Arsenal defeated Manchester City 1-0 on Sunday thanks to a late deflection goal by Gabriel Martinelli, giving them a potentially significant lead in the Premier League title battle.

After replacing Nathan Aké for Man City at halftime, the Brazilian winger scored a goal from the edge of the box that went past the diving Ederson and sent fans into a frenzy of joy.

Man City suffered its second consecutive loss at the Emirates Stadium as it huffed and puffed and found it difficult to overcome a determined Arsenal.

“Winning a game like that and coming back feels amazing.” We are aware of how difficult it is to play against them,” Martinelli afterwards told the Premier League. “I was ecstatic to enter; ever since I was hurt, I had been waiting for this opportunity.

“You don’t score if you don’t shoot. I trust myself and try to play my game; I always try to give myself space because I know [Kyle] Walker is powerful and quick. Playing for Arsenal requires having a winning mindset in every match. This is our way of thinking and what we’re aiming for.

The winning goal came in the 86th minute, opening up a huge early lead in the Premier League title contest.

Arsenal is tied for second place in the standings with North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur after eight games of the 2023 season, while incumbent champion Man City is in third place, two points behind the two early leaders.

The Premier League title was contested by the two teams last season, with Man City emerging victorious to win their third consecutive title. The teams have a long history together, as evidenced by the fact that Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, was once Pep Guardiola’s assistant manager at Man City.

And following the new season’s good start, it appears that the same may hold true this time around.

Early in their seasons, both teams have displayed weaknesses in their lineups: Arsenal’s vulnerability in defense at home and City’s lack of midfield presence due to the absence of its key player, Rodri.

And for eighty-five minutes in North London, there were hardly any opportunities created by either team as they essentially cancelled each other out.

Up to the goal, Mateo Kovačić of City was the center of attention due to his narrow escape from a red card after two challenges that could have easily ended in an early bath.

But Arsenal’s attacking vitality was ignited at halftime when Martinelli replaced Leandro Trossard, and the team tormented the City defense all game long.

And his deflected goal was the icing on the cake for an entire Arsenal performance that handed Man City consecutive league losses and reaffirmed the team’s title hopes.

“Tight match. We had two or three chances early on, and we started really well,” Guardiola afterwards told the Premier League.

“They got off to a great start in the second half and picked up the pace.” Ultimately, it was a deflected goal, and Arsenal prevailed. Well done. Few opportunities existed for either side. We lost the game in one action since it was close.