da bet7k： In what proved to be a miserable afternoon all around, Arsenal were humiliated 3-0 by Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.
Snapshot
da heads bet： The Gunners headed into the campaign on the back of a 3-1 victory over West Ham in the Premier League, and then securing qualification to the knockout stages of the Europa League with a draw away against Standard Liege.
But their new-found confidence took a body blow when they fell a goal down to an early strike from Kevin De Bruyne. and that virtually opened the floodgates. The Citizens would race into a 3-0 lead by half-time, and the rest of the game was essentially a formality as Pep Guardiola’s men played at walking pace.
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However, whilst the overall performance and result on the night left a lot to be desired, starlet Emile Smith Rowe showed a glimmer of hope for the Arsenal faithful to get behind with his cameo mid-way through the second-half.
Off the bench
The Gunners were 3-0 down and already staring down the barrel of a miserable defeat when Freddie Ljungberg took the decision to send on Smith Rowe in place of Mesut Ozil. It felt like a seismic moment. It may have represented a changing of the guard in terms of who could potentially be Arsenal’s long-term number ten, with the starlet going on to show yet more evidence that he is capable of making it to the very top.
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As per Sofascore, he completed the one dribble he attempted, made one tackle and won three ground duels – all three of those statistics were more than what Ozil could manage in the hour he was on the pitch. Smith Rowe’s ability to receive the ball on the half-turn and drive at the City defence got a beleaguered Emirates Stadium to stand up on their feet to applaud.
The 19-year-old took the game to City from the very first moment he got on to the pitch, and also set about trying to win the ball back as quickly as possible too. The Gunners were given some much-needed energy and movement, and it was chalk and cheese to see Smith Rowe and Ozil’s performances on the day.
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And with a new manager potentially coming in very soon, the academy product has announced himself this season at the right time. He could very well be the man to lead the north London side when Ozil finally makes his departure from the Emirates.
Meanwhile, Arsenal fans have slammed this star for his anonymous display against Manchester City.