- .Sergio Aguero broke the deadlock in the 28th minute after a break down the right from Jesus Navas
- .Danny Welbeck almost put Arsenal ahead when he hit the post 11 minutes into his Arsenal debut
- .Frank Lampard booked on his Manchester City debut following his summer move from Chelsea
- .Jack Wilshere leveled with a sublime finish in the second half after an assist from Aaron Ramsey
- .Alexis Sanchez put Arsenal 2-1 up after 74 minutes with a right footed finish at the Emirates Stadium
- .Mathieu Debuchy carried off on a stretcher late in the second half after picking up a leg injury
- .Martin Demichelis levelled the score for Manchester City after 83 minutes
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What are we to make of Arsenal? At times they appear a mere adornment in the Premier League, a beautiful decoration undoubtedly adding to overall aesthetic without ever reaching the top of the tree.
On Saturday, against title holders Manchester City, a team they had beaten 3-0 in The Community Shield, you sensed an opportunity to correct that impression. Certainly their players seemed to feel it. A team that last season was decimated in these early kicks off, conceding four in twenty minutes against Liverpool and Chelsea, seemed determined not to let the same happen again
They were aggressive, first to the ball and incisive with their play, playing as their esprit de corps depended on every block, every challenge. And yet, at the end of it all, with victory in their grasp, they failed again, their fragility returning like an unshakeable addiction.
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Wojciech Szczesny Of Arsenal is beaten by Martin Demichelis Of Manchester City as the Argentinian defender levels the score after 83 minutes
The Argentinians header hits the back of the net to salvage a point for Manchester City after the Sky Blues blew a 1-0 advantage
Alexis Sanchez shoots on the volley to beat Manchester City keeper Joe Hart and give Arsenal the lead at the Emirates Stadium
Chilean international Alexis Sanchez shows off his physique after scoring Arsenal's second goal - before being shown a yellow card
Jack Wilshere keeps his composure to beat Manchester City keeper Joe Hart and level the scores after a rapid break from midfield
Danny Welbeck celebrates with new team-mate Jack Wilshere as the midfielder runs to the crowd following his second half equaliser
Sergio Aguero of Manchester City continues his staggering record in front of goal as he scores the opener past Arsenal's Wojciech Szczesny
Argentinian striker Sergio Aguero is joined by Spanish team-mate David Silva as he runs to the corner flag to celebrate his first half goal
This was undoubtedly much better than last season’s team managed. Despite a wild start, Jack Wilshere had an outstanding game; Alexix Sanchez proved himself an addition of the highest quality; and City, though missing Yaya Toure, were tested to the full at times. For now though, Arsenal remain second best, a side against whom the best will always be confident of scoring.
That said, even before a ball is kicked this side engenders more confidence than before. Mesut Ozil, Alex Sanchez and Danny Welback is a forward line potentially the most exciting since the days of Thierry Henry. Sanchez tested Joe Hart early on with a shot from 20 yards, Ozil then found Welbeck, who swept a chance wide on 12 minutes. But the real opportunity, for Arsenal and Welbeck, came in 13 minutes.
David Silva attempted to play his way out delivered a back pass that fell for Welbeck and the striker turned well to put himself clear on goal with Hart. He lifted the ball delightfully; it cleared Hart and appeared to be heading goal-wards before it bounced off the inside of the post and back into Hart’s arm.
It was a decisive moment. Not only did Arsenal’s momentum fade, but Welback seemed to drop in confidence. It was a chance to silence detractors, Louis van Gaal among them and he had failed: only marginally and by a matter of centimetres, but it was grist to the mill for those that claim he isn’t a true centre forward.
And Arsenal, for all their signs of a new start, looked awfully familiar when they did concede. Mathieu Flamini until that point impressive won a 50-50 challenge with Sergio Aguero but saw the ball spin off to the touchline. He paused to appeal the throw in; Nacho Monreal was nowhere to be seen; Aaron Ramsey saw no danger and continued jogging; only Jesus Navas reacted as though it was a potential opportunity, sprinting away, and refusing to give up a seemingly lost cause. His persistence was rewarded with a free run at an incredibly open Arsenal defence, which allowed him to pick out Aguero, who, from six yards out, finished elegantly with his first touch.
Arsenal’s fragility exposed, their early confidence subsided and City should have been 2-0 up two minutes later when Navas and Pablo Zabaleta combined to put David Silva in from close range. Szczesny saved well but really the Spaniard should have scored.
Danny Welbeck is challenged by Manchester City's Frank Lampard as the England striker makes his debut following a deadline day transfer
Manchester City's Sergio Aguero (right) is challenged by Arsenal's Per Mertesacker in the early kick off at the Emirates Stadium
Fernandinho holds off Danny Welbeck as Arsenal enjoy the majority of possession inside the opening quarter of an hour
Danny Welbeck escapes the attentions of Manchester City's Argentinian defender Martin Demichelis to get an early shot on goal
Joe Hart looks on helplessly as Danny Welbeck comes agonsingly close to breaking the deadlock as his chipped shot rebounds off the base of the post
England international Danny Welbeck reacts to hitting the woodwork on his first appearance since the £16million move from Manchester United
Danny Welbeck's frustrations are reflected by the crowd as player and supporters alike put their head in their hands after the missed opportunity
It seemed as if Arsenal had lost their way. City were the more dominant as the second half started, now always first to the ball and superb at winning back possession. Arsenal had their moments of scintillating exchanges but always looked vulnerable on the flanks. Gael Clichy’s charge forward on 59 minutes and interchange with David Silva which saw his finish bounce just wide was symptomatic of Arsenal’s failings.
Yet, to their credit, they stuck at it, none more so than Wilshere, a snarling mass of rage seemingly personally insulted by the deficit. At times his aggression is unbridled – he kicks out with alarming frequency after a challenge – yet his spirit is required. It was he who won the ball back on 62 minutes, found Ramsey, who played a delightful return ball. On pushed Wilshere, brushing Clichy aside. When it looked like he would run out of space, he executed a lovely chip over his England team-mate Joe Hart for the equaliser. There are varying degrees of Wilshere, but this was him at his absolute best.
Ramsey and Wilshere were beginning to establish a stranglehold on the game, the absence of Yaya Toure now painfully apparent. He had arrived back only on Saturday from his Ivory Coast international duties and Manuel Pellegrini deemed him too tired for this game, starting with Frank Lampard, who looked painfully off the pace and was withdrawn at half time.
South American duo Sergio Aguero of Manchester City and Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal battle for the ball in the first half
Frank Lampard takes control of the ball on his Manchester City debut after joining the Sky Blues from Chelsea over the summer
Former England international Frank Lampard is shown a yellow card following a foul on Arsenal and Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey
Arsenal's Mathieu Debuchy is knocked to the ground after a tough tackle on the Frenchman inside the first half
Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez and Manchester City's Fernandinho battle for the ball as both sides go in search of the opening goal on Saturday afternoon
Sergio Aguero of Manchester City and Argentina stretches for the ball during the Premier League match between the two title hopefuls
Milner and Fernandinho did well in the early period of the second half, but with Toure, City would have surely contained the Arsenal resurgence better. On 75 minutes. Rasmey crossed and Kompany, who had been imperious, headed away but only to Wilshere, who headed the ball back into the area, where Alexis Sanchez met it with such a delightfully-executed right-foot volley that Hart simply had no chance to keep it out.
Ramsey should have finished the game on 77 minutes when Wilshere, by now in his pomp, played him in with a delightful ball which he scuffed wide. They would rue the miss, their weaknesses returning on 83 minutes when they simply failed to mark Martin Demichelis for a corner. The Argentine rose high and unimpeded; Szczesny got a hand to the ball and Flamini would have probably cleared it off the line if he hadn’t; as such, the goalkeeper simply helped the header into the net. A further blow to Arsenal came with Mathieu Debuchy carried off with what looked like a serious knee injury.
There was one consolation for Arsenal fans: the despised Samir Nasri looked as though he had won the game in extra time when Szczesny saved from Dzeko and the former Arsenal man turned the ball into the net. Yet an offside flag cut short his celebration. Nasri smiled ruefully, as almost the loudest cheer of the afternoon filled The Emirates.
Sergio Aguero gets away from Arsenal's Mathieu Flamini and Per Mertesacker to give Manchester City the lead after 28 minutes
Sergio Aguero's strike was the fifth goal Arsenal have conceded from eight shots on target faced in the Premier League this season
Sergio Aguero broke the deadlock in the 28th minute after a break down the right from Jesus Navas, punishing Arsenal for their missed opportunities
Arsenal looked to have Manchester City wobbling until Sergio Aguero broke the deadlock just before the half hour mark
Vincent Kompany of Manchester City clears the ball acrobatically as Arsenal go in search of an equaliser to defend their unbeaten home record
Arsenal's Mathieu Debuchy (left) and Manchester City's James Milner (right) battle for the ball as half time approaches
Samir Nasri is given a frosty reception by the home crowd as the Frenchman returns to his former club with Manchester City
Frank Lampard of Manchester City gives the officials a thumbs-up at half time, shortly before being substituted for Samir Nasri
Jack Wilshere of Arsenal closes down former team-mate Gael Clichy, now of Manchester City, on his return to the Emirates Stadium
Veteran defender Martin Demichelis of Manchester City rolls back the years and clears the ball acrobatically from danger
Arsenal's Chilean striker Alexis Sanchez (3-L) breaks through the Manchester City defence in the opening game of the weekend
Jack Wilshere is pursued by Manchester City Frenchman Samir Nasri as the England midfielder makes a break from midfield
Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere beat Joe Hart from an acute angle to finish off a fantastic team move in the second half
Jack Wilshere runs towards the Arsenal supporters to celebrate his 63rd minute strike which leveled the scores
Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal scores their second goal during the Barclays Premier League match as the Gunners fought back from 1-0 down
The Chilean international was shown a yellow card for taking his shirt off during his celebrations
Mathieu Debuchy of Arsenal was carried off on stretcher after suffering what appeared to be a serious leg injury late in the second half
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