The problem when there is a red card before some of the players even have a scrap of dirt on their kneecaps is that it can distort the true picture. Manchester City may have suffered the most comprehensive home defeat of their two years under the ownership of Abu Dhabi's royal family but the mitigating circumstances were so extreme an asterisk should be put in the record books to explain the unorthodox nature of Arsenal's win.
There is no reason for great alarm at City, who were clapped off the pitch after the final whistle, just as it would be exaggerating to say winning 3-0 against a side that went into the weekend second in the league represents decisive evidence of Arsenal re-establishing themselves as authentic title challengers.
Arsène Wenger and his players are entitled to be jubilant about the margin of victory and the accomplished way they took advantage of City's self-inflicted wounds, incorporating their first clean sheet away from home since January, but it was impossible to escape the reason why it was such a lop-sided game.
Some players cannot wait to get off the pitch when they see that flash of red from the referee's pocket. Others rage and protest their innocence. In Dedryck Boyata's case there was just unmistakable sadness on that long, desolate walk to the touchline.
Wenger spoke about winning in "special circumstances". Mancini thought his team would have won otherwise and praised his players for their efforts. The crowd seemed to agree and, through the fog of disappointment, it was telling they were clapped off the pitch.
Perhaps, despite arguing otherwise after the match, Mancini will regret bringing Boyata into the centre of his defence. On the face of it, it was certainly a strange decision when it meant leaving out Joleon Lescott, the third most expensive defender on the planet, who not only cost City £24m but played alongside Rio Ferdinand in England's back four in the draw with Montenegro 12 days earlier.
Boyata, in fairness, has excelled on the few occasions he has been promoted to the side, and won his first cap for Belgium earlier this month, but this was a harrowing day for the teenager and Mancini's explanation that he had rested Lescott because he had played in Thursday's Europa League tie against Lech Poznan did not quite stack up. Boyata had also played in the same match.
What can be said with certainty is that the disruption for City was severe and ultimately decisive. Mancini's first idea was to move Yaya Touré from midfield into Boyata's position. A few minutes later he reconsidered and Jérôme Boateng took over, with Gareth Barry dropping into the left-back role. Then, at half-time, Touré was substituted for Wayne Bridge, with Barry reverting to his previous position. This was defensive musical chairs and it was probably inevitable that Arsenal, with their wide, expansive football, would manage to get behind them more than any other team this season.
Wenger's players always move the ball well but, with an extra man, they kept possession elegantly, made their opponents do the harder running and eventually wore them down. It was a performance of control and intelligence and, in the second half, a measured sense of discipline, too, given that Cesc Fábregas, Denilson, Alexandre Song and Johan Djourou were all booked within the first 36 minutes. Wenger dwelled on this point afterwards: the fact a red card would have altered the dynamics of the game for a second time and the way the players in question applied common sense.
There were words of praise, too, for Lukasz Fabianski on a rare day when Arsenal's supporters did not have to peek through the cracks in their fingers when it came to the team's goalkeeper. We have seen enough of the Pole to realise there are times when he is a danger to his own team but Fabianski's saves from David Silva, inside the opening minute and then shortly before the hour (with the score at 1-0) should not be overlooked.
It was unusual to be talking about a goalkeeper after a 3-0 away win but this was an unorthodox day on many counts and, in a peculiar way, Fabianski's performance might have the been the most encouraging aspect of all for Wenger when taking into account the unhappy role Boyata played.
Source: Daniel Taylor, The Guardian on 24 Oct 10
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