned his goal and came out, reaching the ball in midair before his Belgian national-team teammate Vermaelen and plucking it down.
Arsenal had created danger three times in a row, but none of those chances had resulted in a goal.
It was as if Arsenal were declaring their position: the Gunners were no soft touch to be carved up at will.
Man City greatly admired the Gunners' courage. After all, teams willing to push forward and go toe-to-toe with Man City were becoming increasingly rare. For the Gunners to dare do so was truly remarkable, making them a worthy